Vernon Black November 16th 2007.

Collaborative Songwriting Workshop

The latest guest in the "Planning for Success" Lecture Series, Vernon Black, shared an abundance of information and experience on the creative process, particularly that of collaborative songwriting, with an interview, a presentation and an interactive songwriting workshop. An accomplished guitarist and vocalist, Vernon Black spent most of the past 20 years touring, recording and film tracking with music legends like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Chakka Kahn and Lionel Richie.

He's currently playing with music legends Clarence Clemons, T.M. Stevens, and Narada Michael Walden under the band name: "Temple of Soul." Their debut music video "Anna" can be viewed on YouTube


























The interview was conducted by Dave Toole from Outhink media, whose collaborations and friendship with Vernon go back many years, giving the entire interview a familiar tone and, at times, a comic levity. Dave asked Vernon about his favorite songwriters, about his philosophies on creative inspiration, on producing new artists, and collaborations with fellow songwriters. Students then asked Vernon about his workflow, his tools, his techniques and so forth. After the interview, Vernon connected his instruments to the classroom's integrated sound system, while Eli Spector of Outhink Media demonstrated Outhink's free SpinXpress software. SpinXpress is an application that allows creative professionals from all over the world to connect and easily share large media files fast, by downloading the files directly from their collaborator's computers. More information on this innovative free software can be found at http://spinxpress.com/.

After the presentation it was time to make some music, and students were invited to hook up their Glyph drives to play some loops they've created. These loops were then taken as the starting point, and Vernon added guitar riffs on the spot, while students contributed hooks, verses and raps. Other students used the Axiom USB Midi controllers that are connected to every station, and played bass, harmony and melodies through software straight from the computers. These guest lectures are open and free to the public, so keep an eye on the Pyramind website to find out about the next guest, and reserve a seat!