From the Heart of Dixie: The Perfect Pitch
By: Dixie Phillips Cover photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Have you ever been driving down the highway with your radio blaring, listening to some great gospel music, and suddenly the atmosphere changes in your vehicle? The lyrics and melody of the song reach right though the airwaves and minister to your hurting heart. It feels like the song was written just for you. Maybe you’ve even had to pull your car over to the side of the road and regain your composure, because the song moved you so deeply. There’s no doubt about it—there is power in a gospel song! Do you ever wonder about the story behind a song? Were you ever curious how your favorite gospel group found a special song and recorded it? I had those same questions and never knew the answers to them until a few years ago, when my sister-
in-law Sharon and I won the 2012 Singing News/ Solid Gospel Songwriters Search with our original song “Hidden Heroes.” We discovered that when it comes to songwriting, the term “perfect pitch” took on an entirely new meaning. It wasn’t about singing the right music notes, but it was about a song being a perfect fit and “pitch” for an artist. Sharon and I entered the contest, not having a clue about how to pitch a song. We thought all we needed to do was write a great song, get it signed to a reputable publisher, and it would eventually get picked up. While this is partially true—publishers and artists are always looking for strong material, but there’s so much more to the selection process than just writing and pitching a great song.
