Harry Griendling learned to play piano and guitar by imitating the songs he heard on Philadelphia’s FM radio stations.
“I’ve always been drawn to popular music of any kind,” notes Harry. “At first, I was interested in learning to play the songs like the artists, trying to recreate them exactly as they sounded on the CD. But my interest eventually shifted to writing original material. At first, I imitated the styles of the artists I was playing, so the songs weren’t very good or very original. But over time, I learned to take those styles and approaches in my own direction. Hopefully, my compositions can stand on their own and reflect my vision of how music and lyrics combine to make an engaging, listenable song.”
Griendling cites a varied list of songwriting influences, including James Taylor, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Tom Waits, Lennon-McCartney, Sting, Paul Simon, and Holland-Dozier-Holland. “I’m always impressed by songwriters working in any genre who have amassed large catalogues of hit songs over multiple decades or with multiple artists. Knowing the creative energy that is required to create just one good song, I’m am impressed with any writer who can produce consistently strong, best-selling work across decades.”
A completely self-taught musician, Harry views his lack of a formal music background as a songwriting advantage. “I learned to play from the recordings, not from a book. The process I used—taking apart each song to try to figure out what the artist was doing–turned out to be great training for an aspiring songwriter. The way I learned to play taught me much more about how to construct a song than it did about great technique on my instruments. Plus, being unpolished, it was always easier for me to make things up than it was to learn new technique.”
Griendling describes himself as a “serviceable” pianist and guitarist, noting that his interest in perfecting his musicianship was never as strong as his interest in writing a perfect song. “There’s something about the process of creating a new song that’s fulfilling,” notes Harry. “To take something you’re thinking or feeling and turn it into a song that perfectly captures your idea or emotion is an incredible challenge. And hard. It’s much more fun to play a finished song than it is to write it in the first place.”
Harry lives in the Philadelphia area and works with a group of local producers and musicians. “Philadelphia is rich with musical talent,” notes Griendling. You never have to look far to find your choice of great players in all style of music.”