On the first day…

Richard works al fresco with one of our songwriters. We started today with my own introductory lecture and some discussion of songs. Many common songwriters’ issues and challenges came up, including chord loops, melodic structure, form and the concept of Big Idea, or core meaning. For many writers, this is the most difficult part of the process – nailing the single, simple idea at the heart of the song. And whenever it’s discussed,... [Read More...]

SWF 09 – the tasks

Each of our writers chooses from a list of tasks each day to develop a particular aspect of their writing. Here are the 2009 SWF songwriting tasks. Task Brief Skill development Introductory task ñ ìMy Name Isî (This task should be completed before you arrive). Write ten titles. If you have time, choose the most inspiring one and develop it into a chorus. If you have (more) time, complete the song. Beating writersí... [Read More...]