On the first day…

Joe — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:54:29 +0000

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, inevitably people scour the ‘pop canon’ to find examples of songs that don’t have (or don’t appear to have) a core meaning. Common examples include Whiter Shade of Pale, I Am The Walrus and various songs by Oasis, Keane or Coldplay. It’s too big a discussion to get into here (though it’s a fascinating debate for every songwriter) but suffice it to say that these songs often have something else outstanding about them of interest – a great melody, unusual lyric imagery, excellent ‘singability’ or, in the case of the recording, interesting production and an outstanding vocal performance. Do these occasional examples mean that songwriters dare avoid nailing core meaning during the creative process? Aye, there’s the rub! A related issue – the difference between the song and the performance ñ has been discussed in a previous entry.

After our first meeting, people got into their tutor groups (with Andy West, Iain, Boo, Andy White, Lucy, Cecilia and Richard) to play existing material to each other and start their creative tasks. This year we’re insisting on our policy of ‘no back catalogue’ i.e. everyone plays songs that are written during Festival week – the event is about songwriting, not performance. The studios are already up and running, and some new songs are already burned to CD, though the tidal wave of recording will begin tomorrow when everyone’s completed the first task.

Our first gig of the new songs is Tuesday, so on the first night we all had a few beers in Chapel Arts Centre while we enjoyed two outstanding performances by Iain and Boo at our 2009 launch event at Chapel Arts Centre. Wonderful songs, wonderful company.

SWF 09 – the tasks

admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:37:04 +0000

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 block
ìDo It Againî	Write a chorus-based song where the title appears at least twice in the chorus.	Making your songs memorable.
ìFrom Me To Youî	Complete a lyric based on one of your titles, and give it to a collaborator to set to music ñ and the other way around (you set their lyric).	Developing craft without ëbaggageí.
ìAnyone can fall in loveî	Steal a fragment of dialogue from a soap opera and develop it into a complete song.	Beating writersí block.
ìThereís a Placeî	Write a song with a place name as the title.	Breaking out of lyric clichÈ/ developing emotional truth.
ìAll Together Nowî	Work with another one or two members of your tutor group and write a collaborative song.	Collaborative negotiation/pitching ideas/creative space
ìScream If You Wanna Go Fasterî	Write a song at a tempo faster than 120 beats per minute (use a drum loop, metronome or wristwatch ñ 120BPM = 2 beats/sec).	Avoiding mid-tempo blandness
ìMiss Ghostî	Write a song using a ëghost songí. Choose an existing hit and rewrite its lyric and melody, but keep the syllable count and scansion the same.	Creative starting points/avoiding doggerel scansion
ìWords are all I haveî	Complete a lyric in its entirety and then add music later. Try describing your songís ëBig Ideaí in ten words or fewer before you start.	Developing a strong central idea
ìYou and Iî	Write a song that features ìIî and ìYouî characters.	Avoiding diaristic clichÈ
ìPicture bookî	Choose a selection of Google images and include them in your song lyric.	Using imagery.
ìAll by myselfî	Write a song without using a musical instrument	Developing melodic shape
ìMy Name Isî	Write a song with a characterís name as the title	Avoiding diaristic clichÈ/ developing narrative
ìTake it to the bridgeî	Write a 32-bar song in AABA form.	Controlling form/using hooks.

UK Songwriting Festival | Annual summer songwriting courses in Bath, UK » songwriting festival

On the first day…

SWF 09 – the tasks