Tag Archives: Songwriting exercise

Weekly Songwriting Exercise – Week of 6-18-12: Melody First – C Dorian Mode

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Minneapolis Recording Studio

I had fun giving myself a songwriting assignment last week. It kind of forced me to write a new song that I may not have written. As I have said before in previous posts, my internal songwriter is very lazy. Weekly assignments are one way I can kick its ass. :)

This week my assignment is a bit less involved than last week.  So here it is….My new assignment due by next Sunday :) :

Write a song MELODY FIRST in the C DORIAN MODE.

The C Dorian scale includes the notes: C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb, C   – - So that is the scale I am going to base this week’s song on. I have no clue what the song is going to be about, but I have to come up with the melody first, which is not super easy for me. I will probably play a melody on the keyboard and record it and listen to it over and over. It should inspire something. Stay tuned for the song that results this week! If you write your own song, feel free to post it too!  ~~ Chad

Weekly Songwriting Assignment Results: ‘Human’

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This week I gave myself a songwriting assignment. I posted that assignment here.  I started off following my own assignment pretty closely….but then the song kinda of took a few different turns. Mainly in the number of lines in the sections and where in the measures the melody starts. Anyway, what came out was the start of a song called, “Human.”  It probably needs some work, but the whole point of these assignments and exercises is to keep myself writing. Not every song is going to be a smash hit, but even the  not-quite-there songs are very important, because you don’t reach the gold without digging for it.  So this is my songwriting ‘digging’ this week….. ~~ Chad

Human
by Chad Shank

He has beach blond hair with darker streaks
And he moves like a breeze across the beach
The sand sticks to his sweat
Beads of water on his skin
He’s free as the Caribean sun sets

Chorus:
He feels Human
In this place he likes to find his joy
Where he feels Human
Away from the stress
Away from the noise
He feels Human

Sometimes he paints to forget the pain
With a brush in his hand in a different state
Emotions on the page
Feelings in the scene
Art is what takes him away

CHORUS

Bridge:
He lets himself go
Lost in the taste, touch, sight, sound and smell
Where he can find himself
Find himself again

Chorus Repeats

Chords:

Verse: ||Cm   |Cm   |Ab   |Ab  |Cm  |Cm  |Fm   |Fm    ||

Chorus: ||Ab  |Bb  |Gm   |Gm   ||

Bridge: ||Bb  Fm  |Ab   ||

©2012 Chad Shank

Songwriting Exercise: Restaurant Writing – finding ideas

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I have not tried this exercise, yet. I sort of did it in an airport once where I started writing and describing people around me and what they looked like and were doing, but this is a little bit different….

The songwriting exercise I just heard is something you could do at work, restaurant, coffee shop….anywhere people are talking.  Basically what you do is take 5 to 10 minutes and write down every single conversation you hear. Write down words, phrases, sayings, jokes, sentences…..transcribe the conversation of someone near you. Then scan it for lyrical ideas. Maybe there are titles…..concepts…..lines…..you never know.  The key is to think like a songwriter no matter where you are. Practice looking for song material in everyday things and life.

I haven’t tried this particular one….yet…..but I will! Have you done this? Have any other ideas or tips?

~~ Chad

Songwriting Exercise: Songwriting Assignment

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If I sit and wait for the inspiration bug to bite me, I am usually waiting a long time. That means I am not writing very often, and for me that is not good, because I am not practicing the craft at that point. I am not growing. So how do I start to attract the bug instead of waiting for it? One way I find works for me is to give myself detailed songwriting assignments. These assignments are basically a list of parameters that I need to fit my song into. I make structural decisions before I even start writing the song. I think I picked this habit up from doing songwriting assignments for Berklee College of Music. Each week we would have certain concepts we were learning about, and we would have to use them on purpose.  Now my personal song assignments end up being very similar.

So this week I am giving myself and assignment that I will share here. I will be working on it  this week and I will post a demo of the song when I get it done. If you want, you can try the assignment for yourself and post YOUR results here too. Would be great to see what you come up with!

My Assignment This week: Write a Song with These Parameters

*notice how I try to contrast parameters in each section

Topic: Will be inspired by what the chords make me feel like

Structure: Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus

Verse: 6 lines – rhyme scheme AABCCB

Chorus: 5 lines – T – - – T (T is title line, – is line not the title) – Rhyme Scheme ABABA

Bridge: 4 lines Rhyme scheme XXAA

Verse: C minor or C Aeolian mode – 1 chord per 2 measures  1:2

Chorus: Ab Lydian mode – 1 chord per 1 measure 1:1

Bridge: Bb Mixolydian Mode – decide harmonic rhythm later

Verse: Melody starts after the downbeat

Chorus: Melody starts before the downbeat

Bridge: – Melody starts on the downbeat

Verse: Mostly 8th note patterns in melody

Chorus: Half Note based melody

Bridge: Quarter note based melody

So it looks like alot, and it may be for someone not used to making these decisions before writing songs, but it is not quite as complex as you may think. So give it a shot. I am going to be working on my song this week and will post the results on my blog.

If you have any questions on this, please ask, I will do my best to answer each one.

~~ Chad

 

3 Minute Songwriting Exercise Results

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A couple weeks ago, Gary Ewer posted a blog post about doing speed songwriting exercises. Basically the idea is to break your habits and blocks by just jumping in a going for it. Kinda of like speed-dating, but probably less intimidating.  Gary’s process had 6 basic steps that you should spend about 30 seconds each on.

The steps were:

1. Find Topic

2. Make a list of related words

3. Make a chord progression

4. Write the lyric

5. Make a Melody

6. Fix and hone.

3 minutes and whatever you get, you get.  Great way to start….

So I have been home sick the last few days with a cough and head cold from hell. Going a little nutzo.  So this morning, I was like..”I NEED TO WRITE SOMETHING!”  So I decided since I had no real big ideas, I would try Gary’s 3 minute exercise.  So here is what I came up with….

1. Started with a title – Walked Through Fire
2. Related words – Test, struggle, defeat, victory, success, trials, win lose, heat, pain, mission, motivation, push, drive
3. Chord Progression: Am – G – F – G
4. Lyric:
Walked Through Fire
by Chad Shank

I’ve had my struggles
Been lost in the trials and pain
But I found my mission
Motivation to run again

That’s when I Walked Through Fire
I tasted Victory
Walked Through Fire
Yes, I walked
Oh I Walked Through Fire

Listen to what I came up with:Walked Through Fire

* Please ignore my vocals, since I have a cold, they are a bit strained.  But what this did was give me the start of a kinda cool song. I may be able to work it into a full song and fine tune it. It is 100% more song than I started with when I woke up this morning AND…..it only took 3 minutes!! 3 minutes!

Have you tried writing a song in 3 minutes?

~ Chad

You Don’t Have to Be You

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One of the great things about songwriting is that you don’t have to always be you. Sure, most of us write about stuff that actually has happened to us…but we don’t have to.  We can write about anything we can conceive, we don’t have to have actually lived it. Some of you may ask how you can write something that you haven’t experienced and still have it reach into the hearts and mind of the listener. What allows us to do this is the fact that emotions are universal, just because something hasn’t happened to us, doesn’t mean we can’t picture what it would BE or FEEL like.  I have heard many people say, “Write what you know.” But I actually heard someone says it should be, “Write what you can imagine.” Not only can you take your listeners to new places, you could take yourself to new places.

You can also be people that you are not. One fun thing to do when you don’t have the time or energy to write full lyrics is to write out character descriptions or setting descriptions. How do you do this?

Here is an example of a Character Description of someone that is not me:

Who: Waitress who wants to be a pop star

When: She just got off work and her feet are killing her

Where: On the subway and walking home

Why: She works very hard, because she has this dream

These can be fun, and usually spark ideas for songs or stories… It gives you a great jumping off point to start creating a story and song around this character….Maybe you write it in 1st person, and you are this person….or maybe you write ABOUT them, in 3rd person. Just ask questions and come up with the answers. Songs will start to jump out at you.

Doe my example above give you any ideas? Write a song with it!

~ Chad

Surefire Way to get Better at Songwriting in 20 Minutes a Day!

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As I study successful songs and songwriters, I have come across a very common theme. It is something of a secret hidden in plain sight. It is like the magic key to becoming a great songwriter. The best part is that we all have it at our disposal.

What is it?

The key to becoming a great songwriter is to WRITE SONGS! Ok, so that seems too simple, right?  Well, yes, and no.  Songwriters like Diane Warren and Desmond Child have said many times that their key to success has been to write LOTS of songs. Diane has said that when she was growing up, she wrote 1 to 3 songs….EVERYDAY! No wonder she can turn out magic. Desmond has said the same things, write and write and don’t be afraid to try new things.  Staff songwriters at publishers do it all the time, too. They have to. It is their job.

So what am I trying to say….Well, if you wanted to become a great painter, you would need to paint everyday and learn the craft and how to use the brushes and tools. You would need to know how the paint reacts to the canvas, etc.  Songwriting is the same way. If you do not practice writing on a regular basis, you never really learn how to do it great.

So your goal should be to do some songwriting everyday. You won’t realize how much it is helping you, at first. Heck, you may not even notice it. Who will start noticing are the people listening to your songs. The best part is that you don’t have to write a full song every day.  You can break it down into little chunks and maybe set aside 20 minutes each day to work on something. After a few days you will have more inspiration, experience and will be closer to a finished song.

Here is a possible Week worth of 20 minute Songwriting Exercises:

MONDAY: Skim magazines looking for Titles and Story Ideas

TUESDAY: Pick your favorite Title from Monday and write out 3 different story lines that may possibly work for the title

WEDNESDAY: Write out the story line for your song. Decide what each song section will say. Set it up so the story builds and gains emotional weight as the song progresses.

THURSDAY: Write the 1st verse – Stick with mostly descriptive, external, sense words. Give us the Who, When and Where of the song.

FRIDAY: Write the Chorus – - This is the emotional WHY of the song. This is what the song is all about

SATURDAY: Write the Second Verse, continue following your storyline from Wednesday

SUNDAY: Write the Bridge of the song. This section is the ‘Where do we go from here?’ ‘How do we get out of here?’  - Once you have this Bridge, you really have everything for a full song. Verse, Chorus, 2nd Verse, Chorus and Bridge. FUN!!

See in just a few minutes a day you could complete a full song in a week! I bet that is more  songwriting than many weeks for most of us. And, the best part is that it becomes hard to stop at just 20 minutes everyday….Once inspiration strikes you may find yourself on a roll!