Some song ideas hit dead ends because they don’t work. Other songs run into ruts that the writer has trouble escaping. Sometimes the needs of the music or story seem to exceed the writer’s ability, and sometimes songwriters give up on good ideas because they’re just too hard to finish. This month’s songwriting assignment is […]
Monthly Assignments page April 2018 assignment The April songwriting assignment is linked to an opportunity for Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle to help a valuable public service organization. Write a song about “disaster relief,” as you interpret the phrase. Bring 30 copies of lyrics/chords to the April meeting, which will be attended by a bandmate of longtime […]
Write a song about or in the style of Fred Rogers. Originally from Latrobe, Westmoreland County, Fred Rogers (1928-2003) was a friend to everyone in a neighborhood of make-believe that was broadcast from coast to coast. The half-hour educational children’s program produced in Pittsburgh taught kids to believe in themselves and respect others through […]
Learn a new chord and use it in a song Of course, it’s not just learning the finger positions. You want to find a chord that works with the chords you already know, allowing you to expand where you’re able to take a song. The following internet tools might help. How To Read […]
Build a song around a song title What to write about? There are times for every songwriter when words are not flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, not slithering while they pass and slipping away across the universe. Sometimes it’s more like, HELP! When coming up with an entire song seems daunting, […]
Monthly assignments November, 2017 Write a song with the sharpest hook you’ve ever written, or retool the hook from one of your previous songs. Hooked on Music Part of a year-long study conducted by the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, UK. Users were directed to a special website where they could play an […]
You don’t have to be a great musician to understand how words and music can work together to communicate ideas. Whether you’re a jazz ace or a four-chord country strummer you can improve your song by pairing a key lyric with a chord change that adds emotional value to the lyric. Even in a progression […]
Write a children’s song The toughest audience to crack doesn’t throw rotten tomatoes or beer bottles — they throw tantrums. Children are impatient, immune to cultural trends and unforgivingly honest in their taste for music. Earn their attention with an upbeat tempo, quickly establish that the song is about something they find interesting and hold […]
At the Aug. 1 meeting (7 p.m. at Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, 412-682-8611), the suggested assignment will be to write a song — or play one of your existing songs — and explain your intentions for the chorus and the choices made to achieve those goals: chord progression, separation from the verse, textural rhythmic change, lyrical […]
Play your song and describe in some detail the arrangement you imagine, or bring a recording of your song (and device to play it on) and explain your accompaniment choices. Your song is more than just lyrics with music in the background. It’s a story told through words and music. The arrangement you choose influences […]
