A new page to consolidate the monthly assignment ideas!
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 […]
Reinvent a familiar song as a distinctive cover. One way to explore your own songwriting is to do it on the back of another songwriter. In reinterpreting a familiar cover song, you stretch your skills at writing lyrics and melodies and reveal to yourself aspects of your perspective and influences. And you’ve added a […]
Write a spoken word song. If you want an audience to stop talking and listen, do a song in spoken word. Structurally different than than the verses that slam poets generally call “spoken word,” songs written in spoken word style are linked to a musical chord structure. Lyrics often rhyme at points where they link […]
The March suggested songwriting assignment is to write a song with an asymmetrical structure. Instead of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus, surprise the listener’s brain by stacking the song differently: verse-verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus-chorus. Something like that. This isn’t an academic exercise or something done by the producer. The goal is to use your song’s structure to help tell the story or […]
