Songwriting Workshops, Seminars, Webinars

Below are examples of topics I cover in my songwriting seminars and webinars.

Writing/Rewriting, There is a Difference

Writing can more easily come from that dreamy/stream of consciousness place. Rewriting involves considering what you’ve already written and in many ways is a lot more tedious. In this seminar we examine all types of rewriting. Are you rewriting because the content is not serving the moment in the song, or is the problem the tone of how you put forth your idea? We'll also look at how to know when a song is done and the wisdom of sticking to the task versus putting a song away for a while and giving it a rest. Many times I write more than I need just to give myself choices.

Intro to Lyric Writing

What elements make up the most potent and engaging lyrics? In this workshop we take a look at lyrics that have that magical combination of imagery and emotion and how those two factors contribute greatly to drawing in the listener. I always say “show me, don’t tell me.” We need to paint pictures with our lyrics. We’ll talk about some of the tools every songwriter needs to be a better lyric writer.

Rhyming and Metaphor

Rhyming is our best friend but it's also our worst enemy since it constricts us and makes it harder to say what we want to say in a song. We'll look at inventive ways to use rhyme that sound natural, not drawing too much attention to the rhyme and letting the listener concentrate on the content of the lyric. We’ll also look at metaphor and figurative language and how they can deepen the emotional experience of a song.

Point of View

In this session we explore eight different perspectives to choose from when deciding how your characters can best tell their story. We will look into figuring out how to find the most powerful way to tell any given story. We’ll talk about 1st, 2nd, 3rd person and various combinations as well. We will then look into more complex ways to use perspective to bring out the most emotion in all your lyrics. I believe this is one of the most important lessons on the road to writing great songs.

Music Business

On this subject, I try to give a songwriter’s point of view on publishing deals, pitching songs, demoing songs, etc. I also spend some time defining how songwriters earn money, explaining mechanical license income, performance license income and the difference. I relate my experiences in Nashville and LA and try to give other writers a heads up on what to expect and what to look out for as they pursue a career in songwriting.

Inspiration: Where do songs come from?

Here we explore ways to "jump start" your creativity with morning pages, object writing, etc. I will try to empower you to write about more than just your own life and to use emotional moments as catalysts to inspire you. We’ll also delve into the power of fiction and examine what’s really important in songs — emotional truth. My friend Allen Shamblin always says “A great writer never lets the facts get in the way of the truth.”

Collaboration

I have written songs with over 150 different co-writers. Many people I’ve only written one song with. It doesn’t always work. For some people it’s not an option at all. In this workshop, I talk about the different aspects of co-writing; how to pick a co-writer that might be good for you, what to expect if you never tried it before, and the protocol involved in approaching someone about co-writing. I also cover how to make yourself and your co-writer feel comfortable so both of you can do your best work. Legal issues and royalty splits are also discussed.

Melody

When focusing on melody writing, I teach from a place of writing melodies for lyrics. Prosody is the marriage of music and lyric. We explore ways to determine if the overall vibe of the music feels right, and look at specific parts of songs in terms of choosing an appropriate melody that milks the emotion that the writer would like the listener to feel from the lyric. I also talk about phrasing and accents. There is an important word in every sentence. We look at choosing accent places that stress the right syllables and help drive home your point. Music can actually change the meaning of a lyric when used to its fullest potential. We also discuss rhythm and range and how to use them effectively in songs.

The Curse of the 2nd Verse

The place where most writers seem to get stuck. We will discuss strategies that can make your second verse even stronger than the first. Our goal is to never repeat ourselves by saying the same thing conceptually with different words. Maybe you wrote the 2nd verse,first. Maybe your verse is a bridge. Moving things around is something every songwriter should be willing to do.

Hooks and Payoffs

What's the difference? This talk will focus on strategic placement of hooks and payoffs designed to make your song more memorable to the listener.

Phrasing

There is always more than one way to phrase any line. The choice that works best depends on several factors. What are the two or three most important lines in the sentence? What is the overall emotional meaning trying to be expressed? How does the phrasing sing? What is the phrasing of the other sections of the songs? We want to vary the melodic journey in our songs and our phrasing is one way to accomplish keeping things interesting for the listener.

Form

There are many song forms that we can choose from to house our content. This talk will focus on what to choose and why depending on the song. Some commonly used examples are :

verse/chorus/verse/chorus - verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus - verse/verse/departure section/verse - verse/pre/chorus/verse/pre/chorus ( you can add a bridge to this form as well ) verse/verse/chorus/verse/chorus ( You can add a bridge to this as well ) Lastly one of my favorites is verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus/verse ( sometimes this last verse is a reprise of the first verse.