I keep this taped up in my bedroom studio from a songwriting workshop I did at the Berklee school of music in Boston like 10 years ago. Still holds up to this day and I tend to focus in on 1, 2, and 9. Hope this helps!!
Feb 28, 2024
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my dad was a signed songwriter in the 80’s who has now been teaching a songwriting class for 20 years and we have a family friend who became a very established songwriter in LA before he passed. the thing i remember them both saying is you have to just keep writing songs. sometimes it will take hundreds to get a few you like. also this applies to all artistic practices but figure out the things you can do that best inspire you whether it’s listening to certain artists you respect or going for a walk or whatever. all that shit matters too
Feb 28, 2024
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hi there! funnily enough I also go to school for songwriting (kinda, I'm a music production major but I'm in songwriting class with all of the songwriting majors and have been writing for a long time as well). if there was one text I'd recommend for working on your songwriting and lyric building process it'd be the exercises in the book "How to Write One Song" by Jeff Tweedy. he basically just shows you how to jumble up your current way of thinking about writing and finding new ways to put words together that you never thought you could do.
P.S. your line about wanting to creating lyrics that move people is very relatable and I understand that want very much and know you probably already are moving people and that as much as we want to be able to write like our heroes as soon as possible, our own just as powerful sound will come eventually with slow and hard work. I'm sure you know this but I thought I would say.
feel free to message me if you'd like to talk songwriting more—happy writing!
Oct 1, 2024
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I always warm up with a few scales that come easy to me. Moving up E major via triplets on the first three strings until you hit the G# and go back down, modulation exercises with B to E to A mixolydian scales, then lydian, then I’ll do some chord progressions that have augmented and diminished chords thrown in to work on key changes. Then throw on a song ive been learning (that I did not write) and jam on it, moving between soloing and rhythm stream of consciousness style. Then it’s time to work on my own songs.
A general rule of thumb I have is: sometimes you can only get 20 minutes of practice out of yourself, other times 2 hours. Waxing and waning is key.
6d ago
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feral.........
Feb 20, 2024
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Last year my new year's resolution was to get hotter. To this day it is the best resolution I've ever made, because feeling hot forces you to be embodied.
In 2023 I genuinely put time and energy into considering my corporeal form. What cuts of clothing make me feel powerful? What colors? What fabrics do I like to feel on my skin? What hairstyles accentuate my bone structure? What physical activity could I actually sustain and enjoy? How does my body feel energetically when I eat certain foods?
It brought me out of a haze of digital overwhelm; I was no longer an avatar but a living, breathing, sweating, dancing, fucking human. Consider getting hotter today!
Feb 19, 2024
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Become the bubbe you always dreamed of being ❣️
Some phrases to get you started:
Chutzpah - a Yiddish classic, "panache", guts, grit, spunk
Schlep - also a classic, meaning to lug a bunch of stuff around
Kvetch - to whine / complain. This is very important.
Schmooze - Being able to schmooze is the most important life skill: making chit chat and buttering people up along the way.
Mishegas - Craziness. It's very helpful to blame everything on mishegas...
Feb 23, 2024