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One-Minute Songwriting Tips

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Overview

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Get a breakdown the secrets of great songwriters. Get a dose of songwriting inspiration and technical insights for writing better songs and making it in the music business.

Syllabus

Introduction
  • Welcome
Cliff's Weekly Songwriting Tips
  • If you write songs, then you're a songwriter
  • Make your lyric easy to sing
  • Don't wait to sit down and write
  • Your chorus is the song's main message
  • Set up a place at home to write
  • Try using nonsense words in your lyric
  • Write down a song title every day
  • Make your metaphor's imagery consistent
  • Write more and edit less
  • Try the hook at the end of the chorus
  • Keep a file of unfinished songs
  • Try using the first line as the last line, too
  • Commit to writing for five minutes
  • Keep your rhyme scheme the same
  • Write like you have a publishing deal
  • Use imagery and details in your verses
  • Try switching your verses around
  • Think of songs as having three parts
  • Learn your songwriting strengths
  • Make sure your melody isn't too rangy
  • Don't reject a cowriter's suggestion
  • Use repetition in a melody
  • Keep a recorder running while writing
  • Ensure your bridge takes a new angle on your theme
  • Make a rough recording of your song
  • Everything points to the hook
  • How songwriting is a muscle
  • Don't chase trends
  • Reach out to a new cowriter
  • 50/50: The simplest and best split
  • Try learning a new instrument
  • Read poetry
  • Write based on the day's conversation
  • Join or start a songwriting group
  • Set a regular time of day to write
  • Give yourself a writing assignment
  • Do one business thing every day
  • Make one song pitch every week
  • Catalog your lyrics and demo recordings
  • Make each verse line further your story
  • When in doubt, say less
  • Write a song based on the structure of one of your favorites
  • Make your bridge an instrumental
  • Similar sections should have similar structures
  • Cut your song’s intro in half
  • A song under 2 minutes is fine if that's all you have to say
  • Make sure your song isn't too long
  • A lyric is a start, but you’ll need a melody before you can call it a song

Taught by

Cliff Goldmacher

Reviews

4.9 rating at LinkedIn Learning based on 41 ratings

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