Songwriting workshop

[foxo]

Originally Posted by Marshall

PS - Maybe we should start one here?

I’d be interested. Why don’t you start a thread with a prompt and see if anyone else is?

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by foxo

I’d be interested. Why don’t you start a thread with a prompt and see if anyone else is?

I'm curious... what's your definition of "prompt" in this context? Subject matter? A lyric to start with? A chord progressions, fragment of a melody, or a lick to build on?

As I've started songs with all of these as the basis. Do others do the same, or do you always approach composition from the same starting point?

[foxo]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

I'm curious... what's your definition of "prompt" in this context? Subject matter? A lyric to start with? A chord progressions, fragment of a melody, or a lick to build on?

As I've started songs with all of these as the basis. Do others do the same, or do you always approach composition from the same starting point?

I’ve never written a song from someone else’s prompt before but I would have thought subject matter would be most open-ended to invite a variety of submissions.

[Marshall]

All of the above are possible.

One group I've paid to be a part of is an 8 week session. And there are different exercises like the ones you suggest. I usually take an 8 week session every couple of years.

Another on-line group I sometimes participate in is a freebee and the moderator chooses a different work every 2 weeks. There is a 10 prompt summer session and a 10 prompt winter session for these. These prompts are just one word. This week's prompt is the word: implore.

[Marshall]

Here's a song I did from one of last winter's session. The prompt was the word : Normal



So, you can see that the prompt is only a point of departure. You can take it anywhere you want. In this case I decided that the final outcome would be special, not normal. And I just concocted a storyline. This is a finished version of the song I worked on some after the 2 week submission. It was rougher when I first posted it. But I've started using it when I play out, so I ironed out some of the kinks.

[Marshall]

Here's another song from one of last Winter's prompts. This is what I submitted to the group. The prompt was the word: Badge.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Here's another song from one of last Winter's prompts. This is a more rough one. This is what I submitted to the group. The prompt was the word: Badge.

I like the melody and chord progression.

[Mbroady]

Just got back from the Swannanoa Gathering in Western NC. Got to hang out and swap songs with Tom Paxton and John Gorka as well as a few others. But the highlight is always the late night jams

Highly recommend it

[Brent Hahn]

I joined a "word out of a hat" writing group a few months ago. It's turned out to be much more inspiring than I thought it would be. Also, in a very genteel way, it's competitive and I like that, too.

This latest round, though, has thrown me a little because it comes with the added challenge of writing in an alternate tuning. The other 4 people in the group are all very accomplished folk/Americana singer/songwriter/guitarists and work in alternate tunings all the time. I'm mainly a bass player and write mostly in my head, at least in the early going. So this has been tough for me. Once I had the basic song in my head and started to work on an alt-tuning guitar part that fit it, the guitar stuff started changing the song in ways I hadn't intended. This is very, very not the way I usually work. And the song is sorta coming out sounding like someone else wrote it.

[Marshall]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

I joined a "word out of a hat" writing group a few months ago. It's turned out to be much more inspiring than I thought it would be. Also, in a very genteel way, it's competitive and I like that, too.

This latest round, though, has thrown me a little because it comes with the added challenge of writing in an alternate tuning. The other 4 people in the group are all very accomplished folk/Americana singer/songwriter/guitarists and work in alternate tunings all the time. I'm mainly a bass player and write mostly in my head, at least in the early going. So this has been tough for me. Once I had the basic song in my head and started to work on an alt-tuning guitar part that fit it, the guitar stuff started changing the song in ways I hadn't intended. This is very, very not the way I usually work. And the song is sorta coming out sounding like someone else wrote it.

Start with a partial capo. You don't have to retune the guitar for every song. The 2 songs I posted above are standard tuning with a partial capo. The Barista is just the partial capo. Molly Jean is a full capo on 3 and the partial on 5. It gives a DADGAD type open string sound, but you still have most your familiar full chord shapes up the neck. And it has a cool open sound.

I've made my own partial capo, but you can buy them. The most common partial capo barres the A, D, & G strings. That's the DADGAD type tuning, except in E (E,B,E,A,B,E)

[jaymarsch]

I have been to a number of songwriting workshops over the years and have always come away with a nugget or two of techniques, ideas, prompts, and approaches. It can be really inspiring as well. Gets me out of old ruts and it is fun to hear what other folks are up to with their song writing. If you have the time and the resources, check it out, see how you like it.
Best,
Jayne

[Marshall]

Here's the partial capo beneath a regular one