SUNDAY SONGWRITER'S GROUP 2 - WEEK 6

SSG - WEEK 6

We have had a fantastic response to the start of the second year of the Sunday Songwriter's Group.  This week is a bit of a breather as we've been going at quite a fast pace so far.  This week we'll be trying to finish off some of the songs we've written taking into account peoples critiques of them.  If you're new to the group look at Nick's articles in the songwriting section of the website, take a song you've written in the past and rewrite it with those articles in mind or feel free to pick a previous topic, write a song and post it here. (Previous topics are all listed below for ease)

This breather is for one week only we'll be back into writing on demand on the run up to Christmas.  The response has been fantastic let's keep it going.

Welcome to Week 1.  

We are going to build from the ground up once again.  So without further ado...
 
Your topic guideline for this week:  
 
THE OLD WILD WEST  
 
You have two options:  
 
1.  Make the Wild West the subject/theme of your song  
 
2.  Make your song about anything, but all the imagery must be Wild West related.
Week two last year was from our own Ryan Spencer.  I tell you this so you can blame him as you gnaw on your pencils this week, trying to find a rhyme for "pumpkin".
 
Week 2  
 
Take your favorite (or any) fairy tale or nursery rhyme and reset it in a real life setting. For instance, "Alice in Wonderland" might be "Alice in Los Angeles" or "Jack and the Beanstalk" could become "Jack and the Corporate Ladder." Be sure to use a lot of appropriate imagery from both worlds - the fun is in mixing them together.

Week 3

It's never too late to join in! Each week is a mini lesson in songwriting.

This week we learn about imagery.

Here is the Week 3 guideline:

Write a song lyric of any style with a "spooky" or "ghost story" theme (or anything that can be loosely  connected with Halloween).

Start the assignment by making a list of imagery words. Then draw the lyrics imagery from your list. This is a  great way of sparking the creative process.

Try to use ten to fifteen imagery words (words that convey your theme) in your song. This may seem like a lot, but in a typical three verse song, that's only three or four words per verse (got to save some for the chorus and bridge, you know).

SSG2 - Week 4:

We're giving you two lines - one has to start the song and the other will be used in the chorus, or the bridge if you have no chorus, or the final verse should you write  
something with only verses:  

Line 1 (starts the song): "They know who I am"  

Line 2(starts the chorus): "Ask someone who loves me"  

You can write in any style and about any subject you choose.  

Think about these two lines. What images or thoughts come to mind? Once you have your basic concept, go ahead and lay out your imagery words and then go to town.

SSG2 Week 5

Fun with words this week!  

Write a song, any style, on any subject. What you want to do is to incorporate some unusual wordplay, such as "The New Clear War," instead of "The Nuclear War."  

Ideally, we'd like this in the title, but also make an effort to throw some in the verses...  for example  
 
"...Candy stands on the corner..."    
 
"...power for the few (cha!)..."