August Songwriting Challenges
I know that there’s a lot of unfinished gems in your voice memos. Go back and listen through them. Pick one to finish.
Chord progressions are the beds upon which we write entire songs. Pick a chord progression from a pop song you love. Now, play it in reverse - miraculously it will probably still sound great. Write a song over this reversed chord progression.
Most songs are written in a 4/4 time signature. Write something in 3/4 or 6/8 today for some rhythmic differentiation in your catalogue.
Write a terrible song. The worst song. A truly bad song today. I know it sounds crazy, but what happens if you free yourself from the constraints of having to write something “good”?
America loves a sequel and they love a trilogy even more!!!! Pick your favorite pop song in recent memory and give that song a prequel and a sequel. What happens in the story and music before that song is written and what happens in the aftermath?
Country music is known for its hometown songs. And how many songs have been written about Los Angeles and New York. I can only think of one written about Vienna. Give a city or town a theme song that could put it on the - proverbial - map.
Many writers get stuck in their style. Pick a new genre to write in today.
“Flowers” by Miley Cyrus succeeded - in part - due to a marketing campaign that showed how it responded to Bruno Mars “When I Was Your Man” both in form and content. Write a song that responds to a pop song you love.
Write a song like a short mantra. Use only one lyric and melody that repeats over and over and over finding new ways in the vocal performance and production to build on itself.
Write a song on an instrument that you play poorly.
