summer songwriting immersion 50 songs in 90 days

Poststructural Pub
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I’m inviting all songwriters and tunesmiths to participate in the 50 song challenge. The challenge has been taking place every summer for several years. The founder has moved on to greener pastures and some of the participants have revived the challenge in the form of a new Yahoo group.
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/50Songs90days

What is it?
It is an Yahoo internet group where members support and encourage each other to write 50 songs in 90 days.

50 songs, that’s crazy. The songs must be utter crap.
That’s what I first thought when I heard about it three years ago. I’ll share my history. Before that challenge I had written a dozen songs in about eight years. So the idea of writing one song virtually every day seemed absurd. I signed up primarily to see what other people were working on (you still have to sign up to read or post). Soon after that songs starting “coming to me,” one day I wrote three songs! To my surprise, the percentage of “good” songs remained the same. Some of my very best work has come from the challenge. My participation in the challenges has improved my songwriting more than anything else I have done.

Are there prizes?
There are no prizes or penalties. The challenge is about doing quick sketches, making a habit out of songwriting, improving the craft side, about being less critical and more creative.

But what about art and inspiration?
Again, the focus of the challenge is the craft side of songwriting. Those fortunate enough to be professional songwriters know that there are many deadlines. That there are often times when a collaboration meeting has to produce. Times when a client wants a song with a certain content, a certain feel. For me, when inspiration comes, I find myself much better equipped to turn a concept into a song.

Okay, I am interested, or at least curious enough to lurk.
Use an existing or create a free Yahoo ID and join the group at the link below. You have nothing to lose and a whole new world to gain.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/50Songs90days/

"This is a group whose purpose is to challenge members to write 50 songs in 90 days. Between July 4 and October 1 of any year, in the company of others, you can engage in some harmless songwriting mayhem. The prize is the pride in writing songs that may never have been written otherwise.

Come on and give it a go!"

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Should be fun to watch!

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About 25 years ago I became interested in writing country songs. I wrote the lyrics and music to 10 songs, made a demo tape, and sent it off to Nashville. The tape was returned with no comment. In retrospect I realized that my tunes were not that commercial. They were kind of old fashioned and not really with what was happening in the modern country music scene. Song writing gives you an opportunity to tell a story, to touch people at an emotional level. You don’t have to write a whole novel; you can do it with just one song, if you have the skill and good fortune.

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“And good fortune” is the part that matters most nowadays. Skill has little to do with it, sadly.

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Country is one of the few genre’s that a new person can get into the songwriting business. It is long odds, but country still cares about lyrics, and still looks for fresh material from new writers.

Luck does play a big role, but so do perseverence and skill. One of my friends is a professional songwriter. He has more skill in his little pinkie than I have in my entire body. If paid enough to do it, he could crank out 50 songs in a week, with demos and all. When he performs in public he takes titles from the audience and writes a song on the spot. I have tried this kind of improvisation, and I find it extremely difficult to do. Working fast is a trait that most professionals have. I’m not talking about one-hit wonders, but people that are approached to write songs on spec or have contracts with studios. This kind of skill usually comes with a LOT of practice, though as with anything else talent is a factor.

For those intimidated by songwriting, break it down into pieces. Many start with a title, an idea, a concept. It is very helpful to have a tag line, a hook, a chorus. The traditional form is three verses, a chorus and a bridge. There are plenty of prose writers on this group that can crank out four paragraphs in their sleep. Songwriters pay more attention to rhythm, meter, and rhyme, but it is not inherently more difficult. I find songwriting much more forgiving than poetry.

Most popular songs are known by verse and chorus, or about 30 seconds of time. Most demos are discarded after that much listening time. Most adults have thousands upon thousands of songs in their heads, that are instantly recognizable upon hearing a small segment.

For me and many other songwriters, songwriting is a spiritual experience. The songs often come from a greater consciousness and give me a connection to that consciousness. When I perform in public, I can feel that connection and for me, it is a transcendent experience, like being plugged in.

Again, even if a person has never written a song, he/she is welcome to join the group. I never thought I would be able to write so many songs in so short a time, but here I am. Maybe one or more of the readers will be writing a testimonial next year.

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The fledgling group is up to 19 members, about half are new people.

Come one, come all, the 50 song challenge starts July 4th.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/50Songs90days/