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14 Days To Better Songwriting PDF
14 Days To Better Songwriting PDF
and Songwriting....20
minutes a day
by Chad Shank http://www.chadshankmusic.com
The idea behind this E-Book is to help you become a better songwriter over the course of 14
days. Each chapter or exercise is set up to only take 20 minutes per day. Even the most busy of
us can find an extra 20 minutes a day to work on our songwriting.
Some ideas for finding those 20 minutes may be.....Get up 20 minutes earlier, work on this while
watching your favorite TV show, take 20 minutes before you go to bed.....you get the idea. Just
20 minutes a day for 14 days....thats it! Small steps can lead to big changes over time. My
hope with this is that you will give it a shot for the first 14 days.....then come back and use it
over and over to keep your writing getting better and better.
So are you ready to start your 14 days? All it will take is 20 minutes each day and you will be
on your way to writing better songs!
Lets rock!
Chad
Take any magazine and for 20 minutes, scan the pages for phrases
and words that you feel would make interesting song titles. Write
down as many as you can find in your 20 minutes.
Great song titles are ones that can be developed into a full song. Many times great titles create
picture in our minds or imply certain images. Look for anything that stands out to you and write
them down. Thats it....20 minutes. GO!
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
Take 20 minutes and write down any words or ideas that come to
mind when you think about your title.
These can be story ideas, single words, phrases, ideas, anything that comes to mind. DO NOT
edit at this point. Just write down whatever comes into your mind. In 20 minutes you may be
surprised how many ideas come flowing out. http://www.chadshankmusic.com
20 minutes! Go!
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
Ok....so you have selected your fave storyline....now start filling in your ideas for each song
section. The possible plot layout below can be used as a guide....feel free to experiment with
your own. Try to answer the questions in regards to your story and title....
Verse 1: Who Where when? What is the situation for problem? Is this in the past present or
future
PreChorus: What could be different, what does different look like? Is there hope?
Chorus: Why? Use the title in this section. How does it tie together. This is the main concept of
the song.
Verse 2: Expand on the situation from Verse 1....Use a different time frame....if you used past in
Verse 1, maybe use the present here.
Prechorus: What could be different, what does different look like? Is there hope?
Bridge: Where do we go from here? What do we have to do to move on? What challenges
need to be overcome?
In 20 minutes you will now have the basic story guide for what each of your sections will say!
Sweet! Remember, we werent writing actual lyrics here....just the guide of what each section
will say.
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
Day 7: Write a 4 Line Verse
Using your word palette and story/plot guide, take 20 minutes and write a 4 line
1st verse. Use 1 of the most common 4 line rhyme schemes.
Common Rhyme Schemes: AABB, ABAB, XAXA, AAAA
Wow! Day 7! One full week....you are doing amazing! I can tell that your songwriting muscles
are getting stronger and stronger! All it takes is 20 minutes per day!
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
So take 20 minutes and write verse one with 6 lines....then decide if you like your 6 liner or 4
liner better.
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
http://www.chadshankmusic.com
Congrats! You made it to Day 14!! Using only 20 minutes per day, you
have written something every single day! That is awesome. You may
not feel it right away, but you are on your way to becoming a better
songwriter. Each one of these exercises is planting seeds in your
mind and helping you grow.
WHAT NEXT? Well you can start this guide over again and do
another 14 days.....or What if you did 2 exercises each day.....so
you would do all of them in 7 days instead of 14. You would have a
new song in a week! Or if you have enough time....try doing all 14
exercises in 1 Day!! It is up to you....the key is to do it, and do it daily.
Keep your songwriter brain awake and working. Dont let it get lazy!
I would love to hear how this has helped you as a songwriter. Keep in
touch through my blog at http://www.chadshankmusic.com
chad@sharpmusic.com