ASSIGNMENTS:

Watch the following VIDEOS.

 

1. Mike Reid - Inspiration Behind:

“I Can’t Make You Love Me”

3. Gordon Kennedy - Case Study:

Mosaic

2. Mike Reid - Case Study:

“I Can’t Make You Love Me”

 

EXERCISE

For this word choice exercise, print the “This Life” Exercise PDF. Read the lyric before you listen to the song below. Circle the word choice you would make between the ones underlined and the options in parentheses. Understandably, some choices might depend on the musical phrase. But simply read first and choose, then listen to the song to see which words made the final cut.

 
 

READINGS

  1. Songwriters on Songwriting - interviews of Carole King & Alanis Morisette

2. The Craft of Lyric Writing - Chapter 9: Picking Your Treatment & Choosing POV

3. DOWNLOADABLE PDF - Word Choices in “Someone You Loved”

SONG STUDY

“Someone You Loved”

by Lewis Capaldi

  1. Listen to the song on YouTube, Spotify or even buy it from iTunes – this will support your fellow songwriters.

2. Describe in one paragraph why it works – the tone, tempo, structure, rhyme pattern, words, melody. What good choices did the songwriters make?

DAILY

  • At least 10 minutes of free writing. Set a timer. Put it away for later.

• Choose opening lines from five favorite songs; describe where they come from.

• Write at least two sentences summarizing songwriting wisdom and insight from each reading and video viewed.

This completes Lesson 2 of the Songwriting U Master Class.

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