Our first batch of listener songs for our songwriting challenge 2024 to write a holiday song. Victor Hathaway shared his song Keeping Christmas. Download the lyrics to follow along. Pulling off a melancholy song on the ukulele Phil was reminded of the songwriter Moondog Changing the lyric and message a bit in your final chorus Steve …
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How to use Declarative Choruses in your songs
In this special episode, we talked about songs that feature a declarative chorus. We talked about: Our songwriting challenge to write a holiday song How declarative choruses tend to show up more in rock songs Our blog post on 7 ways to bring variety to your collection of songs Our guest Jordan Paul and his …
Writing a song in 3/4 time with Greg Wyard
Greg Wyard is a popular Toronto performer known for his live solo and band performances in and around the Toronto area. He is also an accomplished singer/songwriter who has recently emerged from a few years of dormancy on that front, releasing new songs such as Suddenly Everything’s All Right and Guns and Money, which have …
Writing Sad Girl Songs with Victoria Staff
Born and raised in Toronto, Victoria Staff was always an “anxious child”. The string that connected much of her young life was using music to communicate with family, friends, teachers, and even therapists. Over time, this coping mechanism developed into a passion for music that would lead to her career as an indie-pop artist. Staff …
Modern Country Songwriting with Amanda Keeles
A captivating musical journey of empowerment, self-determination, and the pursuit of lifelong dreams, Country artist Amanda Keeles unveils her invigorating debut album, “Can’t Stop Me Now!“. Her rich, ribbon-like vocals come straight from her soul, sharing deeply personal narratives drawn from a songbook overflowing with a lifetime of compositions. Leaving behind a professional career in …
Collaborating as a duo with Burnstick
Built on emotion-stirring storytelling and unmistakable vocal harmonies accompanied by a century-old instrument, Burnstick, a JUNO nominated husband and wife Folk duo, are intent on creating affecting music that inspires listeners to feel. The Manitoba-based duo features Nadia and Jason Burnstick, esteemed independent artists who united over a decade ago to create deeply moving, cinematic …
Writing a weird song that doesn’t sound weird with Sunny Zaman
Sunny Zaman is a musician whose main passion is songwriting. He is also a singer and guitar and bass player who occasionally dabbles with keyboards and synths. He wrote his first song at the age of 14 and continues to follow his passion many decades later. While he plays mostly rock and pop, he has …
Collaborations with Maggie Andrew
Creating music that journeys far beyond the confines of genre, Nova Scotia’s Maggie Andrew infuses her style of modern (s)alt-Pop with confident, relatable lyrics that often challenge stereotypical norms. Layered with Punk, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Rock, Andrew’s textured and edgy songs are boldly charming and stunningly innovative. With frank and straightforward lyrics that leave little …