This week on SongTalk we look at a simple songwriting technique that may be more complicated than you think – songs with one chord progression.
That’s right, no guest this week just the SongTalk team – Phil, Neel and Mike – talking about the ways songs with just one series of chords repeated over and over have become huge hits.…
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This week SongTalk welcomed our old friend Blair Packham to our studio.
The Toronto-based artist, first gained attention for his work with ’80’s power pop band The Jitters. He is now an acclaimed solo artist and musician. Blair released two strongly-reviewed solo albums before shifting his focus to composing music for TV and films, teaching songwriting at the post-secondary level and in numerous special event workshops, and co-hosting a long-running major market weekly radio show about music (“In the Studio” on the BellMedia talk radio network).…
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We talked about the first songs that resonated with us as kids.
Stuff We Talked About:
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Multi-platinum hit songwriter Shelly Peiken, has written songs for, and with, Ed Sheeran, Keith Urban, Celine Dion, Cher, Reba McEntire, Christina Aguilera, Meredith Brooks, Britney Spears, Natasha Bedingfield, NSYNC, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato. Shelly Peiken is also a successful author who has written a book detailing her experiences in songwriting – “Confessions of a Serial Songwriter”.…
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Pop music singer-songwriter Amir Brandon joined us to talk about two of his upcoming songs, working with producer Thomas McKay, and the stories behind his songs.
We also talked about:
- Collaborating with other songwriters
- Battle Royale: grammar vs. lyric vs.
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To celebrate Pride in Toronto this week, we brought in five LGBTQ-themed songs to play and talk about. The songs spanned from 1983 to 2017, and included a diverse range of songwriters and topics. Musical book writer Stephen Witkin joined us for the show.…
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Pop singer-songwriter Lora Ryan joined us with her guitarist Andrew Scott to share two songs and talk about her songwriting process.
Singer/songwriter Lora Ryan is poised to make some noise in the independent music scene. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, she recently relocated to the Hollywood of Canada: Toronto, Ontario. …
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Young pop sensations the Command Sisters (Charlotte and Sarah) joined us to talk about writing as a sibling duo and working with producers. Patrick Ballantyne filled in for Bruce.
We also talked about:
- how to write a 2-chord song
- the musical Book of Mormon
- whether to repeat lyrics in each chorus
- the challenge of writing direct lyrics vs.
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This week we picked our favourite songs from movies. We talked about:
- La La Land (the movie)
- People bursting into song for no reason vs. singing in sensible places in the story
- The Big Chill
- Movie Musicals
- key modulation
- Quentin Tarantino’s unique approach to picking songs for his movies
Listen to the show:
Our selections:
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With 10 albums over a 20-year career, Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist Jacob Moon dropped into the studio to share a wealth of helpful tips and clear insights. “Live a Little” is a truly exceptional tune, a perfect marriage of lyrics, melody, theme and variation. …
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Singer songwriter Jules delivers three powerful tunes live in the studio. She’s just 14 and yet is well on her way along the road as a professional. Jules has been writing songs since she was 10. Some stuff we talked about:
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Old friend of the show Dokter Nomi came by and we talked about his unique way of writing songs, working with producers and amassing over 42,000 twitter followers!
Some stuff we talked about:
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Its a special Collaborating Show as Northwood Records artist Patrick Ballantyne stops by and we get into all the details about collaborating: how to share the royalties (evenly) and general best practices for successful experiences.
Patrick has co-written with lots of folks and has tracks by artist’s like Big Sugar, Merideth Shaw and a ton more.…
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Tim Stead with his band The Scenic Sound talks about how melody drives his songs, and how repetition of the lyrics helps to get their message across to their young audience. Download 5 of their songs for free.
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Blair shares the very first song he ever wrote, and talks about the difference between writing from the heart and writing from the head. And the Monster Mash.
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Singer and songwriter Mary Jane talks about pop music and working with others with the Song Talk team.…
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Damian shares his song “You Gotta Believe” and talk about the effects of positive, upbeat, energetic pop songs.…
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Faaria showscases her song “Nothing We Can’t Survive” – all those perfect rhymes!…
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