Our 2023 songwriting challenge is to write a song using an unusual mode, or a mode you don’t normally use. For our first episode on this subject, composer and songwriter Jeff Alan Greenway joined us to talk about two specific modes – Dorian and Lydian. Jeff Alan Greenway is a film composer, singer-songwriter, and pianist …
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Happy New Year and some random stuff
For our first episode of 2023, Phil and Neel hung out to talk about a bunch of things on our minds. We talked about: Our upcoming songwriting challenge to write in an unusual mode Peter Gabriel is releasing his first album of original songs since 2002 The Dreamtonics Synthesizer V virtual singer software, and Neel’s …
All about bridges with Allister Bradley
Allister Bradley, Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and technical director of the Song Studio Songwriter’s Workshop in Toronto, and co-host of the Hooks & Ladders youTube show with Blair Packham, joined us to talk about three songs with great bridges. We talked about: How the bridge differs from the verse and chorus How a good bridge …
Getting Past Writer’s Block with Susan Cattaneo
Singer-songwriter and music educator Susan Cattaneo joined us once again, this time to talk about tips for overcoming writer’s block for songwriters. We talked about: writing in a different mode, on purpose a great video on understanding modes – The Modes Ranked by Brightness – YouTube lists of contemporary songs using modes, courtesy of Susan …
Songwriting Challenge 2022: The Hosts Revisit their Songs
We welcomed the return of our ex-co-host Michael Proudfoot, joining us to review our updated answers to the 2022 Songwriting Challenge. We talked about: Our new Songwriting Challenge webpage, featuring the original versions of our songs, plus listener song episodes The Song Talk Meetup Mashing up various styles and instruments Reaching out to other songwriters …
Neel’s Long & Winding Road: Neel’s Response to the Song Talk Challenge 2022
Neel explains his journey in writing his response to our 2022 Song Talk Radio Songwriting Challenge: a song with the title “Why Do You Cry”. Lyrics for Why Do You Cry – sketch 2 Lyrics for Why Do You Cry – sketch 6
Why Catalogue Music is Outselling New Music – with Eric Apler
For the past 25+ years, Eric Alper has been at the forefront of the Canadian entertainment industry – making the Public in Public Relations his business. His enthusiasm, encyclopedic knowledge of the past and present have made him the go-to for music in Canada. He is also host of one of the top-rated SiriusXM shows “ThatEricAlper”. …
Lessons from The Rutles – Songwriting Satire
This week we took a dive into the 1978 mockumentary – The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash – a satire of Beatlemania and the Fab Four. Aside from being one of the first mock-docs, it is also a very funny film featuring some Monty Python alumnae, a few famous faces from early SNL and …