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Sydney Songwriting Short Course
19 September 2019
Hi friends, A new term of my Songwriting 1 course at the Sydney Conservatorium Open Academy kicks of…
Generating Ideas for Lyrics
Psychology of Creativity
Songs I Love
Uncategorized
Wisdom from Songwriters
writing
Steal Like a Songwriter
16 September 2019
The most effective way I write songs is to immerse myself in songwriters. I like to remind myself…
Generating Ideas for Lyrics
Psychology of Creativity
Creativity as a physical act
2 September 2019
At the beginning of this year, I joined the gym. Again. I was more optimistic about it this…
Metaphor
writing
Metaphor in songwriting is alive and well, thanks.
1 September 2019
Many years ago, while living in LA, I heard a Big Shot Industry Dude (cue Beethoven’s 5th…) say:…
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Ask a Songwriter #01: How do you write about the ‘extinction of species’?
30 August 2019
Episode #1 “How do you write about a broad concept like “the extinction of species”? Doris Folkens, Ontario, Canada…
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Album Round-up 2018
31 January 2019
The music I listen to doesn’t always (umm…actually, never!) sounds like the music I make. Here are some…
Generating Ideas for Lyrics
Song Starters
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Wisdom from Songwriters
Ryan Adams: Let Your Ego Come Out to Play
8 February 2017
I love this video of Ryan Adams revealing his daily songwriting method, that he calls ‘Stacks’. It basically…
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Bob Dylan: One Chord, 11 Verses
1 February 2017
“All you need is 3 chords and the truth”…I’ve heard that attributed to Bob Dylan. In Dylan’s wonderful…
Language
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writing
Writing Tips from George Orwell
22 November 2016
One of the most incisive essays I have ever read on the art of writing is the short…
Music
Songs I Love
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The Secret Life of ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen.
28 September 2016
The song ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen is now thought of as a glittering jewel of genius. But the…
Language
Psychology
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I Have a Confession to Make
4 August 2016
I have a public confession to make. I have a serious problem—a profound weakness, and it only gets worse…
Generating Ideas for Lyrics
Revising Songs
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Driving Around the Road Cones: Two Easy Strategies for Moving Beyond the First Verse
28 July 2016
Almost all songwriters I know experience a type of road block in the process of writing songs. Paradoxically,…
Songs I Love
Student Profile
Student Profile – Sister Ursuline
21 July 2016
SISTER URSULINE is a Sydney-based cello-wielding songwriter with a soft spot for pigeons, bloomers, and hidden historical stories…
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Congrats!
20 July 2016
Congratulations to Doris Folkens and Heather Elliot for having their song, ‘Lanterns’, place as a finalist in the…