SONG CONTEST BLOG

For his prize, Vincent Robert Trocchia, winner of Round 3 of The 2009 Lyric Writer Awards, joined forces with We Are Listening’s songwriting duo, Pat and Pete Luboff to polish his lyric, set it to music, and produce an outstanding demo.

Hearing Things

Learn more about our lyric writing contest, other songwriting competitions, and song critique services.

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Los Angeles native, Alana Grace, was selected as the winner of Round 6 of The 2008 Singer/Songwriter Awards songwriting contest by We Are Listening’s panel of judges last month.  Having spent most of her childhood in Nashville, today she splits her time between the two cities and just completed a five month recording session in LA with producers Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Eve 6) and John Fields (Switchfoot, Pink, Andrew WK).  She is now gearing up to promote the concerted musical effort: her debut album titled “Break the Silence” from which her winning song, “Words Escape Me”, was selected.  The album was mixed by industry legends Bob Clearmountain (The Rolling Stones, The Cure, Aerosmith) and Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Hoobastank, Alanis Morissette).

Visit Alana at www.alanagrace.com

As songwriters, how are we ensuring that we get better at what we do?  Do we wait for a lightning bolt of inspiration to hit us in the middle of the night, only to discover that we forgot to set aside a pen and paper on the bedside table?  Or, are we jamming with our band until we find a riff we all agree on and then charge the vocalist with the arduous task of writing the lyrics before next band practice?

I have spoken with many songwriters in my time.  Some have declared that their songs come from hours of writing and rewriting, whilst others confessed to a twenty minute muck-around and, voila, a song is born!  Even songwriters that consistently produce hits can get better.  No matter how successful or reputed your music is, there is always room for improvement.  If music is your life, then music is your life’s work.  And work it is!

Songwriting is a series of disciplined decisions.  You begin with a certain set of rules that you intend to stick to.  Rules?  Okay, guidelines.  For example, you choose a language, a key, a metre, a feeling you want to express etc.  Of course, these can change but one must begin somewhere…  In my case, I always write in English, on a guitar or piano and choose a key to work in.  I think of the story I want to tell and build from there.   As part of my songwriting exercise regimen, I force myself to start differently.  For instance, I mix things up by changing instruments or working off a song title from a newspaper headline.  Sometimes, I will try to write in odd metres or keys outside of my comfort zone.  It keeps me on my feet.

Here are a couple of tips to sharpen your songwriting chops:

- Set aside some time for yourself to write (not high, drunk or tired!)
- Listen to music you wouldn’t usually listen to
- Try to write in an unfamiliar musical style/genre
- Try writing a happy song – surprisingly hard!
- Write on a different instrument
- Collaborate with other writers
- Use a rhyming dictionary
- Analyse music you wish you wrote
- Try different song forms ( AABA, AAA, Vs Ch, Vs pre-Ch Ch etc.)
- Make a handy list of metaphors, alliterations, powerful rhymes and hooks
- Try to write a soundtrack or underscore to a visual excerpt, home video or film
- Try writing a radio jingle for a specific product or service
- Read poetry