Summer Album Writing Challenge

Biweekly Challenge #4: Out of Your Comfort Zone

Try something new! Write in a new-to-you genre, meter, lyrical style, rhythm, rhyme pattern, etc.; play a new/less familiar instrument; use a DAW if that’s not your normal MO, play instruments/sing if that’s not what you usually do. Post yours here: Biweekly Challenge #4: Out of Your Comfort Zone (or post in The Songs and then link that post there). Explain in your liner notes why you decided to do what you did!

Uncommon time signature example:

Uncommon instrument example (makes me think of Miss Huang in Severance 🤣🤣🤣):

Really, just do something that’s not your usual thing. 😁

Biweekly Challenge #3: Repetition

Write a song with some kind of repetition in it beyond a repeated chorus or verse melody. There could be some kind of ostinato (a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm), or an often-repeated phrase or word. Each verse could begin or end with the same line. The chorus could consist of the same word over and over again. How do you want to interpret the prompt? Go with it. Post yours here: Biweekly Challenge #3: Repetition (or post in The Songs and then link that post there).

Here’s a piece with a very prominent (and famous) ostinato:

I think the main riff here counts:

Here’s a famous example of lyrical repetition (many examples within this song):

There’s repetition in the chorus of this one:

Here’s one of mine, the lyrics for which were written for the Repetition challenge during FAWM 2024 (it’s in the chorus – “Eres, eres, eres, eres” – “You are, you are, you are, you are” – translation in description lol):

Here’s one more musical example – there’s a recurring strings riff in this one:

Biweekly Challenge #2: Accidental

Is this an adjective or a noun? Is this a musical accident that worked out well? The story of an accident (a happy or sad one)? The soundscape of one? A piece containing many accidentals? You decide! Post yours here: Biweekly Challenge #2: Accidental (or post in The Songs and then link that post here).

Want examples???

This song is in C but uses F# a lot (instead of F):

Lots of flatted fifths in this one:

Reportedly, Slash was just doing a guitar exercise and Axl Rose heard it and thought it was great:

A song about a car accident:

The sour-sounding note on the last syllable of the word “enemy” in the chorus has always struck me in this one:

It’s in the title of this one:

Here’s another:

Biweekly Challenge #1: Conversation

Incorporate a conversation (or call and response) of some sort into your song – be it lyrical, musical, rhythmic, whatever ignites your imagination! Post yours here (or post in The Songs and then link that post here).

Some examples include:

It’s June 1st. LFG!!!

Let’s write some songs!

If you haven’t please register/login to see what everyone’s up to. We are starting June 1st at midnight at the international date line – Anywhere on Earth time zone). You can figure out when that is for you by using some kind of time zone converter. It’s 8 AM in New York City (and 7 AM in Wisconsin, where I live), if that helps.

Basically, though, if I have posted this, it’s almost time to write (I have scheduled it to post 10 minutes before the start time, because I can’t guarantee I’m going to be awake). 🤣

Check out the menu – visit The Songs or the other forums to engage in the community. The first Biweekly Challenge should be live, and the first Skirmish is happening soon. Check the Skirmish Schedule if you want to find more, and submit the Skirmish Hosting Setup Form if you would like to host any yourself!

Songs will be posted as new forum threads (in The Songs forum), which can include any liner notes or lyrics you would like to share, as well as a link to wherever your demo is hosted, if there is one. Some options automatically embed, like YouTube and SoundCloud. If you are hosting your own MP3 files on your site, you will just have to type whatever text you want and then turn it into a link.

If you need help, let me know.

The first Biweekly Challenge announcement drops in under an hour, if you need inspo (the forum is open and the prompt is visible, but the post has examples and stuff). 😁

(FYI – The site will likely be under construction all month as I tweak and tweak, but it works okay! Just be mindful that the tags are funky, so just don’t delete any, please!)

One day more…

I cannot get this song out of my head because it renews itself every time I think that there’s just one day before we start writing songs together again…

(Tbh, this happens to me every time something is just a day away lol.)

Weeeeeeeeee!!!

I have scheduled a kickoff announcement post for roughly 21 hours from now, and about an hour after that, the 1st weekly challenge announcement post will go up. A forum is created for the latter, but I’ll have to manually open it (as far as I can tell), so it might not open up for another hour or two, depending on how well I’m able to sleep. 😹

I’ll definitely be up before 10 AM CDT (or 3 AM AoE, 3 hours after the official start time), because I’m hosting a skirmish and I will be participating in it!

Anyway, I’ve edited the FAQ and I will continue to do so as questions arise (or as I notice things, which is how it’s mostly been so far). My availability for working on the site is a bit spotty for the next 12 hours or so, but I’ll be checking in.

So excited!

PSA: Don’t delete any tags when you post comments in a forum thread – it affects the ENTIRE thread

It has come to my attention that any new commenter can edit the tags for the ENTIRE forum thread. Please only add your own tag(s) – don’t delete anyone else’s. 🙂 We don’t have a way to do hashtags (so far), so tags are important!

Thanks!

I’m going to be looking into it, but I’m not going to have time until Saturday. There is nothing else that anyone can edit of anyone else’s. You’ll see what I mean if you comment on a post.

Welcome to your Summer Album Writing Challenge (or SAWC)!

Please register/login to see what everyone’s up to. We start June 1st at midnight (at the international date line – Anywhere on Earth time zone).

Check out the menu – visit The Songs (once it’s open, June 1st) or the other forums to engage in the community. If you want to host a skirmish, please fill out the Skirmish Setup Form.

Songs will be posted as a new forum thread (in The Songs), which can include any liner notes or lyrics you would like to share, as well as a link to wherever your demo is hosted, if there is one. Then we can comment! (Bare bones, I know – but hopefully it’ll be enough.)

If you need help, drop me an email, or post in the Help/Tech Issues forum.

(FYI – The site is still under construction. I’m hoping to improve/add some things yet, if I can…)