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Songwriting
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Several forumites here have joined in this annual challenge to write 14 song each February. Maybe you have a hard time finishing writing one song a month? I did. Participating in this challenge and the community around the challenge changed that for me. Maybe it will do the same for you. Think of it like pro baseball players putting in the time at batting practice, or a painter working on sketches for a month. Website isn’t yet open for 2022 but there is a good page that fills in some of the details below www.fawm.org
Last edited by rockstar_not; 01/01/22 02:17 PM.
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Songwriting
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Joined: Aug 2014
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There are some people on this forum who post a song a day.
How hard can it be???
Is quality a factor? Or are we writing hit radio??
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Songwriting
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Joined: Jul 2015
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Several forumites here have joined in this annual challenge to write 14 song each February. Maybe you have a hard time finishing writing one song a month? I did. Participating in this challenge and the community around the challenge changed that for me. Maybe it will do the same for you. Think of it like pro baseball players putting in the time at batting practice, or a painter working on sketches for a month. Website isn’t yet open for 2022 but there is a good page that fills in some of the details below www.fawm.org So...does this allow "Wild Man Fischer songs for a dime" style stuff?...lol Will I get beat up if I can not write that many songs or will all your writers of 150,000 songs jump in and say "don't worry Billy" we will help you out?...lol And also, by the way, you guys don't actually work on Valentine's Day, right? Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Songwriting
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Ha Ha Billy, you can do this blindfolded. It's only a matter of writing, producing and delivering a world class song in two days, and then simply repeating that another 14 times  . Seriously, for those who put in such a big effort: "Congratulations!". You all well and truly deserve it. Fantastic effort to everyone.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Songwriting
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OP
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You can make the challenge what you want it to be. Quality is, and always has been, a subjective word.
It’s primarily for hobbyists so if you are a writer in Nashville on Music Row writing 5 hits a day, this will be boring for you. Pass on by, nothing to see here.
But if you are not part of that rarefied air, it’s great fun and tons of different prompts and lyric writing games and challenges involved.
Honor system is the rule, no requirement to even record a demo onto your phone.
On Valentines Day the colorway of the site changes to pepto bismol pink and everyone’s avatar pic gets swapped out for a candy heart.
This is where I met Matt Blick years ago who hosts the excellent Tickets to Write website and the Beatles Songwriting Academy that someone posted about a month or so ago here.
I’ve met one of my collaborators from the challenge while I was on business in LA.
There are some massively talented people that participate every year. I am not one of them. Liz Frencham is an upright bassist from Oz with an amazing voice and she does great baseline and melody songs as well as collaborations with people from around the globe.
Old Lost John is a folkie from Sweden with a pack of smokes per hour voice, a woody acoustic, and a compelling story in every song.
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Songwriting
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Songwriting
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Site is open. Site developer had to move the whole thing to a new hosting service. He said he will be modifying the site to replace the typewriter font
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Songwriting
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I did it one year and it was fun. I actually got a few keepers out of the deal. I don't have it in me any more.
I am lucky if I get 10 songs done in a year. But good luck to those that do the challenge.
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I have my second one in the can after being inspired by a drum track for a full song posted by one of the fellow FAWMers. This guy does this every year and I usually get at least one song out of inspiration from his drum tracks. Some older 80's sounding metal is what I ended up with after running across a preset in my Zoom G5 amp sim/multi-effects that does 5th harmonies in a somewhat musical way. I present to you: Ya Ya Ya BOOM! https://soundcloud.com/rockstar_not/ya-ya-ya-boom?si=f01261eddab9459e9da3244b61ebf20c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharingI have much re-mix work to do on this, as when the heavy guitars come in the multiband compressor I am using just kind of kills the drums. -Scott
Last edited by rockstar_not; 02/08/22 06:51 PM.
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Hey Scott, This would make a good sync song for a Netflix movie I think. I like the energy. I don't think you have to (or should) worry too much about the mix for FAWM songs. I think you are just supposed to spit it out and mix later, the way I understand it--just tap into the crazy, so to speak, the songwriter vein. I am using it as a way to stop being so OCD about everything I write and just let it fly.  But, everyone has their own mission I know!!!
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The remixing I will do will be later. Because I am not deluded enough to think that anyone else will listen, but I will listen for my own entertainment. That’s really my primary audience! I will re-record some of the bits so it doesn’t bug me in the future. I used some presets in my Zoom G5 I have never used before and had silly fun with them. Which if I can laugh when I listen I have accomplished my goal!
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Songwriting
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Here is my favorite song that I half wrote for this year’s FAWM. I wrote the lyrics one night while watching the Olympics, based on a prompt someone put in the forum to write a song based on names of paint samples. Bachelor’s Button was one I picked. I asked one of my favorite FAWMers, Old Lost John, if he would consider writing some music and singing what he wrote. I love the result. This is part of the fun of FAWM as well. https://oldlostjohn.com/track/3007634/bachelor-s-button
Last edited by rockstar_not; 02/27/22 11:08 AM.
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This sounds really good Scott. Just listened to it on the FAWM site. Very indie. Very Netflix.
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