This is an idea I got from one of the Getty Hymn Writing Collaborative webinars with Keith Getty and Matt Papa. Instead of starting with the melody, find a nice bass line then write a melody to compliment the bass.
Author Archives: Dan Loch
Song of the Month: Lord I Believe
I always love when I can introduce songs from other members of The Worshiping Songwriter. This months song comes from Eric Hendrix, a music major at Cairn University. He brings a great ear and rich accompaniment to deep, self reflective lyrics. You can find the chord chart here. Enjoy! Let Eric know that you’ve heardContinue reading “Song of the Month: Lord I Believe”
Weekly Exercise (10/26/20-11/1/20)
Sorry for missing a week, life has been a little crazy! I’m also taking this as a chance to shift the weekly exercise to Monday-Sunday. One good way to start writing a song is to make note of those times when you think “I wish we had more songs about…” So in honor of Halloween,Continue reading “Weekly Exercise (10/26/20-11/1/20)”
Weekly Exercise (10/14/20-10/20/20)
Recently I’ve been approaching songwriting from a “melody first” perspective. This time I want to start with the lyrics then find the music that compliments the words.
Weekly Exercise (10/7/20-10/13/20)
So far, the write 5 melodies exercise has been one of the most helpful for me… so lets do it again!
Weekly Exercise (9/30/20-10/6/20)
Sorry this one is late! It’s been a crazy week. This week we’re going to explore contrasts. Use any form you want but write one song of lament and one song of celebration.
Song of the Month: God of Heaven
Can you believe its already October? Or maybe you can’t believe its only October. Somehow this year has been both the longest and the shortest I’ve ever gone through. Despite all of that, one silver lining is that 2020 has been my best year of songwriting so far, both in terms of quantity and quality.Continue reading “Song of the Month: God of Heaven”
Weekly Exercise (9/23/20-9/29/20)
It’s hard to believe that September is coming to a close and we’re already onto our third Weekly Songwriting Exercise. Last week I had great results and I can’t wait to share a new song with you! Hopefully this week’s exercise yields similar results. This week we are sticking with the idea of writing aContinue reading “Weekly Exercise (9/23/20-9/29/20)”
Weekly Exercise (9/16/20-9/22/20)
One of the most daunting parts of songwriting is finding where to start. When I sit down to write a song there’s an entire world of possibilities. With almost an unlimited number of rhythms, melodies, and harmonies for me to choose from, I find myself stuck with choice paralysis (its similar to trying to pickContinue reading “Weekly Exercise (9/16/20-9/22/20)”
Weekly Exercise (9/9/20-9/15/20)
If I want to get better at something then I have to do it. I can watch countless youtube videos, read all the books, and listen to motivational speakers all day but if I never put pen to paper (or cursor to Finale) then I’m not going to grow as a songwriter. This new seriesContinue reading “Weekly Exercise (9/9/20-9/15/20)”