Kathleen (Leena) Hurrell, an instructor in our Independent Artist Program, shares some songwriting tips on some of the basic things you should remember when you start writing for another artist.
As a co-writer or a hired writer, your job is to create a safe environment in which the artist feels comfortable enough to truly connect with you so you’re able to help them tell their story. In order to write the artists’ story with enough detail to make listeners feel something, I’ve put together a collaborator checklist that you can utilize to make sure you gather the crucial information you need from them to deliver a compelling song.
Music Writer Collaboration Checklist:
1. The story.
If you think about the song as if it were a movie, this would be how to develop your plotline and script.
2. Sensory details of the story.
If you were to continue thinking and writing about the song as if it were a movie, this would be your set design, lighting, costuming, makeup/hair, etc. This is how you set the scene.
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3. How the story makes them feel.
If you think about the song as if it were a movie, this would be your close-up shots and emotional direction.
4. The point they’re trying to get across in one, simple sentence.
If you think about the song as if it were a movie, this would be your title or tagline. Think of a movie poster and what they are trying to convey to the viewer in a short sentence.
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