Robert Ball: Smooth songwriting for a musical

Toronto artist Robert Ball joined us to talk about writing a smooth soul-drenched song with a theatrical musical in mind. Download the lyrics to I Want a Man to follow along. We talked about: Neel’s engagement with Suno from the Toronto Library’s Innovator in Residence series.… Read the rest

Our songwriting challenge for 2026 is to write a traditional country song. To help us launch this challenge, we were joined by singer-songwriter and music educator Blair Packham. Thanks Blair! We talked about: Phil has an issue with Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen, and The Famous Blue Raincoat album Why mathematics and literature have more in common than you may think | Ideas | On Demand | CBC Listen Challenging the Tyranny of 440 hz Typical characteristics of a traditional country song: Simple “campfire” chords Stories about the past or regret (unlike pop songs, which are primarily concerned with “now”) Lyrics are the most important thing A story with a specific time and place A strong, central idea There’s no guessing as to what the song is “really about” They don’t usually have a bridge I Can’t Help it if I’m Still in Love With You by Hank Williams – download the lyrics to follow along a verse-refrain structure how country was considered “old-timey” in 1951 when this song came out simple, relatable story and a 3-chord song Mama Tried by Merle Haggard – download the lyrics to follow along Merle Haggard was considered an “outlaw” in the 1960s Nashville establishment How this sounds more modern than Hank Williams A more detailed story in a 4-chord song It’s not necessarily autobiographical Stay tuned to the podcast and our dedicated webpage for this challenge to get the date for submitting YOUR traditional country song to the challenge and have it featured on the podcast.… Read the rest

Maclayne joined us to talk about writing songs from concepts and her song There You Are. Download the lyrics and chords to follow along. We were treated to a rare live performance by Maclayne! We talked about: Writing lyrics or music first The value of deadlines to get songs done Revisiting a hook a year later to complete the song with producer James Bryan Ecstatic Dancing in Guatemala Writing with specific details but still open to listeners seeing themselves in the lyric Growing as an independent artist in the face of commercial music About Maclayne Maclayne is a Calgary and Toronto-based independent singer-songwriter whose music is as hooky and quirky as it is sincere and moving.… Read the rest

Grammy-winning They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh joined us to talk about songwriting from listening and intuitions. Download the lyrics to Outside Brain to follow along. We talked about: Modal writing when you don’t know what modal writing is, and our Songwriting Challenge 2023: Write in a Mode Tension between conventions and breaking the rules Songwriting as a very plastic medium where the variations are endless Using terms like “gold dust” and “kicker” to identify elements or sections of songs  How learning the I-vi-IV-V became the key to start writing songs  How John and John typically bring completed songs to each other, but work at editing for a long time until it’s right Starting songwriting by failing at cover songs  John says, rhyming is overrated and bridges are overrated About They Might be Giants They Might Be Giants treat the entire history of popular music as a trampoline rather than a rulebook.… Read the rest

Hamilton-based singer-songwriter Garrett Lajoie talked about taking on February Album Writing Month for the last ten years and how that experience has shaped his approach to songwriting. Download the lyrics to Window Shopping to follow along. We talked about: Collaborating on a love song with Alex Whorms An Instrument For Every Child | Hamilton Music Collective This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession: Levitin, Daniel J.:… Read the rest

Delyn Grey returned to the show for the third time to talk about her new release My Mind is a Riot and her upcoming album Delynquent. Download the lyrics to follow along. We talked about: How AI Will Fail Like The Music Industry Delyn’s previous appearance on the show How working in a minor key and having crunchy guitars is dark enough Sometimes stepping away from a song and getting perspective can be better Make sure the song wins no matter what or how finished you think you might be Engaging in songwriting challenges to grow your creativity – and our Songwriting Challenge 2023: Write in a Mode About Delyn Grey My Head is a Riot was released in February and is the first song off of Delyn’s twelve-song 2026 project, “Delynquent,” written, recorded, and produced in her garage with her dad.… Read the rest

Canadian country artist Amanda Keeles joined us to talk about her latest album and starting a song based on a beat she found on her digital piano. Download the lyrics to Leads Me to You to follow along. Check out Amanda’s earlier appearance on the show.… Read the rest

Max Tojicic joined us to talk about writing songs by intersecting interesting chords with personal experiences. Download the lyrics to Lavender Bouquet to follow along. We talked about: Upcoming free Live Looping workshops with Jacob Moon: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/179GNpQieV/ Check out Jacob’s episode on this show all about live looping: https://youtu.be/X2TrGNrbKSI?si=BxBcUNjqi470iz6V… Read the rest

Geneviève Racette talks about taking a personal experience and writing it into an accessible pop song. Download the lyrics to Common Denominator to follow along. We talked about: Writing from personal experience but making your song open to others Capturing an idea as soon as you can, even if it occurs in your sleep or in the shower Using the bridge as a way to redirect the narrative What’s up with long, wordy choruses in modern pop songs?… Read the rest

Singer-songwriter Mark Ippolito talked about his experience with February Album Writing Month (FAWM), challenging himself to write a full album of songs in 28 days. Check out his album on Bandcamp. We talked about: William Shatner to Record a Heavy Metal Album Featuring Covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden Our Song Talk Meetup The wonderfully supportive community of songwriters at the FAWM website The diversity of genres, instrumentalists, and approaches at FAWM Opportunities for collaborations between lyricists and musicians The organizers propose weekly challenges to prompt individual songs (e.g.… Read the rest