Send us a text Track32 on "The Life of a Showgirl" - Opalite I'm back with Forensic Musicologist Dr. Joe Bennett In this episode we look at: The chord progressionChord tensionsHarmonic rhythmBorrowed chordRhetorical deviceProduction To sign up with the virtual live master class "The Songwriting of Taylor Swift" with Scarlet Keys: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1811786424969?aff=oddtdtcreator Joe Bennett: To learn more about forensic musicology and professor Joe Bennett: https://j...

Send us a text Track 2 on "The Life of a Showgirl" - Elizabeth Taylor I'm back with Forensic Musicologist Dr. Joe Bennett In this episode we look at: The chord progressionChord inversionsTensionsHarmonic rhythmPhrase lengthsMelismaWriting from a titleMelodic hooks To sign up with the virtual live master class "The Songwriting of Taylor Swift" with Scarlet Keys: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1811786424969?aff=oddtdtcreator Mailing list: https://www.scarletkeys.com/ Instagram: @scarle...

Send us a text This is the first of a 12 episode series where Berklee College of music professor Scarlet Keys talks about each song off of the new Taylor Swift album "The Life of a Showgirl" searching for clues and signature moves that Swift uses as a writer to write songs that resonate with millions of listeners and pack stadiums. They are listening for literary devices, chord progression, ear worm, melodic hooks and theme. Scarlet wrote the course "The songwriting of Taylor Swift...

Send us a text About this weeks guest: Roger Brown is an American businessman, philanthropist, and academic administrator and former president of Berklee College of Music. Brown is also the co-founder of Bright Horizons and founder and chairman of the Salt Lick Incubator. He is most recently a grammy nominated songwriter!!! In this episode, Roger talks about becoming a songwriter later in life, writing the truth and retiring from Berklee and creating a company for emerging artists cal...

Send us a text Today, Ariel Hyatt introduces the concept of the Three Communities every artist must understand: - **Ambient Fans** who are aware of you - **Engaged Fans** who pay attention and interact - **Superfans** who support, advocate, and stick with you over the long term. Since the dawn of the digital music age, Ariel has helped thousands of artists across all genres and career stages navigate the confusing and ever-changing music business with greater ease and effici...

Send us a text To sign up for the online songwriting in process class: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1376858744569?aff=oddtdtcreator On today's show I have Psychologist Dr. Jill Stoddard So much of what goes into a song is the psychology of the songwriter. Mindset is so important to the creative. Today, Dr. Stoddard talks about how to work with our inner critic, why we have it, how to focus on meaning even when your critique is loud. She talks about how important self c...

Send us a text In this episode, Mark Simos takes us through writing songs for social change, political protest, songs for that evoke empathy and songs of conscience. We talk metaphor, point of view and the most effective way to handle this delicate topic. We give you a song prompt and this episode is woven with songwriting crafts gems. Spotify songs for social justice: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0PigbEAOxbwXOwvHFsq1vZ?si=cc729ee146d54003 To join the weekly writing class: https://buymea...

Send us a text Upcoming classes: To sign up for the April 5th workshop: "The songwriting of Taylor Swift": https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1252499231919?aff=oddtdtcreator To support this podcast and membership: https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keys Show take aways: Try writing a song using the words and rhythm of a nursery rhyme to try audio doodling in your melody.Write your chorus firstStart a song with the chorusYou need input for output: Go hear live music, new music, travel, try ...

Send us a textIn this episode, I speak with Neuroscientist, author and musician Dr. Daniel Levitin on how music affects our health. From reducing cortisol to lessening the effects of Parkinsons and how we can use music as medicine! We talk science and his new book "I Heard there was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine": Daniel Levitin's music:https://open.spotify.com/artist/7iRoKs96ka4AJPOA39VJj5?si=su7HYKBPT5y1LKw1ws5YfQhttps://www.daniellevitin.com/contacthttps://www.amazon....

Send us a textTo sign up for the November 23rd virtual LYRIC WRITING WORKSHOP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1070697919299?aff=oddtdtcreatorhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/1080037885389?aff=oddtdtcreatorMy guest today is New England based singer/songwriter Jesse Terry.Before I introduce him I wanted to let you know that on Saturday Nov. 16th I am offering a virtual 3 hour songwriting workshop. There are a few spaces left and you can sign up through the show notes or on my website at sc...

Send us a textIn this episode, I talk with singer/songwriter Kylie Rothfield.She shares what she learned about singing and stage fright from Alicia Keys. We talk about what she learned from writing with some of the best writers in Nashville, song craft, process and so much more. This was a good one!Pre save Kylie's single coming out Sept. 27th here:https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kylierothfield/never-loved-somebody?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=Email+&utm_source=SendGr...

Send us a textIn this episode, singer/songwriter Michael McDermott talks about writing process, writing from your life and shares new songs off his two new albums dropping Sept 13th.Join the "What's in a Song" membership community:https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keyshttps://michael-mcdermott.com/homeMixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3JwScarlet's website: https://www.scarletkeys.comScarlet's instagram: https:...

Send us a textToday I have Berklee Professor Ben Camp on the show discussing AI We talk about where it is now and what it means for songwriters in the future. We talk ethics, creativity, originality, works that are derivative and Ben takes a song we wrote together years ago and puts it through AI to demonstrate some of the current possibilities AI offers creatives.Ben Camp has taught songwriting to over 2,000 students at Berklee College of Music, and is a gold record awarded writer and ...

Send us a textIn this episode, Pat Pattison, author of "Writing Better Lyrics" walks us through step by step of how to find metaphors. This is the exercise I gave to writer Madi Diaz that she talked about in the previous episode.Pat talks about the difference between simile and metaphor for songwriters, passing metaphors and central metaphors and takes us through a song by Eli and Fur and Gillian Welch.https://www.patpattison.com/Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/Otto Gros...

Send us a textMy guest today is one of my former students singer/songwriter Madi DiazMadi grew up in Pennsylvania where she was homes schooled by her mother and took piano lessons from her father at the age of 5.After high school, Madi was accepted to Berklee College of Music and met her first collaborator Kyle Ryan which led to her recording her first record skin and bones in Hawaii.Later, Madi went on to tour with the civil ward and Landon Pig. She was featured in Paste magazine as on...

Send us a textIn this minisode, I talk about writing melody and thinking of melody as the song's tone of voice.Auditioning melodies to make sure we pair the best notes with our most important words and the power of unstable notes in writing great melodies.To join my summer songwriting class "Writing Better Melodies" click here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/melody-writing-intensive-tickets-943422099897If you sign up before July 15th, you will receive a free copy of my book "The Craft of Songwri...

Send us a text"Inspiration is for Amateurs""Don't be 'a writer' but instead be writing." - Faulkner"Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!”― Johann Wolfgang von GoetheTo join the "What's in a Song" community membership: https://buymeacoffee.com/scarlet.keysLink to song from band Corner Boy "Morning Morning": https://open.spotify.com/track/7wjyEuRd6pYN34BmVkOpa1?si=a25d393f73594a0bhttps://www.cornerboymusic.com/Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersyk...

Send us a textIn this Episode, Robert Ellis Orrall talks about writing with Taylor Swift. What she was like as a young writer, how he set up the showcase that got her a record deal and shares two songs her wrote with Swift along with an original from his latest record.Upcoming workshop: Taylor Swift Master class this Tuesday May 28th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-songwriting-of-taylor-swift-writing-great-melodies-tickets-907284772177Robert Ellis Orrall's website: https://www.roberte...

Send us a textMy guest today s an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Will Kimbrough.As a producer, he has produced albums for Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, Kim Richey, Garrison Star and Matthew Ryan to name a few.His songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Little Fear, Jack Ingram, and he has collaborated with Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, and Mavis Staples just to name a few.In 2004 he was recognized as the instrumentalist of ...

Send us a textThe storytelling effects of nouns.Mixed by Peter Sykes: https://www.petersykesmusic.com/Otto Gross: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMnxx19QD-vxD4wnYGTn3JwScarlet's website:https://www.scarletkeys.comScarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/Scarlet's website:https://www.scarletkeys.comScarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/Scarlet's website: https://www.scarletkeys.comScarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkey...