[BTS #7] Your Questions Answered

Please note: Due to a family matter, the lanch date has been moved to April 9th.

Welcome to the 7th edition of The Songwriting Habit behind-the-scenes newsletter.

Last week, I solicited your questions.

Today, I’m sharing the answers.

If your question isn’t below, please don’t hesitate to ask me.

Here we go…

How much will this cost?

The cost will be $200. But, as a way of saying thank you, for the first week I’ll be offering it for $150 to all of you who joined this waitlist.

Will it work for instrumental music too, or only singer-songwriters?

It’s geared toward singer-songwriters, but the overall framework would work for instrumentalists. In the parts where I focus on lyrics, you might simply add structural ideas, etc.

This won’t be just a bunch of time-management hacks, right?

No. While the course uses a lot of psychological and practical tips for time management, it’s much more than that. We’ll get into the weeds of how you go EXACTLY from “Idea” to “Finished Song.” It’s very much step by step process, with you looking over my shoulder, so to speak.

Will the course focus equally on lyrics and music or does it cater to one more than the other?

It’s about 50/50, perhaps ever so slightly favoring the music aspects.

How long will it take to complete?

I can’t say for sure yet. I’m finalizing everything, then I’ll do some testing. My guess is under 3 hours.

Will this work for a stay-at-home mom?

Yes! I used this during the pandemic while home with my younger kids. Plus, we had the older kids home from lockdown. The course doesn’t teach magic, but it does teach a system that works.

What if I mostly just write lyrics?

The course will still be relevant; you would just need to skim over the music aspects.

I’m more of a producer. Will the course work for me?

If you need to be in your studio space, the lesson “How to Find a Time and Location” will be restrictive. Also, the timeframe I suggest, 5-20 minutes, would have to be more like 20-60 minutes because of all the extra equipment you’ll likely be having to prep. For example, instead of a Voice Memo app, you’ll be using your DAW. Instead of a Notes app, you might use a Google Doc, etc. on your desktop. Other than that, the principles will apply.

You’re not going to tell me to “just record the idea in the moment, then go on with your day,” right?

Ha! No. I know a lot of you are already doing that, which is where the frustration comes from. You have all these ideas on your phone that never get finished. So, while I do teach a lesson called “How to Capture and Organize Your Ideas” that utilizes your smartphone in the moment of inspiration, the bulk of the course is really about what happens after that.

Will this address my issues with self-doubt, need for validation, and concerns that I can’t make it in the music industry?

Thanks for your honesty.

Regarding self-doubt and the need for validation, that’s a prerequisite for songwriting! I’m only half joking. It’s an ongoing struggle for most of us. Many of my friends are hit songwriters here in Nashville, and they still deal with this all the time. That said, the course does NOT directly address self-doubt. If you’re interested, I wrote about the songwriter’s inner critic in my book On Songwriting. I also recommend Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Re: making it in the music industry, that’s a BIG question with a lot of different answers. And, this is going to sound like I’m just promoting my book again, but check out the section “On Nashville and The Music Industry.”

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Ok, that concludes this week’s behind-the-scenes newsletter. Thanks for reading. If your question wasn’t answered above, please email me, and I’d be happy to answer it.

See you next week!

Aaron

Missed any of my previous behind-the-scenes newsletters? Here they are: