Creative Songwriting

Creative Songwriting Day

Budding songwriters, musicians and producers spent a day getting creative, stretching their talents and learning new skills at the Royal Hospital School Creative Songwriting Day.

Pupils from the school and local children were first taught simple chord progressions or lyrics (depending on their instruments) and practiced these together as one massive band. With multiple drummers, bassists, guitarists pianists and vocalists, the piece sounded huge and was a great way for participants to get familiar with one another.

After mastering the basics and being warmed up, participants split into different groups and bands to come up with a piece of their own. There were no rules, only the challenge to create a piece that showed off the skills they had learnt throughout the day. For many this was the first time being in a band and working on music collectively or writing original music.

Throughout the day professionals came around the groups to help and advise and to add the finishing touches to our pieces. The day ended with every group having the opportunity to perform their songs with the interludes being filled with MIDI loops and audio effects created by the groups in the recording studio.

It was a brilliant day and no matter how experienced you were everyone left with some new skills to take home. It was great to meet so many local musicians outside of RHS and I hope there will be more events like this in the future.

Fred F