The Challenge – Week 6 – Collaboration

On By Christopher WardIn Challenge 2014

Congratulations you’ve made it to the sixth challenge.   Most of you know that no songwriter is an island.  Collaboration is not just a buzzword.  You would have a hard time finding any top 10 songs with only one songwriter.  In fact, some songs have over 10 names attached to its creation.  Furthermore, collaborating is also an important part of building your network.  Please watch the video below to find out the collaboration story behind a song that was eventually recorded by the Backstreet Boys.

This week’s challenge:
By now you’ve gotten the opportunity to listen to songs from the other participants in the challenge.  Connect with those whom you feel compliment your skills and style.  In groups of 2 or more, collaborate on a song.   You can decide if you will do it in real time via Skype or by sending tracks and lyrics to each other via email.  Please blog about your experience, the highlights and the challenges.
Deadline:  April 1st (it’s not a joke).
Please post the following:
1.  The names of the people with whom you collaborated.
2.  A link to a blog about your experience.
3.  SoundCloud link to your song.

49 thoughts on “The Challenge – Week 6 – Collaboration”

  3. Hello everyone! For our final Week 6 Challenge, I had the privilege of collaborating with Canadian Singer – Songwriter Kelly McQuillan. Kelly and I co-wrote “Borrowed Time”.

    Here is the sound cloud link:

    Here is the blog link:
    http://robyndewar.blogspot.ca/

    I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Six Songs in Six Weeks – song writing and blogging challenge. Thank you Christopher Ward and Lily Cheng for sharing your time and talents with all of us! I have been inspired, motivated and celebrate this productive experience. I have appreciated all the networking opportunities provided to us as members of the Songwriters Association of Canada. Cheers! Well done everyone!!

    Keep on writing and sharing!!
    much love, Robyn

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      1. Thanks Christopher! Collaborating with Kelly was amazing exactly what you said it would be … fun! 🙂 Would love the opportunity to create in one of your song writing circles!

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  4. bodegaempire

    This was a collaboration between myself (Matthew Hiscock) and Emily MacLeod. It was done over about 4 days and two Skype sessions. The instrumental track and background vocals by myself in Montreal and vocal by Emily in Toronto. We co-wrote most of the lyrics during the Skype sessions and contributed different sections of the melody “offline”, with some very sensible changes to the chorus by Emily as she recorded the final vocal.

    https://soundcloud.com/matthewhiscock/emily-macleod-and-matthew

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  6. This was a collaboration between myself and one of my band members Lorraine Comber. We co-wrote “Hold On! Wait a Minute!”. Roy Sunstrum and I were wanting to collaborate but unfortunately I was away at the lake where there was no reception for cell phones or internet. Roy suggested we try to collaborate after and I think that’s a good idea even though it will be too late for the challenge.
    My songcloud link is https://soundcloud.com/debbieann7/01-hold-on-wait-a-minute
    My blog is http://debbsite.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=19&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2

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      1. Thanks Christopher! Mark Supertramp brought me the riff and the chord progression and we worked it from there. Was a super fun challenge – thank you for posing it. I was nervous when I first read it, but it was the most satisfying week of them all, a great way to end the challenge. Thanks again for all your contributions!

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  9. I had a chance to co-write with both Scott Perrie and Kimberley Beyea this week. Both co-writes went very well and we ended up with some pretty cool tunes. Here’s the one that Kimberley and I did. It’s entitled “My Only Vice”. Stay tuned for the song Scott and I wrote….

    Here’s a link to my blog: http://mattgerbermusic.com/blog/
    Here’s a link to “My Only Vice” on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/matt-gerber/my-only-vice-kimberley-beyea

    Cheers,

    Matt

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      1. Hi Christopher,
        Yes, it was different, but every new experience challenges and teaches. I guess the hardest part of coming up with a melody to pre-existing lyrics is that it is so far removed from how I write my own songs, which develop both lyrically and melodically together. I had lots of fun working with Michael on this challenge, and yes, his lyrics were cool!

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  19. Wow, I can’t believe the six weeks is over, it went so fast, but I am forever grateful to Ms. Lily Cheng from SAC and Mr. Christopher Ward for giving us this opportunity to write six songs in six weeks and blog about our experiences! Thank you!

    I collaborated this week with Mr. Martin Clarke, a local musician from Montreal, who composed the background piano music, while I created the lyrics, sang the song, and arranged my voice in ways that accompanied Martin’s brilliant and beautiful musical piano arrangements.

    The song is called “Cosmic Rays”

    BLOG : http://amsforartmusicsongs.blogspot.ca/

    SONG: https://soundcloud.com/sherashakera/cosmic-rays-s-a-c-songwriting

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  20. Collaborated with Adri-Anne Ralph and we wrote a song called, “Long Time Before Your Gone.” Thanks Adri-Anne, thoroughly enjoyed meeting you via skype and working on this song together. First time collaborating and turns out I love it for so many reasons. Thanks Christopher for the assignments.
    Soundcloud link:

    Blog link: http://carolinoro.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/sac-challenge-…-collaborating/
    A challenge would be technology. Technology is great except for when it is having a break.

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  23. Spent some time in prison this week…I was on the edge of a building at the top of the world…and walking out on the open road facing demons…
    Collaboration challenge brought 3 new songs to the world. Thank you Rosanne Baker Thornley, Robert Campbell and Kristine St-Pierre. Writing with each of you was a fantastic experience.
    Song # 1 Turn (Rosanne Baker Thornley/North Easton)
    https://soundcloud.com/northeaston/turn-sac-collaboration-north
    Song # 2 The Simple Life (Robert Campbell/North Easton)

    Song #3 Im Still Here (Kristine St. Pierre/North Easton)
    Posting tomorrow
    this weeks blog is packed with all kinds of goodies for those reading.
    http://abeautifulcrash.blogspot.ca/
    Thanks for listening.

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  27. This song was a collaboration between myself (Shira Katz) and Martin Clarke. The song is called “COSMIC RAYS” and it’s about having faith (e.g. sending hopes into outer space) in difficult times.

    BLOG:
    http://amsforartmusicsongs.blogspot.ca/

    SOUNDCLOUD LINK:

    Thank you, Mr. Christopher Ward, for sharing your insights and inspiring us, thank you to Ms. Lily Cheng from SAC for your assistance, and a warm thank you to all SAC members that participated, sharing words of support and encouragement & allowing me to accomplish creating 6 songs in 6 weeks!

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  29. 6 SONGS IN 6 WEEKS- WEEK 6 COLLABORATIONS
    Week 6 encourages us to co-write with others and reminds us that many of our favourite songs have several writers on them. It’s my own experience that creators can often be secretive and possessive and unfortunately consumed with ownership. I luv to write with others, the energy and inspiration in the room is exciting and always delivers a surprise. Until late Saturday night I did not have a collaborator to write with when Roger Lucy and Dan invited to me to join. Had I not signed on FB I would have missed the invite and posted a non collab for the sake of completing the assignment. Next to learning so much about co- writing tactics, my favourite part about the assignment was making new friends  we had soooo much fun. Lucy started by asking what themes or itles we might have. As we poled the air Dan shared a story about a post he read on line where a person was judged for his appearance, Roger picked up his guitar started strumming, dialogue rebounded back and forth and Lucy spoke the first line that set the story up…the rest can be heard hear
    https://soundcloud.com/goodrockindan/tattoos-bike

    SONG 6 – Tattoos and Bikes-April 1, 2014
    The prettiest pair of 4 year old eyes
    Looks up at him and she says Hi
    Her Mama says “no”
    We don’t talk with that type
    Tattoos and bikes
    Men with tattoos and bikes
    Mama had a secret that baby didn’t know
    Was tattoos and bikes that walked out their door
    that’s not how the story was told
    Tattoos and bikes
    Men with tattoos and bikes
    Why mama why, why mama why, does his arms have dragons and butterflies
    Tell me whyyyyyy…whyyyyy

    Little girl runs into the street
    Tires screech and mama screams
    Mama cries No
    saved by dragons and butterflies
    Tattoos and bikes
    Tattoos and bikes

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    1. AND, if I haven’t already said it in previous posts, THANK YOU CHRISTOPHER WARD and S.A.C. for organizing this. I guarantee that it will have been the catalyst for good things to come for me….creatively, socially, and hopefully professionally. New friends, new tactics, new outlooks, new inspiration. Thank you also to dear Lily Cheng, always patient and helpful and smiling Lily. xoxo

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  31. Crossing the finish line! I had the the pleasure of working with Todd Wandio. Thank you Todd! Learned that distance isn’t a factor at all when you want to get something done. The song started with Todd’s music and my lyrics followed. A song called Fly Away is the result.

    Blog here:

    https://amandabellemusic.jux.com/2806234

    Song here:

    https://soundcloud.com/kamiio/backtreks-with-vocal

    A giant THANK YOU to Christopher Ward for pushing me way beyond my comfort zone and making me look at and approach song writing differently. Thank you Lily for all your wonderful support. Thank you to this group of amazing songwriters, I’ve learned so much by listening to your music, reading your blogs and your comments to each other.

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  32. Laird Wayne Rose

    Took a while, but decided to post the final version of the co-write I did with Judy Marshak.

    Judy brought the seed material, and we pounded the lyrics into shape together, then I did a rough mix of Judy’s performance, adding a fiddle line. Hope you like it:

    You might also like to check out my final blog, which provides a link to a very interesting article on the co-writing process:

    http://lairdwaynerose.blogspot.ca

    It’s on my blog, but I’ll say it again, kudos and many thanks to Chrisopher Ward and Lily Cheng for putting this Challenge together.

    It’s been a challenge for sure, but highly productive and rewarding, which could not have happened without everyone’s compassionate and understanding feedback. Thanks to all of you.

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  33. Pingback: Stop the world, I’m getting off… Week 6 of 6. | Robert Campbell

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