Video from my workshop at the 2012 BBC Introducing Masterclass at Abbey Road on the psychology of songwriting. Unfortunately many of the people booked for this session got delayed at Maida Vale studios and didn’t arrive – it felt a bit strange giving this 90 minute talk to a half-empty room – compared to the crackling packed energy of the hour-long  2011 workshop.

As promised in the video, here’s my DIY rhyming list – for an explanation on how to use it, fast-forward to around 0:29 mins in the video:

B, C, D, F, G, H, J, (K) L, M, N, P, QU, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z
BR, CR, DR, FR, GR, PR, TR, TW
BL, CL, FL, GL, PL,
SL, SC, SH, SHL, SM, SN, ST, SPR, SPL, STR, SW, SCR, SQU,
CH, TH

The specific Immersion Songwriting technique mentioned in this talk comes is explained in full here:

THE FRUSTRATED SONGWRITER’S HANDBOOK
A Radical Guide to Cutting Loose, Overcoming Blocks
and Writing the Best Songs of Your Life
by Karl Coryat and Nicholas Dobson
ISBN-13: 978-0879308797

There are of course many other excellent books and different songwriting techniques available. You’ll also find further resources for writers and artists on the Advice section of the main BBC Introducing website.