How to Write a Song Using Imagery: 9 Songwriting Tips from Andrea Stolpe | American Songwriter

[@collinchingota7717]

Each time I watch this video I feel like I can write a song straight away

[@normanroxwell7883]

Facts!

[@sanderrom9810]

You probably can ;)

[@andreastolpe]

You totally can! So glad you've found inspiration from this. By the way, I checked out a few of your videos, you have such a great voice. I wish you all the best on your songwriting journey, stay creative!

[@forbiddenevil1]

and do you? actually write a song?

[@collinchingota7717]

@@andreastolpe oh thank you Andrea! my songwriting is getting better and better thanks to this video and many of yours!

[@calohtar]

Unbelievably helpful. Some of this stuff I already knew, some of it is obvious, but it makes a difference to hear these concepts linked together in a coherent framework. A lot of times the challenge isn't in learning new things, it's in accessing and making sense of what you already know.

[@MartinManweiler]

That's precisely how I felt when I heard her first video.

[@MARLERMAKESMUSIC]

This is a great comment!

[@elansings]

Agreed, if we can paint the picture vividly the listener will pay more attention

[@Devanox4Five]

So very true

[@kennethcarvalho3684]

So at the end of the day you learnt something??

[@droneproductions625]

Incredible to see that 182 people didn't like this video. I literally watched it FOUR times and took notes. Incredible stuff here! This lady rocks!

[@kubita-thecall8795]

There will always be the mixit that will be ungrateful. Born to mock even the stuff meant to make them better in life. 😂✌️

[@amphitheatre]

16:46 one moment in detail 24:40 showing and telling with toggling 27:01 showing telling archetypes 29:12 write thru a lens

[@brandonseaborn3112]

rss313 bless your soul

[@elansings]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💆🏻‍♂️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@TheJigglicious]

I still advise watching everything tho

[@lawd1804]

21:26 So I’m driving on interstate 85 And I’m thinking about the past And outside the blurr of the telephone lines Get me lost lost lost

[@lawd1804]

22:33 6 verse Imagery

[@Foxy64]

As I'm relatively new to songwriting I found this absolutely invaluable . Andrea has a great way of explaining these techniques in a way that is simple to understand which is perfect for someone like me

[@andreastolpe]

Thanks Stuart, I'm so glad you enjoyed this. Wonderful to have you join the songwriting community. I wish you all the best on your songwriting journey, stay creative!

[@DeuceSF]

Your voice is so relaxing. Thank you for the advice!

[@andreastolpe]

You're so welcome, happy to help!

[@templehillsfunk]

This is the reason, she's the only songwriting tutorial that I listen to. It makes it easier to connect with her advise.

[@DamonMedekMusic]

GOLD GOLD GOLD!!

[@chrisgodina3222]

Damon Medek viva

[@andreastolpe]

Thank you so much Damon, so glad to have helped. Stay creative!

[@joebobhenrybob2000]

I was wandering youtube for inspiration on a song I am writing... ABOUT A TRUCK!!! Holy cow, this lady really IS helpful!

[@andreastolpe]

I'm so glad to have helped. There is so much great imagery that can be associated with a truck, I hope you were able to use a few of these tools to help you finish your song. Stay creative!

[@adisatrio3871]

dude, this is gold! she's so smart and really capable to explain shits with a great flow. i love how the video is really well structured. it makes me grasp the idea loud and clear easier. straight to the point so i can really learn. she's a great teacher. thank you for doing this Andrea. gbu. really well done. quality content at it's best.

[@cpollero53]

100% agree and I must add, she is sooo beautiful

[@SebastianGohCS]

Watching this made me realized that I had applied just about everything you teach without my knowing that's how I should approach my song writing. Andrea thank you because you put into perspective why I write lyrics the way I do and how much more I can improve. You are an amazing teacher 👏

[@Beckyphillipsguitar]

I was totally blocked until I saw this. Thank you so much :-)

[@dannybernotv7881]

Her voice is so soothing.

[@stephanmayer6600]

An incredible amount of valuable information. I guess i need to watch that a couple of times. Thank you.

[@promcoordinator2747]

This shit right here is worth paying for.

[@juliab7410]

Prom Coordinator but you are broke haha

[@andreastolpe]

Thanks @Prom Coordinator, so glad you enjoyed this. I hope you're staying creative!

[@nickdryad]

Hopefully you learned something from this video. Shit isn’t the right word to use for what we’ve just learned. Yes I know your not writing lyrics but, write and speak like a poet as much as you can.

[@brian_b_music]

The verses are the nails, the chorus is the hammer that drives them.

[@nickdryad]

The song is the coffin that keeps warm. See, I’m doing it already.

[@MrMikomi]

The listener is the plank of wood into which we drive the nails.

[@jazz_addict7079]

The clarity and practical value of your guidance regarding the craft of songwriting are phenomenal. You are truly a godsend to anyone who feels compelled to express themselves through words and music.

[@MarionFiedlerMusic]

oh my, this is gold. Andrea, thank you so very much! This made my day. I love this video, I am so inspired by your ideas, your way of presenting this is low-key yet super professional, sharing powerful and well-summarized and presented essentials for songwriting. YOU ROCK!

[@cpollero53]

Andrea you are a natural teacher, really well done, and you are gorgeous too!!!

[@151yaron]

Excellent, underrated.

[@LaynoProd]

Shoutout Professor Andrea Stolpe. Had the privilege of learning from her songwriting class at the USC Thornton School of Music a couple years back. Still applies those fundamental songwriting tips til this day in my music, thanks Professor appreciate you!

[@d-alphamuszic2800]

I'm eternally grateful, thank you so much Andrea your the best.i wish you all the best, take care.

[@TIMOWHITEBUFFALO]

This is wondrous and how I create...too many people do not realize that it takes work...most people I know call me to ask me...to make them a star...because I work at it daily...there is no special pill...thank you so much...

[@rasmuskrsgaard807]

Thank you so much Andrea- this was really helpful, especially with 2 verse issues. You are amazing!

[@mojoefelix]

Thank you , Andrea, very much for this great teaching and for what I have learned from your book. After learning from you I have written a song which I consider my best yet and that makes me very happy. Song writing is in the realm of what most people would consider magic. Certainly a great song IS magic.

[@waliwriterdiddatbeat341]

This Is So Valuable..... I love her spirit and the way she projects her message. I could listen to her all day!

[@patfinnegan467]

Andrea, thank you. Your presentations are very helpful.

[@AnskarNEX]

I love this content. Makes me want to write lyrics when I‘ve always been a music guy believing I will never be able to write good lyrics

[@simonlawrence1234]

I got so much information and lesson from this, you wouldn’t believe. Thank you.

[@milbernbreeden6354]

Much thanks to Andrea for sharing all her expert advice.

[@Bobby-iu5iu]

SUPER helpful!! Great examples and explaintions. Thanks!

[@linneblack3802]

Andrea is an incredible instructor! It is so easy to listen to her voice, and beyond that, she really knows her stuff! It was very helpful to be refreshed by her tutorial! I especially appreciated the topics of "capturing a single moment", and "Writing through the lens of something else".

[@ralphditchburn1456]

oh my gosh, i am so glad to be informed of these in depth techniques for songwriting and a delightful presentation by such a knowledgeable cutie, thank you Andrea

[@preetikapathare8026]

this is the first time i'm watching videos for songwriting and i struck gold right at the beginning. thank you so much for this!

[@MartinManweiler]

Wonderful advice as always.

[@RichardNeumannsongs]

Thank You Andrea for these videos. I always go back to them. They are so helpful! -Thanks for what you do!

[@CaioV94]

this is a type of lesson that you need to watch a couple of times. And everytime you watch, there is a new amazing detail... Thanks a lot for this!!!

[@jairusomollo4955]

Changing the POV as a polishing technique, writing through a lens,are advice I've read in books on how-to write novels and you sum it up well in songwriting.♥️it

[@ismailech-cherrate]

Thank you! Really helpful, many tips and techniques, The best i ever listened to! 🙏 ❤️

[@minstrelofMir]

penny lane (song) comes to mind...after writing songs since 1975 i can tell you we evolve with our songs,and learn its like being a shrink or doctor,we have to find deeper answers on subjects..later i found its best if we are moved by some event or statment it sets us off,trying to pin it down again,,the answers to the universe,,and see that life is a personal evolution in the deepest mystery

[@arthurmurfitt7698]

Thank you for posting these, Berkeley Online ❤️

[@cherylireland1833]

This was incredibly helpful and thoughtful. Thank you very much! I have registered for Berklee Online. I can't express how much I appreciate the effort that went into this. Thank you.

[@eleonoraformatoneeszczepan8807]

Thank you. I just downloaded the Songwriting Handbook.

[@BoWestcott]

Soooooo helpful….both for songwriting and writing…THANK YOU 🙏🏻🎶

[@vishu7076]

Priceless Knowledge given to write a song can be used for years, this is real gold.

[@airbee6]

"Thank you" won't be enough 🙏❤️🌹

[@hanskristianvilla7621]

Great video, thank you!

[@ecgu1]

thanx a lot Andrea for this great, professional tutorial! I would have been happy to know all this , when I was 16, it would have been helped me creating more powerful songs. It's never to late though. Now I'm 40 and happy about learning this really brilliant methods !!

[@filipeferin8171]

she is the best.

[@tientrinh943]

She was the best teacher!

[@evillano]

What a master teacher!

[@GraveGear]

I've always wanted to be able to write moving lyrics, but never knew how. I always told a story, instead of painting a picture. The one sensory writing a day is amazing. Thank you Andrea for your knowledge. The chair squeaks as it rocks back and fourth. The soft hum of central air. Rapid squeaking of an old trolley cart, pushed by an even older woman. It smells musty, a fine layer of dust covers the shelves. Specks of dust swirling in the rays of light. Mouth dry as yet another page is turned. The soft sound of leather sliding on wood, as another book is pushed aside. The gentle sounds beckoning, tempting sleep. Hands dry, unable to grip the page for turning. The tick, tock, tick, tock of the clock. A tiny splash, as a drop of sweat hits the table.

[@stressVine]

So much valuable information! Much appreciated! Thank you!

[@alissa-mariesmith2389]

She's beyond gorgeous and such a genius.

[@ch9995ch]

tons of tips and ideas here

[@jamesrossmusic6013]

Amazing... Intelligence, beauty... and Class!!!!

[@michelebeneforti3246]

Great course, took songwriting classes at Berklee and this is some extra infos!

[@Berklee_Online]

Thank you!

[@lauralopes9988]

only 8 minutes watched and this video already changed completely my view on songwriting.

[@nielssteffenssen8852]

This video really helped me to write lyrics in a different way than what I used to do. I am Swedish so writing in English can be a challenge for me. 😊

[@MonekayDennis]

Very helpful, I like how you explained the show and tell patterns. And how to take a song from I or you, to we. I will definitely apply this is my next song!

[@eismccc]

I love the way you break it down; I'm a mechanical engineer but i always felt that i needed to discover more creative thought processes to be a better musician... The more i learn about music the more i recognize systems and patterns and structure etc. so rather than struggle with a lack of creativity, i can apply an analytical approach either to get the ball rolling or fill in or put finishing touches on my music. Thanks for the lesson!

[@suites.74]

im a mechanical engineer too. both require analysis and creativity. for example sometimes when designing a system there is more than one way to solve the problem. when you are inspired by the world around you, the solutions come easier.

[@HeatherDMorris]

I love your videos! I watch them when im writing when im stuck

[@zam7380]

Wow. Can't believe this content is for free 👏🏼 Added this to my favorites

[@alanpugielli4743]

Sooo good! She’s like the Bob Ross of songwriting lol

[@kubita-thecall8795]

Andrea and Berklee. Thank you so much with this valuable information. Music is been my passion as a young boy, from dancing but as I grew up it got kinda lost. Now in my 40s I still come across the bouts of love for music production. As a Swazi we got our own Swazi rhythms and culture. Most of my youth days was fascinated by Hillsong music and few American music. Hip hop era also took grasp of me when I fell away from church when I was a varsity. I'm my thirties got back to Christ and have been active in church band but I still feel there's a lot I could be doing especially in the writing and production space. Being a family man it's hard to spare some money to achieve the professional skills of enrolling into your university. I would love that before I die, to have made it in one of your online courses. Thanks for keeping your material on KZbin. I recently liked your Facebook account too.

[@oconomymusic]

thank you for shareing! you are so helpful!

[@jimervin387]

Some great songwriting tips there, But I think you should support them by giving examples of well known songs..For instance, writing about a specific moment could be exemplified by a song called This Magic Moment by The Drifters. I find that it also helps if you can feel that you're writing for a certain person, most likely a lover, or a certain group of people, rather than just yourself. The truck song idea, now that has country written all over it. Pickup trucks especially, have been included in many country songs. but can still be a source of song inspiration. To an old car enthusiast song writer such as myself, that also leads to car songs, which I've also written.

[@user-mc5fg3fx5w]

Bro ur lucky she even gave tips

[@MicksMetaMassage]

Absolutely fantastic! Thanks :)

[@ama__dee]

This was so amazing! You explained everything in such a clear way with great examples, thank you so much! Very helpful and insightful tips ❤

[@RebeccaDMusic]

Brilliant video! So much to think about and try next time I'm writing a song.

[@Jillady]

Wow man even the pros object write! This is great stuff! So grateful to see this!

[@mcjohnkarshavski1953]

I feel like Billie Eilish and Ed sheeran already

[@NealScottGanslaw]

There is so much to unpack in this one~ this really helped me out ~ thanks so much!

[@BeGoodNow5]

She's the songwriting GURU!

[@yahnover262]

This is such excellent advice!

[@elpablitorodriguezharrera]

Thank You!

[@heatsourcemusic2539]

Amazing video! Thanks so much!!!

[@wyldeboiy7151]

You're work is very valuable, well stated, elegantly explained, and absolutely enlightening. It's simple yet profound... like a good chorus. Thank you for this. (still got that crush)

[@SincereNokwaree]

Gratitude...

[@setphaser]

i haven’t written for ages and have forgotten how to start (with more suvccess) but this is really helping remind me of the skills and how to keep the muscles going more regularly.

[@KingMarino]

I loved every minute of the material. I was just browsing KZbin for something helpful and this definitely fit the bill. Thanks. Very soothing voice.

[@Raphael-fi8hd]

What a brilliant and beautiful woman 🥺

[@ericlamme6489]

Hi Andrea. I really got so much from your understanding. Thank you. It led me to think how different personal perspectives are taken in songs...for example--Hit the Road Jack has Ray singing about his experience with his discontented woman in the verse; then you have the woman saying the chorus--Hit the Road Jack. That perspective-taking in lyric writing is interesting and useful as well. But you probably know that. I will listen more to your insights! Thanks so much

[@JansleyMusic]

This is incredible, really useful concepts. Andrea, I bought your Songwriting book and plan to do sensory writing every morning now!

[@michaelthompson9253]

Thankyou, i was too locked into just a few words of a chorus im writing, the i you he she all of your video opened a new door, Thankyou so much

[@yamittuiran1458]

Excellent content, can't believe it took me this long to get here. Some things you apply subconsciously but having them in mind as a scheme makes your process more aligned in the direction you want to take ( making commercial but good music )

[@suzanaterumi1739]

Dear Andrea, thanks for the amazing lesson!

[@charlievankesteren8756]

Andrea; my first teacher for my first song :)

[@anothersongwriter]

Thank you dear teacher

[@JasonFerguson1283]

This is very helpful!

[@dynchristianson3425]

She is excellent!!!!!

[@MegaJacob04]

Thank you so much!

[@dharmeetsinghgulati181]

I really loved your advice and I really think I will be able to improve my verses cause my Choruses roots to hearts like sky filled with stars I tried to imagery if you watch it please comment on it to tell me my mistakes Loved your video❤️❤️

[@melvinpearson1017]

I admire her focus.

[@maimunnissa5512]

Very beautifully explained : )

[@mikestubbs9377]

Thank you so much for this, It has helped me with the process so much!

[@michaelgayerjr7293]

Excellent!

[@briansundy9265]

I love you.you know that that though with all your beautiful sensory talk lol.music is my manifested love,until I watched this.your a fantastic speaker and person for sharing this.i miss good conversation and sharing ideas and stories with substance to them ive allways felt musical emotion and a kinda sensory language.music has helped me succeed and feel strong again after being dark places.i can interact and Express my story through sound when I'm alone and wish I had someone to talk to.,and I hope I can share it some day soon. and even if its brief,help someone feel good vibes,and forget about any negativity

[@ceyris4476]

Thank you ever so much for putting this video out for us to enjoy! Extremely helpful and nicely produced!

[@Berklee_Online]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Hellothere23344]

Really helpful! A massive thank you to Andrea!