How to Write a Great Song in UNDER AN HOUR

[@blackto0oth]

Your channel is a gold mine to aspiring songwriters 🙏

[@migrantfamily]

Writing to a deadline has turned out to be the most sure fire way to make me finish songs and not work the ideas to death. But one hour, that’s super tight.

[@prtlndtheband]

It takes some courage to put yourself out there like that. Really well done. It’s better than 99% of all the songs I’ve ever written. That’s inspiring.

[@chipgaasche4933]

She had this already written.

[@hammill444]

@@chipgaasche4933 is that the case?

[@NicoGee1]

Truly agree🙏🏼🙌🏼💪🏼

[@hammill444]

@@chipgaasche4933 Well, the, that’s a total cheat and tenders this video lesson completely useless.

[@davidduarte2887]

@@chipgaasche4933nah sounds like you’re envious and trying to bring her down. Pros can do this stuff pretty quickly then go back later and edit to make it better.

[@Martinroque77]

This is my favorite kind of videos, either on KZbin, or DVDs or documentaries. I just love seeing other people's process. I mean, talking about the process is one thing, but seeing it in progress and how they manage time, that's priceless!

[@const71]

So cool, my song Stardust was written along a similar idea Stardust [VERSE] Stars above, they light my path Your shadow keeps me company Every step echoes our past Hand-held strolls on moonlit streets [VERSE] A zephyr calls me back again Underneath the old oak tree Ghostly breaths caress my skin Whistling song through autumn leaves [CHORUS] Been thinking of your face Wondering if you're happy In the stars' faint glow I find traces of you all around me Magical stardust lingers in the air Reminding me you're always there [VERSE] I hear your words read back to me The ones carved in the old oak tree Fingers weave through blades of grass Combing through dirt and fallen leaves [CHORUS] Been thinking of your face Wondering if you see me From beyond the moon's glow I find traces of you all around me Magical stardust lingers in the air Reminding me you're always near [BRIDGE] Lonely nights, staring at the stars Wondering where you are You promised to always be by my side The night we held hands when you died [GUITAR SOLO]

[@zanzer386]

Beautiful

[@ileavecomments-g9m]

I'm doing a 30-day songwriting challenge this November and I had no idea ho would I finish a song this fast and on a daily basis so your video is so on time for me THANK YOU!!

[@fuegamami]

i think u inspired me doing the same for november!! thank u ❤

[@ileavecomments-g9m]

@@fuegamami aww this makes me so happy i’m excited for you and I hope you learn so much through this challenge 🥰🥰

[@KateSloan]

So cool to see your process like this! And it’s amazing that you can teach songwriting WHILE you’re doing it!

[@KateSloan]

@@hoimoitoigoi Feel free to write something better if you think you can!

[@daydreamer28]

This song needs to be released! This so good! And video actually very inspiring, thanks as always❤

[@Mikaflyd]

Hope this turns into a series, love watching the thought process

[@KenDavis761]

I do that in iHeart - but I think it's more about writing a bad song in an hour. I actually do some prep before my one hour session, but the goal is get a complete song in an hour with no worries about quality. Interestingly our proceses are almost identical! Really enjoyed watching someone else do this. Great vid.

[@haphapp7282]

Exactly. The hardest part is making a dogshit first draft/accepting that the first version isn’t going to be very good.

[@EduardoHernandez-zr7dw]

I loved this song and the lyrics. Definitely inspired me to keep writing even when I feel like I can’t come up with anything. Thank you for this video

[@adamhowardschneider357]

speaking from experience- this is hands down the quickest way I know of to write a decent song 'out of thin air'. Bravo! great content, Keppie. Also, and I know this is probably more of a country thing, when I write that chorus first, assuming my title/hook appears in the last line (usually as the last words), I try to hammer out that penultimate ('setup') line in the chorus and then draw a roadmap straight to it.

[@NicoGee1]

Nice. Great tips Adam!

[@adamhowardschneider357]

@@NicoGee1 HMU if you wanna write some country w me!

[@autumn-works]

I'm a mom with 2 kids as well... finding your channel was so encouraging for me! I'm trying to get back into the habit of songwriting. And now with limited time, I have to be very efficient with the small amount of free time that I have! thanks for the great tips in this video!

[@danwilhite]

Great song!! I'll try this method, especially the writing the chorus first part. Verses come to me much easier...so I have a ton of unfinished songs that have verses and no chorus. Thanks!

[@muffin_shorts]

I've been looking for something like this for a couple months. And finally I ended up with this great pattern for making a song. Thanks a lot!

[@charlesle8650]

Just simply brilliant and inspiring. So far this is the most constructive tutorial video about how to write songs i’ve ever watched from you Ms. Keppie. Absolutely amazing. Lots of love from Vietnam. Thank you for everything you did. Charles.

[@doggy7210]

That was a really good lesson, and a gorgeous song!

[@laurab5296]

Thanks so much for showing the whole process, so inspiring!

[@jonnyarmstrong]

Superb. Stuck in my head now. Fantastic!

[@myfavoriteperson]

Keppie, thank you so much!!!! Your stuff is just blessing my life so much! Thank you!

[@lisavento7474]

LOVE LOVE THIS, helps to hear what I've already been doing and yet enhances it and makes it easier. I find it easier to write melodies also as you kind of did. You've done this a TON and speaking as a visual artist i can encourage that THE MORE YOU USE YOUR RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN THE MORE IT WILL POUR OUT! The more i draw or illustrate, i SEE things in sleeping and waking and throughout the day so to all, KEEP DOING IT.

[@Jeronimo365]

These kinds of detailed, step-by-step structures are really helpful. General principals are great but they don’t get stuff on the page. I could do with a workbook full of these. 👍

[@downstairsgearnguitars-kc7uq]

Inspirational!!!

[@CaptainVelveeta]

@ 03:46 you immediately surpassed my songwriting ability by being happy with 'good enough'. I can't tell you how much time I spend, or waste, looking for 'better' just because I can't be happy with 'good enough'. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@floridacrackerguitartips6004]

Wow...I've been writing songs based on guitar riffs (usually what will be a chorus) and not thinking too much about structure. This is great!

[@micahpalacee]

dropping banger songs and vids out here 🔥🔥

[@fattmusiek5452]

This video (found from subbing to your email re: songwriting) is a great resource. It provides solid tips on efficiency with songwriting- golden nuggets of wisdom gained over time, such as how important finding the song's concept early on and naming the song helps the process so much. Also, I found the tip to plan early on how the song will start and how it will end to be helpful. As well as "write the chorus first." Thanks for the great video!

[@khumo..]

I love watching peoples artistic processes.

[@happyportalfamilyvids]

Thank you for the idea

[@keko4301]

Thanks for the lesson Tips for concentrate a feeling in a song

[@dratuagreg]

This channel is absolute gold! Love your content

[@bugsunplugged]

As the phone is held up to the camera in the video, I say "WAIT, WHAT!?". Hit pause. Then I open the file on my phone titled "Song Ideas" & gaze in near total disbelief at entry "Better Together" in my list. I will take it as a good sign my ideas overlap w/ Keppie Coutts. THANKS for posting!

[@jordanryals309]

Next, you should do a video where you build off of what you created here and perfect the song and maybe even add that Pre-Chorus. Just show how you would bring it to its finality. To where it’s ready to be recorded.

[@dw1208]

That’s a hit. Great lesson thanks👏🏻

[@soulfulandnice]

Such a pretty song❤ I haven't tried this style before because I usually like to start with the verse/theme to tell my story. However, I think it's a good idea for me to try this style to see what kind of creativity comes out of me. Thanks for the inspiration! Your energy is contagious! 😊

[@highvolumepls]

Fabulous to watch you in action, Amen

[@zanzer386]

Fantastic lesson, FANtastic song! Inspiring

[@PurchaseReviews]

You are freaking amazing!!I love your videos. Straight to the point, no beating around the bush. The song maps take a lot of the stress out of it. Thanks again.

[@vendelbo3869]

You are an amazing teacher, easy to understand, yet so nuanced. Thank you so much

[@TheMetalBagger]

you open my mind for new ideas. thank you very much. whishing you all the best and your family. ☺

[@ndrew--]

And a crowd goes wild! Awesome. Well done. Thank you Keppie.

[@zollyclaman]

Love this so much. I feel like we needed some more airtime about the step where you choose the chords. So we’ll done.

[@FMTRIP]

Amazing. I write songs and this video is a great help to understand the process, especially if you do it as a professional activity. Thank you, Keppie!

[@raphaelgomes2947]

I really like your process for the lyrics and how to use the structure lf the song! The only thing i wish had come up in the video is how/why you chose your chords and chord progressions, how they differed but still related in the chorus versus the verses. Overall great video and great song!

[@midnight_4-202]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this, it's really helpful for someone wanting to start writing

[@Az-jt2zp]

That was genuinely incredible 😮

[@marionsuke1650]

Great lesson! Thank you for sharing this process 😊

[@tammieschiller397]

For me the next step is learning how to make a melody and create a rhythm that goes with the song changing slightly where it needs to within the feel of the lyrics. do you have videos about that? for beginners total beginners? i'm so happy to have found this community and am so grateful to you Keppie and Benny for these tutorials!

[@worldofstrings]

I wonder if you could do a segment on how to implement embellished, augmented, or extended chords in writing music? Much appreciated.

[@khumo..]

this song is a Hit!!

[@Willsonix]

Brilliant, that was great and I’ve realised that I already do some of this which is a bonus. The last song I wrote started from a title I had already written down.

[@BauerBeauty]

Wow girl u just whipped that right up! Impressive !

[@AdamShafer-q7j]

Wow. So cool. I actually really like this song.

[@michaelduke2026]

One thing I notice that you do is figure out the vocal melody quickly, and how that sits with the guitar melody. My vocal melodies tend to follow the chords too closely until I have lived with the song for a while.

[@basseyndonmusic]

Thank you very much. It's great

[@brownin329]

You should feel good! That's a song I'd buy!

[@coastercook]

Great video! Love to see more of these. Maybe one with two people collaborating.

[@loyaltothecoil7786]

This was great.. thank you

[@sylentstorm8422]

So awesome.

[@AndrewMarciano-z1q]

That chorus is amazing ❤❤❤

[@J.Rose9210]

This was amazing. 😮😊

[@michaelpimenteljr3530]

So much talent. You are so inspiring.

[@Worship101forToday]

A ma zing!!! Thanks, Keppie!!

[@임희섭-j8f]

thank you from south korea

[@darcymiller4819]

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!

[@SlowDriverSean]

Love it!

[@tonyroma7599]

Your voice is as awesome as your song writing, and that’s amazing 😊

[@trucoproductions5585]

It’d be cool if you did a follow up video on this song with how you approach the second draft

[@clivebarnett9673]

An absolute pleasure to watch! Such cool chord choices too. Love the pinky thing you do to get ring finger pressure on the B chord. I'm experimenting with different processes. Writing from the Title is really useful. It anchors the song and keeps one focused. My song 'Deep Water' the Title. I got the idea from a warning sign in a park. Loved it in Nashville, but didn't get cut.

[@Nuovaterra]

Great video, thank you so much. I like a lot your way to explain the method and the feeling of "enjoy the moment" while you write a song. It's funny that one of my first songs I wrote 40 years ago was "Rose's perfume" dedicated to my grandmother Rose with similar mood and way of thinking you have in the video (but not so good result about music and lyrics also because my bad english). So great memories to me watching your video. Thanks

[@donaustin7157]

KZbin was kind enough to put your channel on their “recommended” list for me. What a blessing that was. I was binge watching episodes. Thank you for sharing your talents. Question for you: What Martin guitar is that you used on this video? I’d like to get one. Thanks. 🤗🤗🤗💛

[@amandaforshort]

So awesome!! I am actually downloading patreon now to support and learn more. Your channel really is gold 🥰

[@beaux.official]

You’ve been such an inspiration to me and have definitely helped me on my song writing journey 🙌🏻❤️

[@yt_blank_hank.]

Great lesson! Thx for these quick notes tho

[@QuincyKane]

Great job! This is very inspiring!

[@alexenders4304]

Ho. Absolutely love this. Would love to see more videos like this. 🙏

[@mjdguitar]

some of the best content of this kind. thank you

[@MichelleSmithson-Aldoubal]

I love this song you wrote!

[@electricsuitbatman]

I wrote my best song in 4 min. Drunk at the beach. I belted out a line in G, then EVERONE (LIKE 40 ppl) , friends, coworkers, neighbors, stared....i was addlibbing as a joke...but i started with my chorus, and it acted like a root. Felt so great to get to that part again. The whole song uses 2 notes lol. But i arpegiated the end to make it fun.

[@izmiley]

wow, just wow haha hope I can do this someday

[@2BYTMakesMusic]

love it

[@ShannonMarie_aguafiestasvlogs]

Great video! Love your channel :)

[@TheChoosenOne1698]

I think the song is pretty decent :D with your stuctured approach songwriting seems more fun. I wanna try it out too

[@juiettepayne2480]

Let's go! Love it Keppie!

[@imnotdan37]

Great video! Great channel! Thank you. I made it and the song is pretty bad, BUT I think the exercise is very good

[@myfavoriteperson]

omg this is a GREAT SONG Keppie!!!!!

[@benhanbury]

I really enjoyed this video, thanks for explaining your process - writing a song seems like quite an intimidating process but I found this breakdown very helpful, subscribed!

[@paulgtarist]

This is exciting to watch.

[@BitcoinBitz]

Thanks

[@trafomft]

You have a great voice!

[@daltonhobson6982]

I really like you lady and I think we all really appreciate the great advice and for free.I really like good people. Thank You

[@stevenotice2918]

When i write this way my fingers tend to go to old guitar tropes i’ve used before and i have to fight that. It works better for me if i come up with a musical hook or melody first and then pick up with my list of song starter concept ideas.

[@JamieR]

Thanks for this video! This was such a great showcase of one way to write a song. It's soo easy to complicate the process 😂

[@bigmatt94]

Great video! This method is definitely great for getting a first draft of a song done. I feel like you'll most likely have to edit some things to make it better because it'll be a rare to write a great song right off of the bat. Any tips for where to start if you choose to write a Verse-Verse-Bridge-Verse song?

[@fenderbass62]

you my friend are amazing

[@MarkRhodesSongs]

O, that's so well done! Inspiring.

[@sauletto1]

Liked, subscribed and bell rung. Well done . :)

[@billcook4634]

That's as beautiful as it is amazing! Wonderfully inspiring!

[@alienhalfbreed1301]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@alexkunce2002]

"Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young. How come I'm never able identify where it's coming from? I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it, try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one. It'd to my brother 'cause we have the same nose same clothes homegrown stone's throw from the creek we used to roam..." -Twenty Øne Piløts