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

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

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It’s easy to see the imagery that songwriters use in the lyrics of country music, but in other types of music, it’s a little bit more difficult to pin down. In this free songwriting tutorial, songwriter and Berklee Online course author Andrea Stolpe covers 9 ways to use effective imagery in your song lyrics, no matter what genre of song you’re writing. Working from the age old “show, don’t tell” school of songwriting, and encouraging innovative experiments that range from sensory writing to changing the lyrical perspective of your song, Andrea uncovers a number of effective ways to keep your listeners engaged in your lyrics. She also offers tips on how to get past the hurdle of the second verse, and how to write through a lens.
00:00 How to Create a Stronger Song with Imagery
4:54 Verses Carry the Story / The Chorus Carries the Main Message
8:25 How to Create Imagery for Songs
15:23 Weight and Pace
18:47 How to Use Imagery to Write a Verse
23:55 How to Use Toggling and Imagery
28:08 Writing through a Lens
31:02 Writing the Second Verse
33:35 Polishing Techniques for Lyrics
About Andrea Stolpe:
Andrea Stolpe is a multiplatinum songwriter, performing artist, and educator. Her songs have been recorded by Faith Hill, Julianne Hough, Jimmy Wayne, and more. She has worked as a staff writer for EMI, Almo-Irving, and Universal Music Publishing. Her books, Popular Songwriting: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling and Beginning Songwriting: Writing Your Own Lyrics, Melodies, and Chords detail a unique process for uniting your artistic voice with the commercial market. Andrea has taught melody, harmony, and lyric writing courses for Berklee Online for more than a decade. She authored the Berklee Online course Commercial Songwriting Techniques, which she teaches. She also teaches Lyric Writing: Writing from the Title, and Lyric Writing: Writing Lyrics to Music for Berklee Online.
About Berklee Online:
Berklee Online is the continuing education division of Berklee College of Music, delivering online access to Berklee's acclaimed curriculum from anywhere in the world, offering online courses, certificate programs, and degree programs. Contact an Academic Advisor today:
1-866-BERKLEE (US)
1-617-747-2146 (international callers)
advisors@online.berklee.edu
/ berkleeonline
/ berkleeonline
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Andrea Stolpe | Songwriting Tips | Free Songwriting Lesson | Online Songwriting Lesson | Songwriting Tutorial | American Songwriter | I Create Music | Berklee | Berklee Online | Berklee College of Music

Пікірлер: 281

@collinchingota7717 4 жыл бұрын

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

@normanroxwell7883 4 жыл бұрын

Facts!

@sanderrom9810 3 жыл бұрын

You probably can ;)

@andreastolpe 3 жыл бұрын

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 2 жыл бұрын

and do you? actually write a song?

@collinchingota7717 Жыл бұрын

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

@amphitheatre 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

rss313 bless your soul

@elansings 5 жыл бұрын

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💆🏻‍♂️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

@TheJigglicious 5 жыл бұрын

I still advise watching everything tho

@lawd1804 3 жыл бұрын

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 3 жыл бұрын

22:33 6 verse Imagery

@droneproductions625 5 жыл бұрын

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 Жыл бұрын

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

@calohtar 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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

@MARLERMAKESMUSIC 6 жыл бұрын

This is a great comment!

@elansings 5 жыл бұрын

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

@Devanox4Five 4 жыл бұрын

So very true

@kennethcarvalho3684 3 жыл бұрын

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

@promcoordinator2747 6 жыл бұрын

This shit right here is worth paying for.

@juliab7410 4 жыл бұрын

Prom Coordinator but you are broke haha

@andreastolpe 3 жыл бұрын

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

@nickdryad 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@joebobhenrybob2000 5 жыл бұрын

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

@andreastolpe 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@Foxy64 4 жыл бұрын

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 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@Beckyphillipsguitar 6 жыл бұрын

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

@DamonMedekMusic 6 жыл бұрын

GOLD GOLD GOLD!!

@chrisgodina3222 6 жыл бұрын

Damon Medek viva

@andreastolpe 3 жыл бұрын

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

@DeuceSF 6 жыл бұрын

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

@andreastolpe 3 жыл бұрын

You're so welcome, happy to help!

@templehillsfunk 3 жыл бұрын

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

@SebastianGohCS 5 жыл бұрын

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 👏

@dannybernotv7881 2 жыл бұрын

Her voice is so soothing.

@brian_b_music 5 жыл бұрын

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

@nickdryad 3 жыл бұрын

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

@MrMikomi 2 жыл бұрын

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

@stephanmayer6600 6 жыл бұрын

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

@adisatrio3871 6 жыл бұрын

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 2 жыл бұрын

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

@MarionFiedlerMusic 6 жыл бұрын

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!

@grahamwilson6709 3 жыл бұрын

I have now decided, since turning 50, to finish all those partially written songs I have. Your words have helped so much. I've completed 2 songs!! I really want to get another 4 or 5 done soon. Thank you for giving me a new perspective and great inspiration.

@LaynoProd 2 жыл бұрын

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!

@rasmuskrsgaard807 6 жыл бұрын

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

@cpollero53 2 жыл бұрын

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

@jazz_addict7079 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@mojoefelix 6 жыл бұрын

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.

@RichardNeumannsongs 6 жыл бұрын

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

@d-alphamuszic2800 6 жыл бұрын

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

@TIMOWHITEBUFFALO 2 жыл бұрын

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...

@Bobby-iu5iu 6 жыл бұрын

SUPER helpful!! Great examples and explaintions. Thanks!

@cherylireland1833 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@anthonynardini4295 3 жыл бұрын

Your videos are changing my writing for the better. Being able to apply some analytical thought has helped organize ideas into jumping off points for songs. This worked so well without losing the artistic element and feeling formulaic. Thank you so much!

@linneblack3802 4 жыл бұрын

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".

@ismailech-cherrate 5 жыл бұрын

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

@ashishit4134 6 жыл бұрын

Pure Gold thank you

@waliwriterdiddatbeat341 5 жыл бұрын

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

@minstrelofMir 5 жыл бұрын

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

@151yaron 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent, underrated.

@preetikapathare8026 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@stressVine 5 жыл бұрын

So much valuable information! Much appreciated! Thank you!

@AnskarNEX Жыл бұрын

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

@MartinManweiler 6 жыл бұрын

Wonderful advice as always.

@paigeandrews4184 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome...your style of teaching is very informative. I normally lose focus halfway through but you captured my attention all the way through!!! Thank you soooo much🤗

@CaioV94 3 жыл бұрын

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 4 жыл бұрын

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

@KingMarino 4 жыл бұрын

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

@RebeccaDMusic 5 жыл бұрын

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

@ecgu1 4 жыл бұрын

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 !!

@hearpalhere 5 жыл бұрын

Another great video, really helpful tips! Thank you.

@JansleyMusic 3 жыл бұрын

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

@shanahaudree 4 жыл бұрын

This is awesome knowledge coming from you! Thanks so much Andrea!

@milbernbreeden6354 4 жыл бұрын

Much thanks to Andrea for sharing all her expert advice.

@ralphditchburn1456 6 жыл бұрын

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

@michaelthompson9253 5 жыл бұрын

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

@zam7380 4 жыл бұрын

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

@jovantemusic68 3 жыл бұрын

This is really good, very helpful tips and well thought-out. Thanks so much!

@GraveGear 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@isaacjacobo8912 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Great stuff!

@setphaser 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@ceyris4476 4 жыл бұрын

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

@Berklee_Online 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@nielssteffenssen8852 2 жыл бұрын

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. 😊

@yamittuiran1458 4 жыл бұрын

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 )

@patfinnegan467 3 жыл бұрын

Andrea, thank you. Your presentations are very helpful.

@ama__dee Жыл бұрын

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

@NealScottGanslaw 3 жыл бұрын

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

@kubita-thecall8795 Жыл бұрын

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 KZfaq. I recently liked your Facebook account too.

@eismccc 3 жыл бұрын

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 Жыл бұрын

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.

@mcjohnkarshavski1953 4 жыл бұрын

I feel like Billie Eilish and Ed sheeran already

@alanpugielli4743 3 жыл бұрын

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

@simonlawrence1234 Жыл бұрын

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

@vishu7076 2 жыл бұрын

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

@tourdesource 2 жыл бұрын

Some great tips in this one. Thank you, Ms. Stolpe!

@airbee6 4 жыл бұрын

"Thank you" won't be enough 🙏❤️🌹

@KlanglaborBerlin 6 жыл бұрын

really helpful your videos , thumbs up !

@suzanaterumi1739 5 жыл бұрын

Dear Andrea, thanks for the amazing lesson!

@mikestubbs9377 2 жыл бұрын

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

@Hellothere23344 3 жыл бұрын

Really helpful! A massive thank you to Andrea!

@Jillady 3 жыл бұрын

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

@michelebeneforti3246 5 жыл бұрын

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

@Berklee_Online 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@alissa-mariesmith2389 4 жыл бұрын

She's beyond gorgeous and such a genius.

@ch9995ch 6 жыл бұрын

tons of tips and ideas here

@JasonFerguson1283 6 жыл бұрын

This is very helpful!

@idrissekhelifi 4 жыл бұрын

High quality content right there, love it!

@MonekayDennis 4 ай бұрын

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!

@lauralopes9988 3 жыл бұрын

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

@dr.mryansaldivard.c.8028 13 күн бұрын

This teacher is so high level!

@ajiterapia 2 жыл бұрын

Beautifully done. Thanks Andrea.

@hollowmenrule 6 жыл бұрын

great video. I need to pool funds and join some of these classes in the future. their videos are always the best foor real content

@OsmonArtist 5 жыл бұрын

Beautiful, thank you 🙏 ❤️

@eleonoraformatoneeszczepan8807 Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I just downloaded the Songwriting Handbook.

@ericlamme6489 3 жыл бұрын

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

@evillano 6 жыл бұрын

What a master teacher!

@apostle4Him 5 жыл бұрын

Great content and wow Andrea is such a great teacher!

@wyldeboiy7151 Жыл бұрын

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)

@HeatherDMorris 7 ай бұрын

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

@charlievankesteren8756 6 жыл бұрын

Andrea; my first teacher for my first song :)

@JoostSmit 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome. You should get an award for this!

@hhippofresh4537 4 жыл бұрын

This is so detailed an amazing I have to watch all your videos twice

@Berklee_Online 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

@danielweetman 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, very much >>

@jamesrossmusic6013 4 жыл бұрын

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

@maimunnissa5512 5 жыл бұрын

Very beautifully explained : )

@jimervin387 6 жыл бұрын

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 3 жыл бұрын

Bro ur lucky she even gave tips