Songwriter Theory Podcast: Learn Songwriting And Write Meaningful Lyrics and Songs · Joseph Vadala

5 Songwriting Sessions That Will Change Everything

·44 min·2 clips

“Our ideas should far outpace our songs” is Joseph Adala’s central rule for songwriting sessions.

1. Songwriter Theory Podcast: Learn Songwriting And Write Meaningful Lyrics and Songs focuses on “5 Songwriting Sessions That Will Change Everything.” 2. Joseph Adala is the host, and he says he was sick with the flu for a week while recording. 3. The episode asks what songwriting sessions are for, and Adala says a session needs a “pretty specific goal.” 4. The first session is idea gathering, which he calls a “pre songwriting stage” or “song developing session.” 5. He compares that stage to movie development, where casting and budget are sorted before principal photography starts. 6. He also compares it to authors outlining characters and plot before they write a book. 7. Adala says the job in that session is only to “gather ideas,” not judge whether they are rotten or great. 8. He argues that song ideas should far outpace songs, and he gives a target of “20 ideas for every one song you write.” 9. He suggests writing down titles, symbols, and phrases like “Shadow of the Tiger” without deciding the meaning immediately. 10. He says an art museum, Google Images, or a pen-and-paper brainstorm can produce enough ideas for years. 11. The second session is improvisation, which he treats as the musical version of idea gathering. 12. He describes playing guitar, piano, or singing until a riff or melody creates “goosebumps.” 13. He says improvisation works better than stock chord progressions because it can create an interesting foundation first. 14. He also says music theory should inform the process, but feel should lead when a progression or bass line sounds right. 15. The third session is one-hour song drafts, or “song sprints,” and he uses it to push writers away from overthinking. 16. He contrasts writers who finish too quickly with writers who tinker too long, and he says both extremes are problems. 17. He tells a story about a professional songwriter paid by Sony who was expected to deliver one song a week. 18. He says the fourth session is song developing, where writers outline sections, characters, symbolism, and the background of a song before writing lyrics. 19. He says the fifth session is lyric editing, and he recommends revisiting verbs, wording, and clarity before release. 20. The episode is a solo, instructional talk with a conversational, example-heavy style, and it will suit songwriters who want practical structure while skipping listeners who want a guest interview.

As heard by us

A clear case for making songwriting sessions more specific than "work on song X."

This episode treats songwriting as a set of separate sessions, not one vague stretch of time. Joseph Adala says that "work on song X" is too broad to help, then breaks the job into smaller moves: starting from different places, improvising, and keeping music choices apart from…

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Use it when your songwriting session needs a more specific goal than just working on song X.

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