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Four of Scotland’s most respected songwriters are on hand to offer advice to up-and-coming songwriters

Donna Maciocia, Boo Hewerdine, Findlay Napier, and Be Charlotte are part of SoundBase, a new festival of online learning for young people interested in music and looking to learn new skills from Music Plus – the mentoring scheme run by the Scottish Music Centre and supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative.

Taking place on Tuesday March 9th from 5-9pm, the event will consist of four one-hour sessions from each of the coaches, who will all offer practical advice based on their own experiences.

5pm – Donna Maciocia
Once of piano-driven trio Amplifico, the Glasgow-based musician has worked with the likes of KT Tunstall and Aberfeldy, and has most recently been responsible for running the award-winning ‘Ensemble’ youth songwriting project, developing new song material (funded by Creative Scotland) under the mentorship of Tracyanne Campbell, and playing keys with Camera Obscura.
– Some of my favourite ways to generate ideas for music and lyrics
– Tips for finishing and refining song ideas
– Things I wish I’d known when I was starting out

6pm – Boo Hewerdine

English-born songwriter Hewerdine’s early career was in bands The Great Divide, and then The Bible, who had a minor hit with ‘Graceland’. He has since written songs recorded by K.d. Lang (‘Last Cigarette’), Paul Young, Mel C, Marti Pellow, David McAlmont, and most frequently Eddi Reader (her ‘Patience of Angels’ originally a Bible composition)
– Song form, chords, melody, lyrics, arrangement
– Help with project ideas and goals
– Getting your music heard/released

7pm – Be Charlotte
Dundonian multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Brimmer is now signed to Columbia/Sony Music. Now 23, she has been writing songs since the age of 13 and working professionally in the music industry since she was 17. In 2020 Be Charlotte was championed by Ivor Novello’s after curating Scotland’s first ever all-female songwriting camp which provided a platform for young women to come together, get to know each other and collaborate.
– Explore all elements of songwriting from concept to imagery and rhyme schemes.
– Go through Be Charlotte’s “go-to” songwriting template, creating your own song
– Taking the song off the paper and sharing it with the world

8pm – Findlay Napier
Edinburgh-based now tours all over the place playing shows and teaching songwriting. Mainly working in the folk genre, notably with Martyn Bennet, he was however one half of a songwriting project, Queen Anne’s Revenge with former Raincoats and Lords of the New Church man Nick Turner. He now runs songwriting retreats with Karine Polwart and Bella Hardy and has hosted the ‘Late Night Session’ at Celtic Connections since 2011.
– Practical songwriting tips

SoundBase will take place over ZOOM and will be monitored by MusicPlus staff. Registration is free, and open now.

More at www.musicplus.org.uk.

Applications are again being accepted for the Scottish Government’s £5million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers. (more…)

Singer-songwriters Boo Hewerdine and Findlay Napier are to launch a series of free songwriting workshops (more…)