Songwriters’ News – Volume V, Issue 11
Meeting Dates
https://mnsongwriters.org/activities/member-event-access/
Also Note: All monthly MAS online meetings will be held within the same time frame of 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (This does not include the Minnesota Homebrew Radio Show. See the event listing below for times.)
Monthly Mixer with Doug Millaway
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
This meeting allows for all types of topics to be explored and discussed as it relates to songwriting – the writing process, production, inspiration, the music business – all topics related to the craft, production and business of songwriting. This is a moderated open discussion, and participants are encouraged to share their personal experiences and expertise.
Minnesota Homebrew Radio Show with Carl Unbehaun
Thursdays all month – November 6, 13, 20, 27
Every Thursday evening from 6 to 7 pm, fellow MAS member and radio DJ Carl Unbehaun offers music written and/or performed by Minnesota musicians on his Minnesota Homebrew Radio Show. Radio station KSRQ in Thief River Falls (90.1 FM) streams Carl’s show via the Internet. On the FIRST Thursday of the month, Carl dedicates his entire show to music written by members of the Minnesota Association of Songwriters!
To submit your songs to Carl’s MAS-dedicated show or to have it played on any Thursday night, contact Carl at minnesotahomebrew@gmail.com.
To listen to Minnesota Homebrew on your devices, click here: https://mnsongwriters.org/activities/radio-airplay/.
Online Round Robin Song Share with Paul Nye
Wednesday, November 12, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
This is a laid-back, come as you are type get together with fellow songwriters to share your songs in a take turns fashion either performing live via zoom or with a recorded version of your songs. Just for fun and just to get together and play. Even if you want to just join in to listen, this is the place for you!
Monthly Online Song Review Session Hosted by Doug Millaway
Wednesday, November 19 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
This is our general information and song review meeting. You are welcome to play an original song in any phase of its development or completion for purposes of potentially improving it based on feedback received.
Please refrain from submitting songs you do not intend to change from feedback given. You’re welcome to share those in our Round Robin Song session above.
Our review sessions are one of the best opportunities to help you learn and improve your craft. Giving feedback on other writers’ songs, and listening to others doing the same, is a great teaching tool.
You may submit your song’s audio and-or lyrics only for review up to the time of the review session. Please note, we are limited in the songs we can fit in, so you’ll want to watch for the email announcement to submit them and get it in early. Please do not submit songs prior to the announcement to avoid missing out.
We will play an MP3 of your song directly in the room. While MP3s played digitally in the room are generally easier for people to hear, they are not required for feedback. We’ll also accept lyrics only.
Find more detail, go to our Song Review Meeting page on our website: https://mnsongwriters.org/activities/meetings.
You can check out all MAS events on our website calendar
Live Events
Writing Melodies Workshop with Rachel Dunlap and Matthew Wilson
Saturday, November 15, Shoreview Library, 3-5 pm
On Saturday, November 15th, Rachel Dunlap and Matthew Wilson will be co-leading a workshop on writing melodies. It will be in the Community Program Room of the Shoreview Library from 3-5pm. We hope that you can join us before your schedule gets crazy with holiday happenings. The workshop will include discussion about the techniques we use to write melodies, teaching on music theory basics as a foundation, and analysis of melodies in some popular songs. If you are looking to connect with other MAS members and learn more tools for writing melodies for your songs, then this workshop is for you!
Matthew Wilson is a current MAS member and piano teacher at the Saint Joseph’s School of Music-Saint Paul Conservatory of Music. He holds a doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Alabama. Rachel Dunlap is also an MAS member and has a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Music from the University of Minnesota.
No Rules, Only Tools — Unless You’re the Beatles
By Paul Nye, MAS President
Songwriters love to say, “There are no rules, only tools.” It’s the universal get-out-of-jail-free card for breaking every so-called “rule” in the songwriting playbook. The phrase usually pops up right after someone politely points out that your second verse doesn’t rhyme, your bridge sounds like a different song, and your chorus never repeats. “No rules, only tools!” we exclaim — as if we meant to do it that way.
But let’s be honest. Tools, rules… same toolbox. They both exist to help us build songs that work. The trick is knowing which ones you’re using — and which ones you’re gleefully tossing over your shoulder like an Allen wrench that doesn’t fit.
To prove the point, let’s look at one of the most beloved pop songs ever written: “Nowhere Man” by Lennon & McCartney — a tune that cheerfully breaks nearly every songwriting “rule” we hold sacred today.
If this song were brought into a modern co-write or pitched at a Nashville critique session, here’s what it would probably hear:
- You changed your chorus lyrics? Every. Single. Time?” Yep. Each chorus has different words. Somewhere, a commercial writer just fainted.
- “Three-line verses? No symmetry? No pre-chorus?” Correct. The rhyme scheme goes A-A-What-the-heck-was-that?
- “No clear story arc.” Guilty. It doesn’t go anywhere. (Get it? Nowhere Man.)
- “You repeated a whole verse?” Lennon did — twice. On purpose.
- “Too abstract — no imagery, no emotion.” Exactly. It’s basically an English essay with a melody.
By every modern metric, Nowhere Man would be labeled a structural train wreck. The chorus doesn’t lift, the title appears in the first line instead of the hook, and the melody changes direction like a shopping cart with one bad wheel. Yet it works. Why? Because the song is the character. It wanders, repeats, and circles back on itself. It’s musically lost — and that’s what makes it brilliant. Now compare that to a modern hit like Adele’s “Someone Like You.” That one checks every box in the rulebook: consistent chorus, perfect rhyme scheme, emotional lift, and a hook that tattooed itself on your brain after one listen. Adele’s song is a master class in craftsmanship. Lennon’s is a master class in nerd genius with a guitar and a cup of tea.
So maybe the saying needs an update: “There are no rules, only tools… unless you’re the Beatles. Then you get diplomatic immunity.” Lennon and McCartney learned the rules, used the tools, and then ignored them with purpose.
That’s why Nowhere Man still sounds fresh six decades later. So the next time someone tells you your song “breaks the rules,” smile and say, “Perfect.” You might just be halfway to writing your own classic.
Songwriter’s Toolbox Tip Learn before you burn. You can’t break the rules effectively until you understand why they exist. Serve the song, not the spreadsheet. If the structure fits the story, it’s right — even if it’s “wrong.” If you’re going to break a rule, do it with purpose. And ideally, a melody strong enough to make Everyone forget you broke one.
Beatles Fact Corner
- “Nowhere Man” runs 2 minutes and 44 seconds and appeared on Rubber Soul (1965).
- It was one of the first Beatles songs not about love or romance — a bold move at the time.
- Lennon later admitted he wrote it after “staring into space for hours” feeling creatively stuck — he called it “my first song about me.”
- The bright guitar solo was played in unison by Lennon and Harrison on matching Fender Stratocasters — giving it that unmistakable shimmer.
- According to one researcher on Beatles Songs, early Beatles songs averaging 2.5 to 3 minutes had 30 seconds of “new content,” meaning, the rest of the songs researched were primarily repetition
Editor's Note
By Mary Kealy-Falk
Lots going on and lots of great content for this month’s newsletter. President Paul Nye gives us a tutorial on writing a song utilizing no standard songwriting tools. And he explains it through one of the songs of my all-time favorite groups – The Beatles! We have a live songwriting event coming up with Rachel Dunlap and Matthew Wilson with their Writing Melodies Workshop. Check out all the details.
And be sure to take a look at Steve Wolff’s article in the new feature “It Works for Me” section who will give you a comprehensive take on how Suni-ai has become a game changer in versatility and creative invention of songs that he can experiment with and create using this new ai tool. And look at our other sections for noteworthy events and successes as well as articles from fellow MAS members. Hope you enjoy this month’s Newsletter!
It Works For Me
Steve Wolff
The column where you can share any and all things that work for you to make your songwriting better, easier and more fun.
A few months back, I viewed a Zoom recording of Doug Millaway’s MAS presentation about Suno.ai. I found it very intriguing and have subsequently found this new tool to be very useful in broadening my perspective on songs that I am currently working on. For years, I have written lyrics, chords, and melodies for new songs and I have usually recorded quick rough song sketches using the Voice Notes app on my phone. Then when I got around to arranging the song and recording a demo, I had this sketchbook version to remind me of the general feel and melody of the song.
These days, I still follow that process, but I will now sometimes upload my Voice Notes song sketch into Suno.ai along with the lyrics and detailed prompts explaining what style of performance I’d like to hear. For example, I may input the same rough song but then ask for it to be performed as a blues tune, an Americana song, a gospel tune, or maybe even a Power Pop song. I can also specify a male lead vocal or a female lead vocal – which is particularly helpful when I have written something I intend for my wife, Kimberly, to sing.
In response to the prompts, Suno will output two ‘cover’ versions of my song. Sometimes, the AI misses the mark and produces a fairly bland or glitchy cover version, but every so often it returns some amazing cover versions that feature arrangements I might not have thought of on my own. It will never replace my own arranging/recording of the songs, but I think of it like walking into a rehearsal hall and handing a song over to a band to see how they interpret it. For certain older songs that I struggled with, it has allowed me to take new risks and see what other possibilities I might be overlooking. If you master the proper prompt language, you can even encourage a certain amount of ad-libbing on the part of the vocalist or backing vocals, which might produce a result you had not thought of initially.
A side benefit is that it has also really helped me to refine my lyrics by showing me how ‘another performer’ interprets them. Hearing a verse or chorus sung back to me has often led me to cut back and simplify the lyrics for stronger delivery and greater impact. Especially if you aspire to having others cut your songs, it’s helpful to hear what lyrical bits another performer might stumble over due to too many syllables, etc.
You can specify tempo (BPM) and key in your prompts, so you still have a lot of control to ensure that the versions created will still work for your range, etc. With the $10/month plan, Suno will allow you to download the individual instrument ‘stems’ so that you can import them into your own recording software and further personalize the performances (or replace them altogether if you so wish.)
If you feel a little stuck in a rut with your writing or recording process, I urge you to at least give at least the free version a try. Thanks again to Doug for first bringing information about this platform to our MAS group.
Thanks,
Steve Wolff
SteveandKimMusic.com
Putting It Out There
Events and Happenings you are participating in or something you have accomplished and want everyone to know about.
Brooks Wilson Featured in Artist Showcase
Brooks Wilson was recently featured in the Artist Showcase sponsored by Sociable Cider Werks and OpenMic MPLS, performing alongside fellow MAS member Mac Hoffmann. The event drew a wonderful crowd, with plenty of support from both the local community and MAS members, including Rachel Dunlap. The performance was part of the ongoing promotion for Brooks’ upcoming debut EP, set to be released in Spring 2026. Here’s a photo from the event!
Julie Jacobs
There is a book coming out in the next few months called “The Songwriter's Journey”, written by MAS member Julie Jacobs. The main purpose of the book is to encourage newer songwriters as they navigate the joys and challenges of the craft, focusing not so much on technique specifically, but rather individual songwriter's stories, and their actual experiences with songwriting.
“The Songwriter's Journey” features songwriters from Minnesota, Texas and South Carolina, including MAS's own Wayne Hamilton, as well as artists with less fame, and across all genres. Our South Carolinian came in late to the process. You may know of him, Jim Sonefeld. Jim spent 3 decades as a member of the band 'Hootie and the Blowfish' and is still writing songs for his solo works. Jim is also a sought-after speaker, and shares some of his own journey in the book.
All the artists included in “The Songwriter's Journey” gave sincere insights into how they overcame the challenges of songwriting, and even some tips and tricks the newbie might find helpful. Look for the title to be released on Amazon just in time for Christmas gift-giving.
Thanks,
Julie Jacobs
juliejjacobs11@gmail.com
651-283-5116
Kudos and Congrats
When you want to share something that you’re proud of or excited about.
Tony Wentersdorf
I've just completed writing a novella entitled “CIRCLES, TRIANGLES & SQUARES”. The story is set in West Germany in the 1970s when I was living there in Marburg/Lahn. Although fiction, it's based on a personal experience I had there while living in a German dorm. I have found an editor to edit my manuscript and hope to self-publish it. Tony
The Undercover Story
By Doug Millaway
One of the most underrated creative workouts out there might be reimagining a cover song. I’m not talking about copying the original or doing a polished tribute — I mean taking a song you love and rebuilding it from scratch. Slow it down, flip the groove, swap out the chords, strip it to its bones, or drench it in synths. It’s part songwriting class, part creative experiment, and it’ll teach you more than you might think.
When you take a song apart and rebuild it, you start seeing how it’s put together — the invisible framework that holds it up. Suddenly you notice how the verse sets up the chorus, how transitions build momentum, how the bridge resets the ear. You start to understand why those choices work, and that kind of insight can sneak into your own writing before you even realize it.
Then there’s the emotional magic of arrangement. Change the tempo, the key, or the rhythm, and you change the story. A bright pop song slowed down becomes confessional. A quiet ballad with a groove behind it turns defiant. You realize that arrangement isn’t decoration — it’s storytelling in another language.
Reworking someone else’s song also helps you hear your own voice. When you phrase a line differently or lean into a certain emotion, you’re revealing what feels natural to you. The places where your instincts diverge from the original are often where your true artistic identity lives.
And when you strip a song down, you find out what’s essential. Maybe the production fades away and all that’s left is a lyric and a melody — and that’s enough. That kind of simplicity teaches you what really makes a song land.
If you play with the chords or move the harmony around, you start to feel how emotion is shaped by tone. A small change — a borrowed chord or a minor shift — can tilt a song from hopeful to haunted. It’s one of the quickest ways to train your ear in emotional color.
Production, too, becomes part of the lesson. When you rebuild a song through a new sound palette — maybe turning it into a lo-fi loop or a gospel-style anthem — you realize production is composition. The sonic choices you make tell just as much of the story as the words or notes.
So next time you feel stuck, grab a song you love and flip it inside out. You’ll come away with a deeper ear, a sharper instinct, and maybe even a few new tricks that sneak their way into your next original.
Here’s my example I re-imagined John Fogerty’s Bad Moon Rising in the way I thought made more sense because of the lyrics.
https://s.disco.ac/mkmqalxyjjgj
The challenge is yours now. Find a song you love and get creative.
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