What I Learnt from Writing 100 Songs in 100 Days
After completing my challenge of writing, recording, and producing 100 songs in 100 consecutive days, I've had time to reflect on the experience. This article covers what I learnt in all aspects, as well as the numbers, and my approach to AI.
Hundred Songs in 100 Days – Day 84: "Good Gracious Miss Polly"
A Song from Terry Pratchett's Soul Music
Song 100/100 - Waste
This is waste - the hundredth song in my 100 songs in 100 days challenge. What a journey this has been, thank you to all of those who have supported me throughout the challenge. I didn't miss a single day, and I think you can see the evolution yourself. I wrote this song on day 82 - and as usual it cam out of nowhere, it uses a combination of DADGAD and Drop D tuning, and I filmed a proper music video (filmed by, my friend, my sister and my mum)
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What I Learnt from Writing 100 Songs in 100 Days
After completing my challenge of writing, recording, and producing 100 songs in 100 consecutive days, I've had time to reflect on the experience. This article covers what I learnt in all aspects, as well as the numbers, and my approach to AI.
Hundred Songs in 100 Days – Day 84: "Good Gracious Miss Polly"
A Song from Terry Pratchett's Soul Music
Song 100/100 - Waste
This is waste - the hundredth song in my 100 songs in 100 days challenge. What a journey this has been, thank you to all of those who have supported me throughout the challenge. I didn't miss a single day, and I think you can see the evolution yourself. I wrote this song on day 82 - and as usual it cam out of nowhere, it uses a combination of DADGAD and Drop D tuning, and I filmed a proper music video (filmed by, my friend, my sister and my mum)
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Today, I’m starting my first blog post about this challenge.
What I’ve learned is that writing a song every day often means writing on autopilot. There’s no time to overthink, ruminate, or chase perfection in every note. As a result, the quality of my songwriting fluctuates from day to day—but sometimes, that spontaneity leads to something great. In fact, some of my favorite songs from this challenge were written in just five minutes, when I had no idea what I was doing. Yesterday, I wrote two songs. I’m thinking the first one might end up being my hundredth—it came together quickly, in about ten minutes, and I really liked it.
My typical process looks something like this: 10–20 minutes writing, 30–60 minutes filming, 30 minutes audio editing, and another 30 minutes on video editing (though that can stretch if I add fancy captions or VFX). It’s not enough time to create a radio-ready track, but with today’s technology, it’s more than enough to put together a solid demo. The best part is having the freedom to experiment with different recording and editing techniques whenever I want.
Today, I stumbled onto two new things. First, I turned off the main studio light and just used a ring light and a lamp—it created a much moodier vibe. Second, I broke my usual rule and spent an hour writing lyrics. One of the goals of this challenge has been to avoid getting too caught up in the words, but today I found myself deep in it. The lyrics ended up resembling those from my album The Willow Tree, with familiar themes of wanting to be happy. It’s a subject I’ve been consciously steering away from lately, as it can be mentally draining to write about.
The song itself is about performing on stage and wishing I could play my own songs instead of covers like Arctic Monkeys or Radiohead for the hundredth time. While I enjoy doing the occasional cover, I’d much rather be recognized for my original work than the covers I perform.
This was by far the most difficult song for me today. It feels emotionally raw, and recording it wasn’t easy. Honestly, I’m still hesitant to post it—but it reflects the journey so far, and I think that’s important.
Today, I’m starting my first blog post about this challenge.
What I’ve learned is that writing a song every day often means writing on autopilot. There’s no time to overthink, ruminate, or chase perfection in every note. As a result, the quality of my songwriting fluctuates from day to day—but sometimes, that spontaneity leads to something great. In fact, some of my favorite songs from this challenge were written in just five minutes, when I had no idea what I was doing. Yesterday, I wrote two songs. I’m thinking the first one might end up being my hundredth—it came together quickly, in about ten minutes, and I really liked it.
My typical process looks something like this: 10–20 minutes writing, 30–60 minutes filming, 30 minutes audio editing, and another 30 minutes on video editing (though that can stretch if I add fancy captions or VFX). It’s not enough time to create a radio-ready track, but with today’s technology, it’s more than enough to put together a solid demo. The best part is having the freedom to experiment with different recording and editing techniques whenever I want.
Today, I stumbled onto two new things. First, I turned off the main studio light and just used a ring light and a lamp—it created a much moodier vibe. Second, I broke my usual rule and spent an hour writing lyrics. One of the goals of this challenge has been to avoid getting too caught up in the words, but today I found myself deep in it. The lyrics ended up resembling those from my album The Willow Tree, with familiar themes of wanting to be happy. It’s a subject I’ve been consciously steering away from lately, as it can be mentally draining to write about.
The song itself is about performing on stage and wishing I could play my own songs instead of covers like Arctic Monkeys or Radiohead for the hundredth time. While I enjoy doing the occasional cover, I’d much rather be recognized for my original work than the covers I perform.
This was by far the most difficult song for me today. It feels emotionally raw, and recording it wasn’t easy. Honestly, I’m still hesitant to post it—but it reflects the journey so far, and I think that’s important.
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