Using Imagery Course + Online Workshop- Tues. Feb. 16
On Tuesday, February 16, 2016, I'm hosting a LIVE online workshop to answer questions and do a deeper dive into the content included in "Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)."
The workshop will run from 8pm to 9pm CENTRAL time.
You will also receive ALL the course materials with this purchase.
This is YOUR chance to ask questions, participate in imagery exercises, and grow as a songwriter. It's a great bargain. After all, the course itself sells for $90- so you get an hour of live training... for LESS than FREE!
Because it's an ONLINE workshop, you don't have to be in Nashville to participate! As long as you have an internet connection with a microphone (and hopefully a camera), you can log in and join us!
Now, here's the scoop on the course, "Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)."
What do “Live Like You Were Dying” (Tim McGraw), “The Good Stuff” (Kenny Chesney), “Before He Cheats” (Carrie Underwood), “I Drive Your Truck” (Lee Brice), and “The House That Built Me” (Miranda Lambert) all have in common?
That’s right. They were all #1 smash hits that took the artist’s career to another level. And they also made the songwriters a ton of money!
But what made these songs so popular? What made them have such a big impact on the listening public? Well, one major reason why these songs were so successful is the other thing they have in common:
INCREDIBLE IMAGERY.
Maybe you dream of writing songs that become as successful as the ones I just mentioned. But maybe you’re not getting the success with your writing that you dream of yet.
Do you struggle with adding fresh, compelling imagery to your songs? Do music business people keep saying, “show me, don’t tell me?” Or maybe your songs just aren’t getting much attention. You’re having trouble getting good cowrites, or you just feel that your lyrics are missing something.
Or maybe your lyrics are pretty solid. Maybe you even consider them your strength, but you’re still not getting the reaction you want. You want to take your skills to another level. You’re ready to break through.
Well, if either one of those situations sounds like yours, I’m glad you’re here. I want to help you take your songs to the next level. I want to help you take your career to the next level. I want to help you become the the kind of songwriter who has industry people quote your lyrics back to you. I want you to become the kind of songwriter who can stand in the back of a music venue (or on the stage of one) and hear the crowd singing your words. It’s an awesome feeling. I’ve had it, and I want you to have it, too.
If you want to write songs that get on records and radio and compete for the big money, you’re stepping into a very, very competitive business. There are only a few spots available on the album of a major artist. And there are only a few slots available on radio.
SMALL ADVANTAGES = BIG RESULTS
In a business this competitive, you need every advantage you can get. Small advantages can bring big results. Adding great images to your songs can give you that advantage. It can make you more attractive and valued as a cowriter. It can get you that second publisher meeting. It can make a record label go from “what else do you have” to “let me keep a copy of that.” Likewise, better imagery can take your song from “let me keep a copy of that” to “put that on hold- I want to play it for my artist.” Or maybe great imagery will even take your song from “I want to put that on hold” to “we want to record your song.”
Imagery might even make the difference between getting a $300 album cut or a $300,000 hit single.
In a business this competitive, the opposite is also true. Your song that’s being held for an artist might not get cut because they decide to record a song that’s just a little better. Or even if they do cut your song, they might single a different song instead. And the difference between an album cut and a hit single is huge. It’s not just a huge money difference, getting a hit single will boost your status and prestige much more than an album cut ever will.
USE IMAGERY TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR SONGWRITING (LIKE THE PROS DO)
“Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” is a course I put together from my experience as a professional lyricist and songwriter with over 10 years in the music business. I’ve had cuts by legendary artists such as Alan Jackson and Randy Travis. I’ve also had cuts by Lady Antebellum and Joe Nichols, among others. I’ve written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 Single Of The Year in Canada.
A great image changed my life. The image of a “Monday Morning Church” led me to write the song that would become my first major cut and a top 5 hit for Alan Jackson. It took me from a day job where I was sitting at a computer all day, and it helped me land my first publishing deal- where I was able to write songs all day! I’ve seen the power of effective imagery, and I want you to see it in your life, too.
The saying in Nashville is, “Show me, don’t tell me.” There are a few reasons we’d rather you show us your song than tell us.
1. Images engage the heart, not just the brain.
You can tell me you’re sad. You can just say, “I’m sad now that you’re gone.” I will hear that and understand it. But I will only understand that with my head, not my heart. My head says, “Yes. The singer is sad. I understand what sadness is.” But that’s just information, and it stays in my head without moving to my heart.
However, when you show me what the sadness looks like- when I see the emptiness in your heart through the empty 2nd coffee cup you set out through habit and don’t have the heart to put back in the cupboard just yet- I FEEL your sadness. If I see you hugging his pillow at night because it smells like him, then I don’t just KNOW you’re sad, I FEEL your sadness. Imagery is what gets your song through the head and into the heart.
2. Imagery makes it easy on your listener.
You can ask listeners to picture a lonely night AND be moved by whatever it is they imagine. Or you can SHOW your listeners a lonely night and ask them to be moved. Which one requires more from your listener? Exactly. People are busy. They’re probably listening to your song while doing something else- driving, eating, working, hanging out with friends, etc. If the listener doesn’t have enough mental bandwidth left to process your lyric, they may either just hear the melody only (which isn’t the worst thing in the world) or they ignore your song altogether (which IS the worst thing- love my song or hate my song, but don’t ignore it). Painting the picture for your listeners is often an easier path to their hearts- which is directly connected to their wallets, by the way.
3. Imagery helps you be unique.
Let’s face it, there are only so many emotions that show up in songs. New love, old love, new heartache, old heartache, anger, hope, nostalgia, etc. Since we really just sing about a handful of emotions, our lyrics are going to be pretty bland and boring if we only write in emotional terms. After all, how many ways can you say, “I miss you” without imagery? The use of fresh imagery allows you to talk about the same old emotions in a new way. So it’s really in your best interest (and you’ll be more likely to keep your listener’s interest) if you use fresh, believable images to tell your story.
4. People are visual.
Visuals impact us deeply. There’s a reason radio dramas were replaced by movies and television- people respond more strongly to visuals! If you can paint pictures with your lyrics, you can give the listener something to see in his or her mind.
So don’t wait. You can start writing better songs today. “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” is available for only $97. For less than the cost of hiring a demo singer, you can make major, lifelong improvements in your songwriting.
COURSE GOALS:
By the end of this course, my goal is for you to gain the basic skills you need to:
Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.
As we go through each section, I’ll provide hit songs as examples. And I’ll draw from a few different genres, too.
THINK ABOUT IT...
How much will it change your writing (and your writing career) to be able to do the things I listed above? To be able to make your story really come to life for your listeners? To make your characters more real, believable and memorable? To really connect with your listeners' emotions, and to hook them from the first few lines? And to have an easier time starting more songs? These skills are a game-changer!
SAVE TIME & MONEY!
This course will save you a lot of time, as I reveal techniques and thought-processes that took me years to develop and might take years for you to learn by trial and error. Years. Let that sink in for a moment.
And I want you to save money. Demoing a song that isn’t the best it can be is almost always a waste of money. One demo may cost you up to $800. And that’s just for ONE demo! I know that in my early years of chasing the songwriting dream, I wasted thousands of dollars recording songs that just weren’t ready yet. But you don’t have to waste all that time and money. You can start writing better songs today.
THE COURSE INCLUDES:
**An hour of video teaching which uses hit songs and an easy-going teaching style to reveal how to effectively use the different types of imagery, how to make your story come to life, how to connect to your listeners' emotions, and much more. The course also outlines some great exercises to build your "imagery muscle."
**A 57-page ebook (PDF) which includes a transcript of the video course. This will allow you to read along or highlight sections you want to refer to later. It's also a great place to make notes throughout the course.
**An audio-only MP3 version of the course. It's a great way to listen and learn on the go, whether in your car on the way to work, around the house as you're doing chores, at the gym, or as you walk the dog.
**"The W.I.L.L.power Workbook" which contains several exercises that put your new knowledge into practice, turning your knowledge into skill, and helping you develop the habit of thinking and writing with imagery.
**A live, one-hour online workshop where you can ask your questions about the course materials and join me (and some other songwriters) as we do a deeper dive into imagery.
BONUS!
Additionally, I’ve added a bonus video- a live “Upgrade Your Imagery” workshop where I spend over an hour sharing several techniques you can use to generate great images for your songs. You get to watch as I go through these techniques with a group of songwriters.
HOW WOULD IT FEEL?
How would it feel to give an artist a “little white tank top” line like in Dierks Bentley’s, “What Was I Thinking?” Not only did that song change Dierks‘ life, it changed how girls dressed at his concerts! Or maybe you want to break someone’s heart with a line like “Turn down the lights, turn down the bed, turn down these voices inside my head” from “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. Or maybe you want to give your friends something to sing along with like Jimmy Buffett’s “lost shaker of salt” line from “Margaritaville.”
TESTIMONIALS
I’ve already been using the techniques and lessons from this course to help songwriters. Here’s what a few of them have to say about it:
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“I can't say enough about the teaching methods, and choice of subject matter, employed by hit songwriter Brent Baxter, in his online workshops.
I had the pleasure of attending his most recent offering, which focused on using imagery effectively when writing songs.
To be completely honest, I didn't really think that this event would be much more than a refresher course, which I'd have been completely fine with. After 20+ years of writing, I am often in need of being reminded of things that I may know, but am not paying enough attention to. Having been a part of Brent's events in the past, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed, no matter what.
I'm happy to say that not only did I come away having certainly been reminded of a few things, but also having heard and seen some novel approaches that I never knew existed! I found myself thinking that I could certainly have benefited from having these fresh concepts in my songwriters toolbox a long time ago...😁 I guess an old dog CAN learn a few new tricks after all!
In keeping with what I know about Brent, and the kind of man he his, this class over-delivered, and was certainly worth far more than the nominal amount that he charged to attend. It's been my experience that the opposite is usually the case, but I can honestly say that I've never come away from any of my interactions with Brent, that I didn't feel like I got the better end of the deal. I would bet that I'm not alone in having that thought either.
I'd highly recommend to any songwriter, that if the opportunity to be a part of a course that Brent offers comes along, don't hesitate to take it! You'll be better for it, and at the end of the day, that's what we're all attempting to do, right?
I'm a better songwriter today than I was before my latest course with him, and I know that after the next one, I'll be better than I am right now. That's good enough for me!
Thanks Brent Baxter, for your heart for songwriters, and your willingness to share the insights that you've worked so hard to come by.”
-Todd Dickinson
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“I loved the workshop! Brent is a fun and engaging teacher, I have already started using some of the tips we learned! When is the next one? Sign me up!”
-Nila Kay
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“The Man vs Row webinar, “Upgrade Your Imagery,” gave me several tools that I will use to improve my lyric writing craft. The presentation was well organized and Brent's approach was very interactive and engaging. Thanks, Brent.”
-Nick Serro
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“Your imagery class was my favorite part of Advanced Song Camp. I love ‘painting pictures’ in my songs, and that session to my writing to the next level.”
-Danny Bean
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“It was awesome!!! I feel like you really drive home the idea that ‘seeing is believing’ and for a song to be more believable people have to be able to see it as much as hear it. Thank you for rocking your craft, Brent Baxter!”
-Donna King
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“Brent Baxter has an unusually natural gift for teaching songwriting. His excerpt on imagery has enhanced my lyric development tremendously. He is able to immediately prove how his methods are working in today’s market by providing current hit song examples in his lectures. He’s right up there with Pat Pattison and Ralph Murphy!”
-Nicky Rood
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“Brent Baxter has his hand on the pulse of Nashville and the country music business. He is a songwriter who is still working hard at it every day and isn’t afraid to teach you the methods that bring him success. I have followed Brent’s blog Man vs. Row, read his ebooks, and have watched his videos. I have found his teaching method to be easy to follow, full of substance, without being stuffy, and I enjoy his humor.
The ‘Upgrade Your Imagery’ workshop was no different. Brent discussed techniques to help you ‘drill deeper’ and not be satisfied with the first or second word, rhyme or line that comes to mind. He goes on to teach how to make your images more believable and memorable and how to come up with these ‘pictures,’ avoiding the mundane, cliche, and played out ones. I enjoyed the workshop, and strongly feel that my writing has improved by using the methods Brent discussed.
Another thing that I enjoy is how much ‘bang for the buck’ you get with all of Brent’s products. It’s hard to beat the cost/benefit ratio that you receive. You will become a better writer, not by watching these videos, but by working hard at implementing the techniques taught. That is why I recommend Brent Baxter’s ‘Upgrade Your Imagery.’”
-Stacy Marriner
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HOW TO ACCESS THE COURSE
If you choose to supercharge your songwriting, you’ll have lifetime access to all the videos, the audio, the ebook, and the workbook. Once you complete your purchase, you'll be able to immediately download the audio, ebook, and workbook, as well as the link and password for accessing the videos. And just to be sure you get everything, you'll also receive an backup email with course materials, link and password.
You’ll have lifetime access to the videos, so you’ll be able to watch and learn from them whenever you want for as long as you want.
Invest in your dream. Invest in your career. Take the next step in becoming the songwriter you want to be. Get “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” today!
HOW TO ACCESS THE ONLINE WORKSHOP
A day or two before the workshop, I'll email you an invitation and link to join the workshop. We'll meet up using the Fuze teleconferencing platform. You can either download their app or join through their website at www.fuze.com. Fuze is free to use. You can see the system requirements by CLICKING HERE. You can learn more about Fuze by CLICKING HERE.
God Bless,
Brent
GUARANTEE
If you're not completely satisfied for any reason, I'll give you a full refund. Just email me at manvsrow@gmail.com, and I'll PayPal the cost of the course right back to you.