SHAWNA CASPI - WORKSHOPS
info@shawnacaspi.com
|
www.shawnacaspi.com
Acoustic Guitar Workshop
Length: approx. 1 hour
Suggested Audience: Participants should already have some knowledge of the
acoustic guitar (basic chords, understanding of how to tune the instrument, etc.) This is
not a guitar skills instruction class, but rather a workshop that explores the possibilities of
the instrument and inspires players to stretch their perceptions of what they can do with
it.
Participants might include:
- Guitar players who strum but who have always wanted to try fingerpicking
- Guitar players who want to explore alternate tunings but aren't sure where to start
- Anyone interested in learning more about the different sounds a guitar can make
besides simple strumming
- Songwriters who want to make their guitar accompaniment more complex
TOPICS INCLUDE:
Open tunings:
-
Major chord structures (open D, open G)
Suspended chord structures
Inventing your own open tunings
Picking patterns:
-
laying down a bass line with your thumb
examples of popular picking patterns (arpeggios, Travis picking, etc.)
Percussive elements:
-
slapping
muting
hammer on/pull off combinations
harmonics
Shawna demonstrates techniques and supports each topic with examples of original
songs and/or covers that feature these elements. Q&A strongly encouraged.
What to bring:
- acoustic guitar (not necessary)
- pen and paper to take notes
- or just sit in and enjoy!
SHAWNA CASPI - WORKSHOPS
info@shawnacaspi.com
|
www.shawnacaspi.com
Songwriting Workshop 1 - Timed Writing Exercises
Length: 1 - 2 hours
Suggested Audience: Anyone wanting to try some writing exercises!
Participants might include:
- English/Creative writing students looking to try out some new exercises
- Writers/Songwriters with writer's block who want to get the creativity flowing again
- Anyone curious about writing practice
- Anyone trying to improve their writing (creative, essay, business, online, etc.)
EXERCISES INCLUDE:
"These Five Minutes"
Inspired by the "these five minutes" collective (http://thesefiveminutes.com), these are
timed exercises that follow this formula:
1. Inspiration “dip” (find a phrase, word, image or audio clip arbitrarily in a source of your
choosing).
2. Set the timer to five minutes.
3. Write (without editing).
4. Share.
Participants will draw their inspiration "dips" from books, photos, and other provided
media, and/or from objects or texts they have on hand.
Object Writing
10 minute writing exercise on a single word:
From Writing Better Lyrics (Pat Pattison): "Pick an object at random and write about it.
Dive into your sense memories and associations surrounding the object. Anything goes,
as long as it is sense bound. Write freely. No rhythm, no rhyme. No need for complete
sentences. Use all seven senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, organic, and
kinesthetic."
Shawna will lead participants in timed writing exercises and provide prompts. She will
share examples and her own writing to give each exercise context. Participants will then
be encouraged (but not required) to share the results of their work with the group.
What to bring:
- notebook or paper
- pen or pencil
- text or object for inspiration prompts (optional)
SHAWNA CASPI - WORKSHOPS
info@shawnacaspi.com
|
www.shawnacaspi.com
Songwriting Workshop 2 - Metaphors
Length: 1 - 2 hours
Suggested Audience: Writers who wish to embellish their work by exploring metaphors
and word combinations.
Participants might include:
- Songwriters/Creative Writing students
- Journalism students
- Theatre/Improv performers
- Bloggers/Online content creators
METAPHOR EXERCISES:
Noun/Adjective:
- The group comes up with 10 nouns and 10 adjectives
- The group uses this list to create 10 noun/adjective word combinations
- Participants then write a sentence or short paragraph from each word combination
- This exercise challenges participants to make unexpected creative associations
between randomly linked words
Noun/Verb:
- The same exercise as above, using 10 nouns and 10 verbs
Noun/Noun:
- The same exercise as above, using 20 nouns
- The focus here is on creating Expressed Identity Metaphors:
Example from Writing Better Lyrics (Pat Pattison):
"x is y" (fear is a shadow)
"the y of x" (the shadow of fear)
"x's y" (fear's shadow)
Shawna will gather word suggestions from participants and lead the group in one or
more metaphor writing exercises (depending on the length of the workshop). Participants
are encouraged (but not required) to share some of their phrases and metaphors with
the group.
What to bring:
- notebook or paper
- pen or pencil
SHAWNA CASPI - WORKSHOPS
info@shawnacaspi.com
|
www.shawnacaspi.com
About Shawna Caspi
Shawna Caspi is a performing singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Toronto, Ontario.
In 2012, she completed her sophomore album, Skyline, and has been touring since its
release, including dates in Ontario, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. Shawna holds a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from York University, where she studied folk guitar with
internationally renowned flamenco guitarist Roger Scannura, and she is the recipient of
a 2012 Music Creation Grant from the Toronto Arts Council for songwriting.