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I Tried to Write a Song in Under 30 Minutes

0h 08m video Published Mar 1, 2024 Transcribed Jul 31, 2026 H How To Write Songs
Intermediate 4 min read For: Aspiring songwriters, musicians, and creators interested in the songwriting process and creativity under time constraints.
AI Trust Score 72/100
⚠️ Average / Some Fluff

"Exactly what the title promises: a honest, real-time attempt to write a song in 30 minutes, with no exaggerated claims."

AI Summary

In this video, a songwriter sets himself a 30-minute challenge to write a complete song from scratch, documenting the process live. He explains how time pressure forces fast decisions and shares several songwriting tips along the way. By the deadline he has only about 65% of a first draft, but he continues for 20 more minutes to develop a fuller version.

[00:07]
30-minute song challenge

The creator sets a challenge to write a song in under 30 minutes, pushing against his limitations and comfort zone.

[00:21]
Decisions create decisions

Time pressure forces fast decisions, and each decision makes the next one easier or clearer to make.

[01:28]
Mining idea files

He keeps separate files for melody ideas, title ideas, line ideas, and chord ideas, and starts by skimming them.

[02:03]
The hook lands

He finds a love-song hook: 'You are the sun, the sky, you're the reason why I wake in the morning.'

[03:27]
Unrhymed-word tip

He deliberately leaves 'day' unrhymed in the chorus so the verse can set up that sound and connect to the hook.

[03:55]
E major/minor fusion

He works in 'E funland,' where E major and E minor coexist at the same time — a signature of funk and blues.

[04:47]
First drafts don't matter

He acknowledges the deadline makes him default to formulaic song forms, but that's acceptable for a first draft.

[05:15]
The 3-minute scramble

With three minutes left, he rushes through a simple verse about not needing much, just someone to hold.

[06:04]
The 30-minute fail

At the 30-minute mark he admits he only wrote about 65% of a first draft, then spends another 20 minutes finishing it.

Tutorial Checklist

1 00:07 Set a 30-minute deadline and show the clock to stay accountable.
2 01:28 Skim your idea files (melody, title, line, chord) for material.
3 02:03 Pick a hook from your ideas and commit to it — here it's a simple love-song line.
4 02:16 Find the key and chord changes that support the hook.
5 03:27 Write the chorus with a deliberately unrhymed last word (e.g., 'day') to connect to the verse.
6 03:55 Embrace tonal flexibility — blend E major and E minor for a funk/blues feel.
7 04:21 Draft verses and a pre-chorus rapidly, accepting formulaic structure for now.
8 06:04 When the deadline hits, accept a partial draft and keep refining for a few more minutes.

Study Flashcards (10)

What challenge does the songwriter set for himself?

easy Click to reveal answer

Writing a song in under 30 minutes.

00:07

What time does he start and what time does he hope to finish?

easy Click to reveal answer

He starts at 4:10 p.m. and aims to finish by 4:40 p.m.

01:14

What categories of ideas does he keep in his files?

medium Click to reveal answer

Melody ideas, title ideas, line ideas, and chord ideas.

01:28

What is the hook he finds for the love song?

medium Click to reveal answer

You are the sun, the sky, you're the reason why I wake in the morning.

02:03

What 'sneaky songwriting tip' does he share about the chorus?

hard Click to reveal answer

Leave the last word unrhymed (e.g., 'day') and use that sound in the verse to set up the hook.

03:27

What is 'E funland' in this video?

medium Click to reveal answer

A tonal space where E major and E minor exist at the same time, typical of funk and blues.

03:55

What downside does he attribute to the 30-minute time pressure?

medium Click to reveal answer

Defaulting to formulaic song forms for a first draft.

04:47

How much of the song had he written by the 30-minute deadline?

medium Click to reveal answer

About 65% of a first draft, not a complete song.

06:04

How much extra time did he spend finishing the song after the 30-minute limit?

easy Click to reveal answer

20 minutes.

06:19

What principle about decision-making does he mention under time pressure?

medium Click to reveal answer

Decisions create decisions; one decision makes the next easier or clearer.

00:21

💡 Key Takeaways

💡

Time pressure forces decisions

Explains a core creative principle: constraints accelerate decision-making, and each decision clarifies the next.

00:21
🔧

Unrhymed chorus word as a writing tool

A concrete, transferable songwriting technique that connects chorus and verse.

03:27
📊

Major/minor blend in funk and blues

Shows how tonal ambiguity (E major and E minor together) creates stylistic character.

03:55
⚖️

First drafts are allowed to be formulaic

A practical mindset for creators: imperfect first attempts are acceptable because they can be revised.

04:47
💡

Honest failure at the deadline

Demonstrates that creative goals aren't always met, but that admitting it and iterating is part of the process.

06:04

[00:07] verse too oh my God and I have 3 minutes to do it I am setting myself The Challenge and I'm also setting you the challenge of writing a song in under 30 minutes why am I doing this challenge I'm doing it to push against my own

[00:21] limitations and my own comfort zone but I also want to demonstrate that when you put yourself under just a little bit of time pressure what it does force you to do make fast decisions and very often decisions create decisions you know we

[00:35] make one decision and it makes the next decision easier to make or clearer to make and what I'll do is I'm kind of going through this process which again could be an absolute disaster but as I'm doing it if there are things that I'm

[00:47] other songwriters I will certainly Point those out so let's get cracking so to keep myself accountable to myself and to you I'm going to show you the time and the date so you know that I'm like really doing this right now now so here

[01:01] is the time and the date so we've got 4:08 p.m. on February the 29th and you can see my dog Kobe there who passed away 3 months ago which is sad um I'm

[01:14] not going to write a song about Kobe okay we'll just avoid that for the moment um I'm going to start at 4:10 which means by 4:40 I'm going to be done and then I will um play for you whatever it is that has happened within that 30

[01:28] first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to look through my ideas I keep a few different files of ideas I've got Melody ideas title ideas line ideas cord

[01:46] to skip that one cuz I had the horrible Sensation that I was just singing a Melody that exists on the radio let's listen to this one you

[02:03] all the I wake in the morning you are the sun the sky you're the reason you're the sun the sky you're the reason you're the reason why I wake in the the reason why I wake in the morning funky yes funky bluy simple sun

[02:16] sky it's a love song it's just going to be a really simple love song okay I need to find the key I need to find some chords let's call that the hook so that's going to be the hook maybe the song will start with the hook we'll

[02:28] song will start with the hook we'll see I'll save that for later you are the sun the sky you're the reason why I like

[02:40] the sky you're the reason why I like that you are the trees you are the wind the trees the reason I hold my breath all reason I hold my breath all day just to hold you all night

[02:55] day just to hold you all night [Music] long we at 4:18 p.m. 8 minutes in I have a chorus let's let's hear it you are the sun the

[03:10] sun the sky reason why I wake in the [Music] morning you are the trees the leaves the very air I breathe when I wake in the [Music]

[03:27] [Music] morning and a home my breath just to hold you at the end of day so I've said day that's the last word it's un rymed inside the chorus so sneaky little songwriting tip I'm going to use the a

[03:41] sound inside the verse and it's going to kind of set up the hook I'm in E Funland and E Funland is kind of like e my key E's my key e my

[03:55] E's my key e my key but uh it kind of is e major and E minor all at the same time that is the nature of funk and blues we can kind of go back and forth between all those things enough talking more

[04:21] plans a whole alphabet if things don't work work out but you're the only plan I need [Music] me now I'm going to use a pretty

[04:35] kind of a bluesy thing bluy Vibe going on in the chorus I'm going to use kind and maybe that's a downside of 30 minutes is defaulting to some kind of

[04:47] formulate song form stuff but for first draft I don't care cuz here's the truth draft I don't care cuz here's the truth I can mess with it later so I might just little cute little pre chorus a I have 10 minutes to

[05:03] go you're my everything you're the only way I'll go you're the only way I know you're the only way I'll

[05:15] know you're the only way I'll go you're only way I know son okay I basically just need a verse too oh my God and I have 3 minutes to do too oh my God and I have 3 minutes to do it I just have to get something out here

[05:33] need I don't need I don't need I don't need I don't need a whole lot of love I don't need someone to day just to hold my hand woo all right

[05:51] friends for full transparency sake it is now 4:40 all right here it is 4:40 so I'm going to to play for you what I've got second verse is kind of a mish mash

[06:04] of nothing if the goal was to write a complete first draft in 30 minutes I failed I wrote probably the 65% of a first draft of a song so what you're seeing next is uh me working on it for

[06:19] an extra 20 minutes and then kind of playing through what I had um and then kind of putting it all together but what you are seeing was definitely under an you are seeing was definitely under an hour but not under 30 minutes so I'm

[06:32] going to try again some other [Music]

[06:51] [Music] time some people make a whole lot of time some people make a whole lot of PL from plan a to plan B a whole laugh for bit if things don't work out but you're the only plan I

[07:08] work out but you're the only plan I need when it's dark you light my wake CU need when it's dark you light my wake CU on the sun the sky you're reason why I on the sun the sky you're reason why I wake in the

[07:23] the very air I breathe when I wake in the [Music] and I hold my breath just to hold you at the end of the day 3 4 some people draw a line in the

[07:43] day 3 4 some people draw a line in the sand and then sh at the sand and then sh at the waves but I swim in your ocean of love where it's deep and I'm always going to

[07:56] stay cuz when it's dark you light my weake cuz you're my son my sky you're weake cuz you're my son my sky you're the reason why I wake in the

[08:11] morning oh your trees the leaves the very air I breathe when I wake in the [Music] morning hold my morning hold my breath to hold you at the end of the

[08:30] day [Music]

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