Games & Challenges

Here is an partial list of forum games and songwriting challenges that seem to pop up most FAWMs. The community is constantly innovating, but the ideas below seem to recur often, attract a lot of participants, and/or require... a diagram to explain?

Tip

Community-driven games and challenges like those on this page are in addition to skirmishes and weekly prompts. The frenzy of musical ideas is what makes FAWM exciting for some! But it can also be a dizzying...

So you do you. There is no pressure to participate in any of these.

Just like an amusement park, carnival, or state fair, you don't have to ride all (or any) of the rides to have a good time. But the "rides" are there if and when you're in the mood for a roller coaster...

Forum games

Fawmers play a lot of games in the forums, usually as a way to kill time in January before song posting begins. These aren't songwriting challenges per se, although fawmers have been known to find inspiration in them! Each game will have a dedicated forum thread:

• A is for ABBA. Players take turns listing a band or artist whose name starts with the next letter of the alphabet: ABBA, Beatles, etc. Comes in both original and fake band editions.

• Fawmku. Blank page, restless mind / February brings the tunes / but for now: forums.

• Fawmerick. You're pondering songs, that’s clear / but now February is near / with bangers to write / you’ll jam through the night / and tackle your songwriting fears.

• Mornington Crescent. A labyrinthine dance of arcane strategy and spoken yet unspoken rules, where players are travelers who weave through a bewildering waltz of logic and misdirection, each maneuvering through the underground nexus, edging inexorably toward a common destination.

• Thread of SLOTH. A. collective. storytelling. thread. where. each. player. only. writes. one. single. word. per. post. Gloriously. creating. bizarre. narrative. bliss.

Songwriting challenges

Fawmers can be a playful bunch, and embracing weird constraints can sometimes help get the creative juices flowing. Here are some of the most common or popular challenges to give you a feel for them. But there are dozens of new challenge ideas posted to the Games & Challenges area of the forums every year!

10x10

A challenge to write a medley of 10 songs, about 10 seconds long each.

Initially proposed as a way to "just move on" from several partial song ideas that you might be struggling to flesh out. It turns out to have good precedent, though, such as The Beatles' "Medley" (from Abbey Road) or TMBG's "Fingertips" (from Apollo 18).

We recommend posting these together as a single "song."

How to participate

Simply post your song and tag it accordingly. If there is a forum thread, feel free to post a link there as well.

The conventional tag is #10x10.

(Also comes in #20x20 and — for the truly ambitious — #60x60 varieties.)

Comments first

We all need a little help from our friends! This challenge has four steps:

1. Post a blank song with just a title (which can be a placeholder). In the liner notes, say:

   This song is for the #CommentsFirst challenge (INCLUDE FORUM LINK HERE). It doesn't exist yet! Please leave a comment below about this hypothetical song, and it will be written based on the first few comments it receives.

2. When you have enough comments (4-5 recommended), edit the song to make it Private.

3. Go write the song! Work backward, using the comments as prompts.

4. When you're ready, edit the song post to include your final lyrics and demo. Make it Public (or Restricted) again so people can hear the results!

This one is great for getting out of ruts, because anything can happen.

If you have constraints (e.g., you want to write a love song, or an instrumental, or the only instrument you have is a ukulele), feel free to give your commenters some guidance in the initial liner notes. And if you get a crazy prompt you just can't satisfy (e.g., you have no way of recording bagpipes in reverse with booming reverb), feel free to ignore it.

You're encouraged to post a link to your final song in the "comments first" forum thread and @mention the fawmers who gave you comment prompts, so that they know the song is finished! There is no need to tag them as collaborators, though.

How to participate

Follow the instructions above. Feel free to post a link to your finished song in the dedicated forum thread as well.

The conventional tag is #CommentsFirst.

Neglected gear

It happens. We all have that one instrument that seems to just sit in the corner and gather dust. (Some of us have dozens!) So write a song using a piece of gear that you don’t normally use. Bust out that kazoo or dig your melodica out from under the bed.

How to participate

Simply post your song and tag it accordingly. If there is a forum thread, feel free to post a link there as well.

The conventional tags are #NeglectedGear or #IgnoredInstrument.

Random collabs

If you would like to collaborate but are new to it (or just don't know where to start), there is a thread dedicated to random collaborations most years.

There are usually 2-3 rounds of random collabs every FAWM. Simply post in the thread to opt in for a round, and you will be randomly paired with another fawmer to work on something together. It's a good way to meet other fawmers and stretch yourself if you have the time, but be sure to read the collaboration guidelines before jumping in.

How to participate

Express interest in the dedicated forum thread, often organized by @coolparadiso (but sometimes others).

The conventional tag is #RandomCollab.

Group challenges

Fawmers have invented many collaborative songwriting games over the years.

Here are a few of the main ones.

4-track challenges

Four-way group collaborations seem to be the most popular. Maybe because so many bands are quartets? Or that early DIY home recording devices were 4-tracks? Who knows...

Cassette 4-track

A challenge for old-school analog heads!

It requires four fawmers (T1, T2, T3, T4) who each have a working 4-track cassette deck.

T1 starts a tape by writing and recording something to track 1. Then they physically mail the cassette to T2, who listens to the tape so far and writes and records a new layer/part to track 2, and so on. T4 is expected to mix the final song, "bounce" it to an audio file, and post it to the FAWM website (adding all other fawmers in the chain as collaborators) so that everyone can hear how it came out! There is a 4 TRACKS 1 TAPE series on YouTube documenting a few past tapes, if you want to see examples of the process.

Overview of the cassette 4-track challenge

Important: Work fast!

If participating in this challenge, it is important get your part done and off in the mail quickly, usually in 1-2 days. This is because each tape spends most of February in the postal system!

Since everyone's decks have different features, there are a few best practices to make the challenge as universal and inclusive as possible:

• Record at single speed (4.76 cm/s)
• Do not use noise reduction
• T1 should play an "A" note at the start for others to tune/calibrate to
• If needed, record a click to track 4 (T4 will record over it)
• Include paper notes about song structure, chord changes, lyrics, etc.

A handful of decks record at 2X speed only, so we try to make accommodations on a case-by-case basis. Feel free to share any role preferences (starting a tape, finishing/mixing, or something in between) or other constraints (e.g., 2X speed, a broken track 3) when signing up in the forums. There is usually a list of tapes-in-progress toward the top of the dedicated thread, so if you see an open spot and want to jump in on a tape, you can also request it! Note that you must share a mailing address with the organizer or some of your team members to participate, in case that is a privacy concern.

How to participate

Sign up for a tape in the dedicated forum thread, usually organized by @zecoop (but sometimes others).

The conventional tags are #4Track and #Cassette.

Some 4-track cassette collaborations from 2021

Digital 4-track

A variant of the 4-track challenge above, but using DAWs or digital recorders with audio files. This process is usually faster and no special hardware is required.

It involves four fawmers (T1-T4), plus a "producer" (P) who is responsible for the final mix. P can be any member of the co-writing team, or even a fifth fawmer. After completing their part, each fawmer T1-T4 sends their "stems" (isolated tracks) to P for the final mix, and also sends a "submix" of everything done so far to the next person in the chain.

Overview of the digital 4-track challenge

There are several best practices to ensure maximum compatibility:

• WAV 24bit, 44.1 kHz
• Fixed tempo, fixed time signature, 4 bars as count in
• Include notes about BPM, song structure, chord sheet, MIDI, etc.
• If recording to a click, include that as a separate file or part of the submix
• One member, one role: double-tracking is OK (e.g., 2 vocals for harmonies or 2 guitar parts for panning L/R), but send individual tracks to P
• Share files via cloud storage/hosting where possible (no email attachments)

How to participate

Sign up for a team in the dedicated forum thread, often organized by @nadine (but sometimes others).

The conventional tag is #Digital4Track.

A cappella 4-track

This is a variant of the digital 4-track challenge above, but the goal is to end up with an a cappella recording in four-part harmony!

The "lyricist" (L) and "stitcher" (S) can be one of the four vocalists (T1-T4), but they can be others as well. Thus, a song for this challenge can involve anywhere from 4-6 fawmers. Once lyrics are written, T1 writes and records a melody line, which is the basis for the whole piece. T2-T4 then add successive harmonies to spice things up!

Overview of the a cappella 4-track challenge

How to participate

Sign up for a team in the dedicated forum thread, often organized by @beacon (but sometimes others).

The conventional tag is #ACappella4Track.

Video collab

Another variant on the digital 4-track challenge above, but the end result is a music video of the collaborative song! The process for this is up to your team and can vary widely.

A few examples from past FAWMs:

• It's Love (FAWM 2022) - lip-syncing to an audio mix
• The Butterfly Effect (FAWM 2023) - split-screen of live performances
• The Light (FAWM 2024) - still visuals over an audio mix

While most fawmers can submit their parts as simple phone/webcam "selfie" videos, you will need an expert video editor on your team to make this happen! Syncing audio and video from multiple sources can be pretty challenging.

How to participate

Sign up for a team in the dedicated forum thread, often organized by @beto (but sometimes others).

The conventional tag is #VideoCollab.

Chain games

Other group challenges are sequential songwriting games that yield multiple songs (as opposed to building up a single song track by track).

All of these games can sometimes have "lyrics only" or "music only" (instrumental) variations as well, as long as there are enough participants and someone willing to organize.

Auntie Sin

This is a weird one! It was originally called the "Antithesis/Synthesis" challenge, but was shortened to "Auntie Sin" at some point.

It is a songwriting game for at least three fawmers (A, B, C), but it can go on indefinitely (see below). Fawmer A writes a "seed song" and posts it to FAWM. B then listens to that song, and tries to write a second song that is the "exact opposite" (antithesis) of the seed, and posts it. C then tries to write a third song "combining" aspects of both A and B (synthesis).

Overview of the "Auntie Sin" challenge

In the liner notes, each fawmer should include a link to the previous song(s), and explain how it is the antithesis (or synthesis) of what inspired it. What aspects make for "antithesis/synthesis" is wide open for interpretation: it could mean opposing lyrics, major vs. minor key, contrasting tempo/feel, different instrumentation or meter, a mirror image of the words, melody, or structure, and/or all of the above!

If desired, a new fawmer (D) can then write the antithesis of C's song, and yet another (E) can write the synthesis of C and D, and so on until February is over! All songs are independently posted by their authors to the site, and do not need to mark others as collaborators.

How to participate

Sign up for a "chain" in the dedicated forum thread, if one exists (or start one).

The conventional tag is #AuntieSin.

Exquisite corpse

A musical variant of the exquisite corpse game popularized by surrealists in the 1920s.

This can involve any number of fawmers, usually agreed upon beforehand. The first fawmer (A) writes and records a 1-minute song ("segment"). A sends it to the "stitcher" (S) and also sends the final 10 seconds to the next fawmer (B), who uses it as a "seed" or intro to the next 1-minute segment, and so on. Once everyone has done their bit, S edits the segments together into a medley, and posts it to FAWM for all to hear! The results can be quite extraordinary.

Overview of the exquisite corpse challenge

A "Kaiju" exquisite corpse is a Godzilla-sized exquisite corpse created over the course of an entire FAWM challenge. The only limit on the number of participants is the days in February. This only happens occasionally, and is not for the faint of heart!

How to participate

Sign up for a "chain" in the dedicated forum thread, if one exists (or start one).

The conventional tag is #ExquisiteCorpse.

Morph/Morphing

This is sort of like a game of telephone.

The first fawmer (A) writes a "seed" song and posts it. The next fawmer (B) writes a "response" song to A, and so on. The trick is that each new song is supposed to "keep" 50% of the previous song in the chain while replacing the other 50%.

Overview of the morph challenge

What 50% means is is up to you. You might:

• Keep the lyrics, but change the music entirely (or vice versa)
• Retain lyrics + music for the chorus/bridge, but change the verses (or vice versa)
• Alternate keeping or changing lyrics + music line by line
• Any other interpretation you can think of!

Each fawmer in the chain makes different decisions, so it's fascinating to see which words or melodies are "sticky" and seem to make it through all the way to the end of the chain (or — strangely — get changed but keep coming back)!

A few best practices:

• When it's your turn, finish and post your song within 3 days (so as not to hold up others)
• Only listen to the previous song in your chain before posting yours
• Let the fawmer before and after you know when your song is posted
• Drop a link to your song in the dedicated forum thread as well

In practice, each chain tends to be fewer than 10 fawmers due to time constraints. Each fawmer posts their own song to the website and does not need to mark anyone else in the chain as a collaborator. However, liner notes should include a link to the previous song in the chain, the dedicated forum thread, and appropriate tags.

How to participate

Sign up for a "chain" in the dedicated forum thread, if one exists (or start one).

The conventional tags are #Morph, plus a tag for each chain (#Morph1, #Morph2, etc.).

Fakebooking

There are several challenges that partially specify a song, but allow for different fawmers to "finish" it, each with their own interpretation.

These are inspired by fake books, which are collections of popular music with under-specified notation; the expectation being that the performer would improvise significantly.

Fake it!

In a "fake it" challenge, a fawmer will create a forum thread sharing lyrics and chord changes. It is up to each participant to determine their own tempo, melody, time/key signature, and other aspects of the song. So it is not exactly a "cover," and results can vary widely.

The original poster offers the song freely and requests not to be marked as a "collaborator" on each interpretation.

How to participate

Simply post your song and tag it accordingly. Feel free to post a link in the dedicated forum thread as well.

The conventional tag is #FakeIt.

Explore the core

In the early years of FAWM there was a multi-fawmer variant of this called "explore the core." In this challenge, lyrics and chords were written independently by separate fawmers (sometimes verses and chorus would be composed independently, as well).

These began in 2008 (see history), and a few renditions from that inaugural year are included as bonus tracks on fawmilation (vol 4). These aren't often organized anymore, however.

Metamorphosis

This is a twist on the idea that involves three fawmers (A, B, C) in a collaboration:

• The team is given a "famous song" (e.g., "Yesterday" by the Beatles)
• A writes alternate lyrics
• B writes an alternate melody (or chord progression)
• C combines the A's lyrics and B's music with no knowledge of the original song

Overview of the metamorphosis challenge

Fawmer C interprets the tempo, meter, and genre to make the final song and demo recording. Once the song in finished and posted, A or B can reveal the original "seed" song! All three fawmers should be marked as collaborators.

Important: when A writes the new lyric, it should be a "drop-in" replacement for the original song (not unlike a parody); it should be possible to sing the original song with the new lyrics. Similarly for B and the new chords/melody: keep the song structure intact!

How to participate

Sign up for a "chain" in the dedicated forum thread, if one exists (or start one).

The conventional tag is #Metamorphosis.