What we’re about
Dear fellow curious songwriters,
My name is Jeremy Ratib, a singer-songwriter based in Zürich, and I am fascinated by the craft of songwriting. I’ve always considered songs as generous life companions, elusive creatures endlessly showing themselves in a new light to surprise us with new depths of meaning as we grow. Songwriting is a home that is infinitely vast, where each of us can find a room to return to, whenever we like. It is also an ancient craft, and though I don’t pretend to have cracked its code, I’ve certainly learned a few tricks on my own path as a songwriter that could help you in the process of unlocking your creativity and tapping into that mysterious intuitive space.
To tell you a bit more about myself: I have a recording studio at Schaffhauserplatz in Zürich, where I write and record both my own work and the work of other artists, as I consider recording as an integral part of my writing process. I tend to work with analog methods, such as reel to reel and 4 track, utilizing their inherent limitations to help commit to decisions and build songs in an organic, spontaneous, and fun way. This is a process that I’ve taught to several musicians in the past, during workshops where we would write a song together and record it to tape, and I’ve found that it really helps to overcome creative blocks and to demystify the songwriting process.
These private classes and workshops I am offering are destined to all, whether seasoned songwriters or curious first timers. My hope is that you will leave the class empowered, with a renewed sense of wonder and excitement, along with new songs and new tools for nurturing a songwriting practice that feels true to you. On my end, I find helping songwriters to access their inner voices and to channel it into a song to be a very rewarding and gratifying experience, and I look forward to working with you on crafting many beautiful songs.
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Some points I like to cover during a songwriting class are:
- Recording as a songwriting tool
- Characters and voices in songwriting
- Surprising yourself with your instrument—open tunings and odd chord progressions to help you discover new songs
- How to surrender and let creativity flow
- How to make both physical and mental space to cultivate ideas, for songs to breath, and for meaning to take form
- How to turn a single idea, memory, or feeling into a story. Every human experience is a seed for a song.
- Nurturing a sustainable songwriting practice
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- Single (private) 1h Songwriting Class: 85 CHF
- 5 Class Cycle : 400 CHF
- 10 Class Cycle: 750 CHF
or
2 Day (private) Songwriting Workshop / 2 Full Days : 500 CHF
- Day 1 Week 1: Focus on songwriting & composition : I will help you structure musical and lyrical ideas into a first iteration of a song.
- Intermediary online meeting to discuss progress on your song.
- Day 2 Week 2 : Focus on recording : we will record and arrange your song together using analog recording equipment. At the end of the workshop, you will have a song recorded onto tape and ready to be shared with the world :)
Get in Touch, and let’s get started on a song!
Here is a link to my website where you can find links to my most recent work:
https://jeremyratib.net/
