Hey Reader,

One of the prompts inside our current Songwriting Sprint is called "Listen Like an Anthropologist."

The exercise is simple.

Choose the current #1 song in your genre (or any genre you're curious about), then listen with one question in mind:

"Why does this work?"

As you listen, jot down every technique you notice—not whether you like the song, but what it's actually doing.

Maybe it's the way the chorus melody stays on a single high note. Maybe the drums don't arrive until halfway through the song. Maybe the opening lyric immediately establishes a specific place, time and emotional situation. Whatever you notice becomes a menu of ideas you can experiment with in your own writing.

The goal isn't to copy the song.

The goal is to deliberately try one technique you've never consciously used before. (You can check out my list of techniques from listening to Olivia Rodrigo's 'stupid song' here.)

I love this exercise because it encourages what I think is one of the most valuable mindsets a songwriter can develop: listening like an anthropologist.

Anthropologists don't begin by deciding whether something is good or bad. They begin with curiosity.

"Why do people love this?"

"What is this doing?"

"What can I learn from it?"

Most songwriters spend years listening primarily as fans. We naturally gravitate towards songs we already love and styles that already feel familiar. But the moment you start listening as a student of the craft, your toolbox begins to expand. You notice structures, melodic ideas, production choices, lyric techniques, and forms that you can adapt into your own work.

That's one of the reasons I believe so deeply in our 8-week Songwriting Sprints.​

Every two weeks you're given a new challenge—not because every prompt will produce your greatest song, but because each one encourages you to practise a different songwriting skill. Over time, you accumulate far more than finished songs. You build a broader creative toolkit, greater flexibility, and a deeper understanding of how songs work.

And those are the kinds of skills that stay with you long after the Sprint has finished.

​If you'd like to try this exercise yourself, you're welcome to. Or, if you'd like eight weeks of thoughtful prompts, deadlines, accountability, and a community of songwriters all stretching themselves together, we'd love to have you join the next Songwriting Sprint.

👉 Join the upcoming Songwriting Sprint here.​

Write for life,

Keppie, Benny, & the HTWS team.