Strong Songs

Strong Songs is a podcast made by me, Kirk Hamilton. It's basically about how music is good. That sounds oversimplified but it really does sum it up. Each episode takes a well-known song and pulls it apart to figure out how it works. I re-create sections of the song on my own, work out the theory behind the chords and melodies, and break down the songwriting techniques used by the musicians who wrote it, all with the goal of helping people hear their favorite music in a new way. Why should I back this project? I’ve been making Strong Songs since 2018, and it's been my main creative project. The show will always be completely free for anyone to listen to, with no ads or sponsors. Each episode takes loads of work: there's pre-production, learning the song, writing out the episode, then recording, mixing, editing, listening back, and so on. Eight years in, I love making Strong Songs more than ever. Patreon makes it possible for me to generate income from my work, which allows me to dedicate the time and effort that I believe this work deserves. What kinds of Patreon rewards are you offering? Quarter, Half, and Whole-Note patrons get early access to new episodes via the Patreon version of the show's RSS feed Those same tiers will also get monthly "inside the episode" videos. This is a new type of bonus content for 2026. We'll see how it goes! All patrons get a special role in the Strong Songs Discord, which gives them a few special privileges, like picking albums for our weekly listening club.  All patrons will be subscribed to my monthly(ish) newsletter. All patrons will get to participate in a voting bracket to pick an artist for each upcoming season. (These are fun!) All patrons will get access to occasional video Q&As where I answer patron questions and go behind the scenes of the show. I do a couple of those per year, and there are already a bunch under the "Patron Q&A" tag. Half and Whole-Note patrons will get their names included in the show notes of episodes they've backed, and will also get a small discount on the Strong Songs Merch store.   And everyone will get my sincere gratitude for helping me make Strong Songs as good as it can be! How often do you publish? Strong Songs publishes monthly, with a new episode on the third Friday of every month. The Patreon feed gets episodes one week early, on the second Friday, as well as audio versions of Patreon-exclusive videos I post. I publish the show to a number of popular podcast destinations like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the like. You can also just directly subscribe to the Strong Songs RSS feed. I like Strong Songs but can't back the Patreon; can I still listen to the show? Absolutely! Strong Songs is totally free (and totally ad-free) for anyone who wants to listen. Patrons get some extras, but the bulk of the show will always be freely accessible.