New Stretch Goal has been chosen! (+Spot UV unlocked)
over 4 years ago – Sat, Nov 23, 2019 at 10:08:24 PM

Spot UV Unlocked!

This will add shine to the logo on the box. The rest of the box is matte, and this will create a nice highlight.

Next Stretch Goal: Upgrade Card Stock! (€12,700)

We're upgrading the card stock to 310gsm Ivorycore, This is a premium card stock that will last you a long, long time. This is the last component upgrade and all future stretch goals will deal with adding extra components to the box! Exciting!!

Our New Stretch Goal

Yesterday, I asked you what Stretch Goals you would like to see in the future. And you guys answered! I'll try to distill all of your lovely comments into 3 categories:

1) Rhythm/Arrangement Cards Please! Almost everyone agrees that we should add more cards, so we will (provided the SG is unlocked). The question is just what should be on those cards. One half wants cards that work as an independent deck, like the Harmony, Melody or Lyric Deck. I'm gonna call pushing this one back a bit as developing another deck would cost quite a bit of time and I want all cards in the deck to be well tested.  

2) App Please! As some of you have correctly pointed out, doing this well is gonna be very expensive and so I've pushed this one back as well - but it is still totally an option. I'm currently talking with songcraft.io whether we can bring a digital version of the decks to life. This would be on their subscription model but it would be infinitely expandable! Let me know how you feel about that. 

3) Section/Song Type Cards Please!  About half of you want cards that serve as reminders for how to write sections or for categorizing songs. Designing these is feasible in the time we have and I think they'd be a great addition, so this is the next Stretch Goal I'm adding. I think we can do the section cards on 8 cards, and song types on 7, leaving us with 12 more cards that we can fill with other fun stuff. Let me know in the comments if you have any ideas for whatever could go on these 12 cards. 

I'm not gonna give you any ideas I might have this time - be creative! 

Stay gefährlich,

Friedemann

[Please respond:] Time to brainstorm new Stretch Goals!
over 4 years ago – Fri, Nov 22, 2019 at 08:16:42 PM

Time to brainstorm new Stretch Goals!

Admittedly, none of the stretch goals so far have really changed the product all that much - they're all cosmetic changes. And yes, those do matter, and when you're holding the decks you will totally be able to tell the difference. But:What we all really want to see is new components, am I right? 

We have reached a point I wasn't sure we'd reach at all less than 10 days into the campaign: It's time to brainstorm what the next Stretch Goals will be and YOU can be a part of that!

Comment with your Ideas!

From now on, I'm open to hearing suggestions as to what else we could add to the box. Please go to the kickstarter page and comment below this post with your ideas. 

Here's some ideas to get you started: We could add 28 more cards, unlock another language, turn the decks into an app, add a poster (which will have to be folded so it fits in the box), add stickers or pins or you get an exclusive songwriting course (livestream) just for backers. Again, these are just ideas - feel free to come up with your own.

My guess is that we'll add more cards, so here's some ideas for those: We could simply add a few new cards to each deck, we could start a new mini deck (rhythm or arrangement for example), we could add a deck with out-of-the-box ideas, I could design a little music themed card game, we could print cards with the different types of sections on them and how to write them well (i.e. a card would say "Bridge" on one side and give you instructions on the back), cards that explain different song types (i.e. opener, closer, single, etc), the ideas are plenty! Let me know your thoughts and if you like any of these!

Another Stretch Goal Unlocked: Thicker Box!

As of now, all boxes will be 2mm thick, which makes the box heavier and sturdier. It may not seem like much, but adding weight to the box really makes a big difference that you can totally feel when you pick up the cards. 

Just an example, obviously. 

Next Stretch Goal: UV Spot (€12,000)

If we unlock this one, all boxes will come with Spot UV. What is Spot UV you ask? Well, the whole box will be matte, but with Spot UV, another layer is put on top of the box that adds shine to the logo. 

Another Stretch Goal unlocked!
over 4 years ago – Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 11:09:55 PM

Added Linen Finish to all Rule Books!

Wow, that took, like, no time at all. I just posted the last update a few hours ago and we blasted through this stretch goal like it was nothing. This completes our Linen Finish Trilogy - the decks, the box and the rule book all have been upgraded. You guys are amazing and this puppy is gonna look and feel absolutely incredible. 

Next up: A thicker box!

Let's make sure your decks will always be well protected against bumpy car rides. The benefit is obvious: You will be able to throw them at your idiot drummer when his timing is off again. And who doesn't want to do that?

Thank you. 

It's been a ton of work preparing this campaign - I started working on the Songwriting Decks more than 1.5 years ago and have been actively working on the kickstarter since April. I went in expecting the worst and so far I must say it's really been a smooth ride. I expected tons and tons of questions or comments, possibly negative feedback or the like, but so far: Nothing or the sort, only good vibes as far as the eye can see. 

For that I want to thank you all. It really makes my life easier and it means I can use the time I had allotted for Customer Service to make the decks better and better, to design add ons for possible stretch goals and to prepare the designs so we can go into production as soon as possible. 

I also want to say thank you for sharing the campaign on social media so much - that really makes a huge difference and I can literally track back certain pledges to posts on Facebook or Instagram. So please: Keep sharing! We're in the same boat and the decks are becoming a better product for it. Sharing this campaign might just add more cards to this deck or make it possible to add new languages. 

Stay gefährlich,

Friedemann

Stretchgoal #2 unlocked, New Songwriting Exercise released!
over 4 years ago – Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 11:26:56 AM

UNLOCKED: All decks will now have Linen Finish Cards!

Yusss! We did it again guys! :) Thanks to our new awesome backers we have just unlocked linen finish for all 162 cards! This was an biggie for me personally as I really don't like the feel of cards without linen finish. 

And just to make this 100% clear: You are not paying for this upgrade. Every stretch goal we unlock is an added bonus for your decks and you don't have to pay a single cent for any of them. 

The next stretch goal will be adding linen finish to the rule book - and this is the last linen-finish-related stretch goal, I promise ;) Having the same finish on all components will make the whole thing feel more consistent, a more rounded product if you will. We need €11K for this one. Can we do it in 48 hours?

New Songwriting Exercise: Kiss of the Chords

Has it been two days already? In exercise #3, we take a first look at the Harmony Deck. I know I've already explained how the chord progression builder works in the trailer, but there's some cool additional features that I announce for the first time here:

The Songwriting Decks: German Version (Update)

Sadly, I don't have news on the German version so far, but with a substantial pool of backers from the land of the Bratwurst, I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to finance this for you guys. It's a little more expensive, but I think it would be seriously cool to have the decks in Nietzsche's mother tongue. 

Just an FIY: If we're gonna do this, I will be doing the translations myself (or at least do intense QC) to make sure the decks are up to the very high standards of the originals. And yes, you will be able to mix and match English and German decks in the Pledge Manager (or add either to your order). 

Want to help?

The biggest thing you can do to make the Songwriting Decks better is sharing the campaign with as many musicians as possible - or even just one other person. The more people that back our decks, the better they will be for everyone! The way I see it, we're in this together. The project is funded, now let's just make these decks as good as possible. 

Stay gefährlich,

Friedemann

Exercise #2: The Counter Chorus & Stretch Goal clarifications
over 4 years ago – Wed, Nov 20, 2019 at 02:11:16 AM

Exercise #2: The Counter Chorus

Oh yeah, it's that time of the week again! I just released another exercise for the Songwriting Decks on YouTube. This one is called the Counter Chorus and it's all about contrast:

"Wait... Do I have to pay more now?"

I've gotten some questions about the new stretch goal - mostly some of you are worried that you'd have to pay more now. I know it's counter intuitive, but that's the beauty of kickstarter: Every component upgrade we unlock is free of charge for all of you! I.e. the more people back the campaign, the better your songwriting decks will be! You don't have to pay a single cent for these upgrades. So you can just sit back and look forward to unlocking the next couple of stretch goals :)

Unless you want to help, of course. In that case: Please share this campaign online or with friends. The more backers we get the better for everyone!

Stay gefährlich,

Friedemann

P.S. Still talking to Panda Manufacturing about editions in other languages. Will update you once we can come to an agreement.