Lyrics Aren’t Just Words
Lyrics on a page or a screen can be deceptive. They can ‘read well’, they…
Can You Handle The Truth?
As a college student Arthur Miller wrote a play, his first, and entered it into…
It’s 2019. Does The F-Bomb Still Have Explosive Power?
In a Senate hearing this week, televised live, Lindsay Graham said the words, “Donald Trump…
When Not-Thinking Is Better Than Thinking
When writing a song, I can’t imagine any predetermined or ‘correct’ balance between using the…
How (Not?) To Keep Track Of Your Lyrics & Chord Charts
I get lazy about keeping track of the songs I’ve written. Sometimes I need to…
How To Use the ‘Tender Notes’ In Your Melodies
This week I make a pitch for the use in melodies of what I call…
The Power Of Suggestion and Preconceived Notions To Affect Your Writing
Many years ago, when I was playing and producing other people’s songs and not my…
‘Just My Imagination’ – An Appreciation Of A Great Song
I recently was invited to see the new Broadway show about The Temptations, ‘Ain’t Too…
Is Your Chorus Really A Pre-Chorus?
A while back I attended a Songwriters Hall Of Fame Masters Session @ NYU that…
The Songwriting Balance Between Confidence and Humility
“Ideally, when things fall out well, you shouldn’t feel clever, you should feel lucky.” –…
The Songwriting Balance Between Confidence and Humility
“Ideally, when things fall out well, you shouldn’t feel clever, you should feel lucky.” –…
Why The Beatles Didn’t Write As Many Great Choruses As You Think
In discussing great Choruses, The Beatles usually come up; no discussion of superior songwriting is…
When To Write A Song Using Less Than 20 Words
Sometimes songs with very few words can be really effective. I’m not talking here about…
Take This Step Before Recording Or Performing A New Song
I recently wrote a song call ‘Rise To Your Love’. Given the feel of the…
Unblocking The Songwriting Channel – A Lesson From Carole King
“Another thing I do is I might play someone else’s material that I really like…
Songwriting Patience & Persistence – A Lesson From Tom Petty
One of my favorite songwriting lessons comes by way of the late great Tom Petty…
Why Are Some Songs Easy To Write? And Some A Slog?
Some songs take weeks, months, even years to write… and even then they might not…
Working Backwards From The Rhyme Can Unlock Your Song
Instead of working from the beginning of the line and discovering the rhyme at the…
What To Do When “I’ve Used These Same Chords Too Many Times!”
I think most songwriters (who write music) feel at times that they go to the…
Watch the ‘Ask Tony’ Videos
