Got a Great Songwriting Idea? It’s OK To Forget It.
There are probably two main ways songs start. One is having an idea, a musical…
Why Lyrics Are Harder To Write Than Music
Some songwriters don’t do music; they just write lyrics. Some just write music; no words.…
Why Your Lyrics Don’t Match Your Song
We all have an ongoing internal monologue. It changes as we move through our day…
The Best Way To Complete Your Song
When asked which came first, the music or the words, the great lyricist Sammy Cahn…
Where Should Your Song’s Title Go?
What’s a Title-based song? I’d say one in which the Title phrase – of words…
The Difference Between Writing and Rewriting Your Song
Writing is active. Moving forward, one note leads to the next, one word follows another.…
How To Write Simple and Direct Lyrics
In a song, music, especially melody, almost always carries more weight than words; especially when…
How To Make 3 Chords Explode
Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of vintage Rolling Stones’ songs in various places… and…
Inside ‘We Are The Champions’
Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ (written by Freddie Mercury) consistently intrigued me. I’ve always been…
How To Fix a ‘Key’ Problem With Your Song
The key in which you write a song often occurs randomly. You happen to start…
Don’t Be Afraid To Change Your Song’s Title
My friend Marc Blatte, a hit songwriter himself, tells me that he had conversations, individually,…
The Unexpected Gift
There have been periods in my life, long periods, when I wrote two or three…
Are Your Lyric Themes Obsessive or Just Habitual?
In our lyrics, most of us tend to write about the same things over and…
How Do You Get Out Of A Songwriting Rut?
When I hear a song I like that’s either new, new to me, or that…
How To Keep Your Melody Alive
A good melody tells a story. It doesn’t just help tell the story of the…
Let The Words Change The Melody
We songwriters spend a lot of time contending with what I call the ‘crossword puzzle’…
Bring The Pain – To Your Songs
It’s common for songwriters to anxiously think something like, “when people hear my songs, then…
Take The Great Leap In Your Songwriting
Melodies are a songwriter’s secret weapon. More than any other part of a song, a…
How To Finish Your Songs
When asked which came first, the music or the lyrics, the great lyricist Sammy Cahn…
How Thinking Backwards Helps You Finish Your Song
When writing a lyric, we songwriters often have trouble answering a very mundane question: What…
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