In The Era Of Oprah, Most Good Songs Are Still About Trouble
In this era of therapy, Oprah, ‘having a positive attitude’, affirmations, ‘the secret’, even ‘the…
We Respond To Songs Primarily As SOUND
When working on a song and concentrating hard on the component parts – lyrics, melody,…
Think Out Of The Songwriting ‘Box’: Drop A Bar!
We’ve all heard tens of thousands of songs. If a song is extremely predictable, most…
Returning To My List Of Song Titles
Some songwriters won’t even start a song without a Title they feel good about. I…
‘Write it down, no matter how dumb it seems at the time.’
I wrote a note to myself the other day – ‘Write it down, no matter…
Let The Words Change The Melody Sometimes
A very common songwriter’s dilemma is to have a melody line and a lyric for…
One Quick Way To Start Writing a Song From Scratch
Here’s one quick way to get started from scratch on writing a new song: Take…
News Flash: Melodies Can Improve!
It may seem overly obvious to state that melodies, like all other aspects of a…
Staying Off The Downbeat – with The Clash
When I react to a song emotionally, at some point I get interested in looking…
Writing Something Is Better Than Writing Nothing
Yesterday I posted a quote about writing (from William Stafford) – “When you get stuck,…
Sing The Words Like You’d Speak Them
This week I’m writing about one of the basic principles of Songwriting… but one that…
“What Should Come Next In This Song?”
Maybe I’ve written a Chorus… now what will the Verse be? Or I have a…
How To Harmonize A Simple Melody Creatively – by NRBQ
Top New York City guitarist Larry Saltzman recently reminded me of a song I love…
When Bad Tempos Happen To Good Songwriters
I’d bet that most songwriters have their ‘tempo comfort zones’. Many of us, including me,…
Bob Dylan’s Verbs… and What I Learned From Them
There are many extraordinary aspects to Bob Dylan’s songwriting… but today let’s consider his Verbs. …
Raising The Stakes Can Help a Lyric
One way to combat blandness in a lyric (a battle worth fighting) is to increase…
A Quick (Usually) and Effective (Sometimes) Way To Improve A Song
I’ve found that sometimes one of the quickest and most effective ways to improve a…
Major 7th Chords – Due for a Songwriting Comeback?
Listening to how great it sounds in Frank Ocean’s ‘Super Rich Kids’ made me realize…
There’s Always a Good Reason To NOT Write – Creating a Songwriting Practice
Near the beginning of most new Songwriting workshops or classes I do, I emphasize this…
Today’s Top 5 Ways To Make A Song Better
1) Improve The Melody Play the melody by itself, on an instrument. Play it very…
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