How ‘4Chords/4Bars’ Songs Took Over The World
In the world of popular song, there’s nothing new in using what might be called…
The Whys & The Ways To Improve A Melody
This is a followup to my last post about being willing to rewrite to get…
To Get Past The Cliches, You’ve Got To Explore
Many of us writers get very discouraged when our first version of an idea comes…
How Contemporary Songs Are Different; Part 2: Melody
I gave a talk at our Songwriting Day event in 2016 about the ways in…
NEW Video blogpost: ‘Why Are Songs Different Today?’
Thank you for reading my weekly blogposts! I’m starting something different this week: a series…
When To Start Your Song With The Chorus
Most commonly, Verse/Chorus songs start with the Verse and build into the Chorus. This allows…
Can You Write A One-Chord Song?
Have you ever tried writing a song with just one chord? This is an assignment…
Jay-Z and Bruce Mythologize Themselves In Their Songs… You Can Try It Too
I recently finished one of the best books on Songwriting I’ve ever read: ‘Decoded’ by…
What A Difference A Note Makes (In A Chord)
In a song I’m currently working on, there’s an 8 bar section where I started…
How To Use A Minor Chord… When The Ear Expects Major
I’ve been listening to a couple of songs I really like that use the same…
Ways To Learn From The Songs You Love
Recently I came across a quote from artist/songwriter Aloe Blacc. What he said seemed almost…
It’s Usually Good To Know What Your Song’s About
I post songwriting-related quotes on Facebook regularly; not always because I agree with them but…
Let Us Now Praise Smokey Robinson
Let’s take a moment to praise one of the 20th Century’s great songwriters, universally acknowledged…
Songs, Like Art, Can Range from Realism to Abstraction
I don’t know much about art but… wait for it… On the wall at my…
Like ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’, Your Ballad Might Be A Dance Hit
Most people know Mike Posner’s ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ from the SeeB EDM…
What Makes Rihanna and Drake’s ‘Work’… Work
The more I listen to “Work’ by Rihanna (featuring Drake) – the video’s below – …
The Quickest Way To Bring Fresh Ears To A New Song
Deep into a new song, at some point it becomes hard, almost impossible, to get…
Why You Sometimes Like Songs With Bad Lyrics
In a song, everything is sound. So, before we even perceive the content of lyrics…
When In Doubt… Follow The Melody
A songwriter for whom I’m producing an album recently asked for my ideas about what…
Inside An Indie Song That Became A Hit
‘Lost Stars’, sung by Adam Levine in the movie ‘Begin Again’, is a powerful and…
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