Isn’t It Always Too Late To Be A Songwriter?
Although far from achieving all of my goals – or even most – I’ve established…
When Writing A Song Is Like Writing A Joke
Jokes may be the purest form of writing and performance. There’s a setup… then a…
What Makes A Song Sound ‘Beatle-esque’?
A lot of Lennon & McCartney’s early songs were what you might call ‘genre’ songs.…
Never Turn Away Your Songwriting Muse – A Lesson From Neil Young
I spend a lot of time, in my life and on this blog, thinking about…
It’s A Process. Later, You Call It Songwriting
It’s called writing. But, after some wandering in the dark, most songs that reach the…
Does It Matter What Key Your Song Is In?
There’s no question in my mind that, when writing a song, an awareness of what…
Are You A Writer Who Isn’t Writing?
Recently I was with a friend of mine who’s in a creative field and quite…
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…
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