How I Learned To Call Myself A Writer
As regular readers of this blog know, I came late to taking my songwriting –…
As regular readers of this blog know, I came late to taking my songwriting –…
Something that comes up frequently in songwriting discussions is the idea that it’s important for…
Something I’ve encountered frequently with songwriters I’ve worked with, one of the most common songwriting…
Musicality and Sound are parts of lyric writing that can be easy to neglect, but…
It’s happened to me before. I fall into the trap of comparing the relative value…
Having written the main pieces of a song (say the words and music for a…
Robert Caro is one of the greatest non-fiction writers of our time, or any time.…
I doubt that anyone could define what makes a melody great. But in considering what…
Recently I was reminded of a sobering truth about songwriting. A truth I forget on…
As beautiful as they can sometimes be, and as much as they can add to…
Writing is a habit, a routine. Like all habits and routines, it’s much easier to…
Before I commit myself to a musical phrase, especially when it contains a Title, it’s…
There’s imagination… then there’s believing in one’s imagination, having a certain confidence that you can…
I’ve often said that the most dangerous word in songwriting is ‘IT’. As with any…
You don’t have to play your song in the key in which it was written.…
I was listening to Rick Rubin’s podcast, Broken Record. He was interviewing Barry Gibb of…
It’s not uncommon for songwriters to be asked, “What’s this song about?” The question is…
Writing songs with hooks that are just sounds, without literal meaning, is a special talent,…
‘An audience wondering is not an audience emoting.’ – Alfred Hitchcock The British master director…
Songwriters, all writers, get their work done in many ways. But it’s hard to get…