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…
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…
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…
Don’t Forget About The SOUND Of The Words
As far lyrics go, where the rubber meets the road is how the words Sing. …
When And Why Should I Put A Bridge Into A Song?
Although the Bridge of a song can be delightful, by the time it comes along…
Today’s Top 10 – Most Common Songwriting Mistakes, Part 2
Everyone’s heard thousands of songs. If a songwriter isn’t on her or his game, even…
Keeping The Listener Off-Balance… And Involved
The two very different great songs we’ll look at today use the same device to…
Making The Lyric, When Sung, Feel Like It’s Being Spoken
It’s good to remember that writing melodies and words for songs relates very strongly to…
Against Punctuation (On A Lyric Sheet)
Not all punctuation. I’ve got nothing against apostrophes. But most punctuation that’s put on a…
Thinking Backwards From The Title
Many people who write and teach fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, etc., suggest that writers not go…
An Explanation Of Not Explaining
I think a reader of this blog, no matter how occasional, might notice how much…
When Starting A Song, 10 Thoughts Worth Ignoring (At First)
1) This sucks. 2) I stole this melody from another song – I just don’t…
10 Cool Things About ‘Refugee’ by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Refugee (Tom Petty/Mike Campbell) In no particular order: 1) Extremely economical songwriting – The Verse…
The Song & The Songwriter’s Emotional Attachment To It: Two Different Things
Many if not most songs start with the writer having a strong emotional connection to…
‘Maybe I’m The Only One Who Feels This Way…’
‘Maybe I’m the only one who feels this… or thinks like this… or sees it…
Listening (Not Going) To ‘Rehab’
Listening again recently to Amy Winehouse’s really good song ‘Rehab’, I was struck by several…
“Shame isn’t for writers. You have to be shameless.” – Philip Roth
The great Philip Roth was talking about being shameless in the writing, not in one’s…
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