The Uses and Misuses Of ‘We’
‘We’ is a pronoun that pops up a lot in songs. If you’re singing to,…
An Easy Way To Find New Song Titles
A month ago I wrote a song called ‘The Less I Know The Better’. Yesterday…
Staying Open To Songwriting Influence and Inspiration
Sometimes a songwriter is inspired – excited creatively and/or financially – to use a chunk…
Has Your Songwriting Routine Become A Rut?
There is of course no correct way to write a song; no right way to…
Finding A Lyric’s ‘Angle’ Makes It Much Easier To Write
A very common situation: I’ve got a Title and at least a substantial part of…
Don’t Let The Listener Get Ahead Of Your Song
It’s not a good sign, to put it mildly, when I get the feeling that…
The Spectrum Of Great Songwriters
Philosopher Isaiah Berlin famously separated writers and thinkers into two basic categories – Hedgehogs and…
Aretha Franklin, Songwriter: An Appreciation
Aretha Franklin’s stature as a songwriter will never equal her monumental accomplishments as a singer.…
Two Ways To Go Deeper In Your Lyrics
Each song is a custom-made world unto itself. Of course, like in any popular art…
What To Do When Your Song… Bores You
I’m working on a song and I lose interest in it because if I’m honest…
Remember… Your Songwriting Doesn’t ALWAYS Suck
There are days… there are days when I just don’t have it. I poke around…
Can Your Song Work With Three Sections Before The Chorus?
Songs with a Pre-Chorus almost always follow the same basic structure: Verse/Pre-Chorus/Chorus. Sometimes the Verse…
A Way To Make Your Melody Less Predictable
Like everyone, in my songwriting I have patterns I easily fall into. Comfort zone chord…
Is This The Most Overlooked Aspect Of Good Songwriting?
I’ve worked with a lot of songwriters. The single most glaring area of weakness I…
How Problems With Your Song Can Fix Themselves
I heard a great quote recently from songwriter Dan Wilson (Adele) about not worrying too…
Why Imitation Is The Sincerest Way To Get Better
I started out playing music on electric guitar and soon enough found a more congenial…
Why Does It Take 7 People To Write A Song?
This is a question I get asked pretty frequently these days. Especially by songwriters who…
Why Good Titles Are More Valuable Than Ever
The component parts of contemporary songwriting are going in many directions at once. While some…
9 Ways To Start A Song
The beginnings of songs are varied and often mysterious. In this blogpost I’ll go through…
4 Ways To Listen To Modern Songs… If You’re Used To Listening To 20th Century Songs
Many areas of modern pop songwriting are extremely innovative, historically speaking. A lot of songwriting…
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