Where Do Songs Come From? How Do You Start A Song?
The beginnings of songs are varied and often mysterious. In this blogpost I’ll go through…
Lyrics: Connecting The Dots – Part 2 (Frank Ocean)
Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean has been my favorite for a few months now. …
The ‘Problem’ Is Not Really A Problem
When I’m working on a song, I try to write down everything that comes to…
What A Difference A Note Makes
Recently I was listening to the great film composer Nino Rota’s music from The Godfather…
You Don’t Need An ‘Idea’ To Start A Song
I’ve worked with many songwriters who’ve said to me, “I’m not writing because I just…
On Christmas Songs – It’s That Time Of Year
This time of year, it’s amazing to me that everywhere I hear mostly the same…
Have You Tried Converting Your Ballads Into Uptempo/Dance Songs?
Last week I wrote about the added value of uptempo songs. This week the news…
In Football-and Songwriting-the last few yards can be the hardest
One of the things that I’ve heard the legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb say is that,…
A Good Melody Tells A Story – Without Words
A good melody tells a story – without the words. Of course I’m not saying…
The Great Leap (In Melodies)
Recently Frank Ocean, a singer and songwriter, has become very popular very fast. I read…
Avoiding Songwriting Predictability
We’ve all heard thousands, maybe tens of thousands of songs. Most of us now know,…
John Lennon: The Underrated Melodist
People love to categorize, and people particularly like to categorize in dualities – yin/yang, Apollo/Dionysius… …
‘It’s Having A Good Idea For A Song That’s Hard’
Lyle Lovett recently said, “I’ve always thought that writing isn’t really that hard. It’s having…
One Way To Break the ‘Rules’ of Songwriting: Iron & Wine’s ‘The Trapeze Swinger’
There aren’t really any ‘rules’ to Songwriting. Maybe one: Don’t bore the listener. But there…
The Delicate Balance: Music & Lyrics
Every song, by definition, balances music and lyrics. How well a song works often has…
The Melodies of Adele
Much has been made of the recent success of Adele – her powerful singing, throwback…
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