At What Point Does It Become A Co-Write?
When I work with songwriters as a producer or musician, in a workshop or class, or…
How To Surprise Your Listener
Working on a new song recently I was faced with a typical songwriting problem. One…
Melody: Keep The Shape, Change The Inversion
Sometimes I get the shape of the melody right, but not the register. Let’s say…
Why Your Musicians Don’t Know Your Lyrics… And Why It May Not Matter
A big part of my preparation and education, if you want to call it that,…
The Chords of ‘Wichita Lineman’ Blew Me Away
The recent loss of Glen Campbell – a music business legend if there ever was…
What Happens When You Discover Your Title? Focus Happens.
Irving Berlin’s classic songwriting advice to “repeat the Title as often as possible so people…
Developing Songwriting Mindfulness
What does it mean to be a Songwriter? Well… if you write songs, you’re a…
Where To Place Your Title
If you’re writing a Title-based song – where the Title is the most important lyric…
How To Use Every Chord In The Book and Still Have A Hit Song
One of the things most current hit songs have in common, other than non-stop melody…
Songwriting Tools Are Not Rules
There are a lot of truisms in songwriting – old school rules of thumb that…
Don’t Let The SOUND Put You Off Current Pop Songs
Some people born in 1990 listen to certain current pop recordings and can’t relate to…
5 Ways To Evaluate Your Songwriting
Why evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your songwriting, an exercise that can be somewhat…
The World’s Best Songwriting Tool
There are many elements that make up a good or great song. Music: melody, harmony,…
Two Ways To Improve A Melody
1) Play or sing the melody, accompanied by only the bass notes (no chords). You…
How To Find Your Intro
They’re important. They’re the first thing people hear. But Intros – aka the part before…
Who Should Win The Argument In Your Song?
When you have a team working together, especially a talented one, not everyone’s going to…
Staying Open To Last Minute Changes In A Song
Once I get a new song rolling I usually have some idea of where it’s…
Under The Hood Of An Exceptional Song, part 2 (lyrics)
The lyrics of ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ celebrate the surface qualities of the song (dance,…
Under The Hood Of An Exceptional Song, part 1 (music)
Katy Perry’s ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ (written by Perry, Max Martin, Sia Furler, Ali Payami,…
The Most Fun Way To Write A New Song
Songs happen in all kinds of different ways (see some examples here), but for me…
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