It’s Blues – Even When You Don’t Realize It
By now there must be millions of songs that use the incredibly durable and adaptable…
Can You Teach Someone To Write A Song?
Even when I’m ‘teaching songwriting’, I never think of it this way. I believe you…
Cutting What’s Not Essential Strengthens What’s Left
‘If it can be cut, then CUT IT OUT. Everything non-essential that you can eliminate…
Singing Helps Get The Lyric Right
In preparing for a recent gig I was, as usual before a show, singing my…
Bridges Are All About Momentum
In a Verse/Chorus song, Bridges usually happen a minute and a half to two minutes…
Work On Your Songs AND Your Skills
Every song I write is an opportunity. Not just an opportunity to write a good…
A Simple Way To Make Lyrics and Melodies More Musical
Songs with sections – Verses, Choruses, Bridges – in which every line has a similar…
What Do Nas, Sting, and Metallica Have In Common?
It’s a practical and sensible songwriting convention that, in a Verse/Chorus song, the Chorus will…
Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’: Getting Inside A Great Song
What makes Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ a great song, maybe one of the great songs? Greatness…
Amy Winehouse, Meet Irving Berlin: Modulations, Part 2
In last week’s post I covered two of the five general categories I laid out…
How To Use Modulations In Pop Songs
Modulations in pop songs… Some people love ’em. Some people can’t stand the sound of…
Was ‘Blurred Lines’ Stolen From Marvin Gaye? No.
The first time I heard Robin Thicke and Pharrell William’s Blurred Lines I thought, “This…
When The Words And Music DON’T Match… Sometimes It’s Great
Most songs have music and lyrics that match – moody music gets sad lyrics; happy,…
Mick and Keith Still Have Some Stuff To Teach Us
Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of vintage Rolling Stones’ songs in various places… and…
Quality Control: Taking A Song Apart And Putting It Back Together
I don’t have one ‘handy’ gene in me, so I’ve always been amazed when I…
How Do You Get Out Of A Songwriting Rut?
When I hear a song I like that’s either new, new to me, or that…
Think You Stole Your Melody From Another Song? You’re Probably Right… And Wrong
One of the most common things I hear from songwriters is that they’re afraid they…
The Joy Of Cutting
Buddhists preach non-attachment. Today, though I’m not religious, I will join their ranks, at least…
Lorde, Adele, MJ: The Art Of The Pre-Chorus
More than any other part of a song, the Pre-Chorus’s main function is to help…
Songwriting: What Creates Skill? Why Does It Matter?
Skill is a big part of the difference between an amateur and a professional. Just…
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