Songwriting: Why Does Skill Matter?
Skill is a big part of the difference between an amateur and a professional. Just because…
Getting Your Song Stolen… Do You Need To Worry?
“If I play this song in public and it’s not copyrighted, isn’t there a good…
The Temptation: Produce & Record instead of Writing a Song
It’s more useful and important than ever for songwriters to be fluent with recording and…
Got a Great Songwriting Idea? It’s OK To Forget It.
There are probably two main ways songs start. One is having an idea, a musical…
The Best Way To Complete Your Song
When asked which came first, the music or the words, the great lyricist Sammy Cahn…
The Difference Between Writing and Rewriting Your Song
Writing is active. Moving forward, one note leads to the next, one word follows another.…
Inside ‘We Are The Champions’
Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ (written by Freddie Mercury) consistently intrigued me. I’ve always been…
The Unexpected Gift
There have been periods in my life, long periods, when I wrote two or three…
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…
Bring The Pain – To Your Songs
It’s common for songwriters to anxiously think something like, “when people hear my songs, then…
Take The Great Leap In Your Songwriting
Melodies are a songwriter’s secret weapon. More than any other part of a song, a…
How To Finish Your Songs
When asked which came first, the music or the lyrics, the great lyricist Sammy Cahn…
How Thinking Backwards Helps You Finish Your Song
When writing a lyric, we songwriters often have trouble answering a very mundane question: What…
Who’s In Charge… You Or The Song?
If I’m lucky, I start out a song with an idea I like – music,…
Afraid Someone Might Steal Your Song?
“If I play this song in public and it’s not copyrighted, isn’t there a chance…
Are You A Writer Who Isn’t Writing?
Recently I was with a friend of mine who’s in a creative field and quite…
How To Find Your Habit of Songwriting
It’s hard for most of us songwriters to write a bunch of good songs unless…
How To Organize Your Lyric Sheets & Chord Charts
I used to be lazy about keeping track of the songs I’d written. When I…
Don’t Worry About The Rhyme – At First
The way I often write lyrics that rhyme – and I don’t think this is…
Finding the Angle to Your Chorus
Often the trickiest part of writing a song is finding what I call the ‘angle’…
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