Songwriting Patience & Persistence – A Lesson From Tom Petty
One of my favorite songwriting lessons comes by way of the late great Tom Petty…
Why Are Some Songs Easy To Write? And Some A Slog?
Some songs take weeks, months, even years to write… and even then they might not…
Working Backwards From The Rhyme Can Unlock Your Song
Instead of working from the beginning of the line and discovering the rhyme at the…
What To Do When “I’ve Used These Same Chords Too Many Times!”
I think most songwriters (who write music) feel at times that they go to the…
Inside ‘We Are The Champions’
Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ (written by Freddie Mercury) consistently intrigued me. I’ve always been…
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…
Writing Your Way Through Grief… And Everything Else
There’s a documentary on Netflix – ‘The Center Will Not Hold’ – about the writer…
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…
The $12 Gadget That Changed Pop Music History
It’s always been important to play your instrument ‘in tune’. But what does ‘in tune’…
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…
Stevie Wonder’s ‘Overjoyed’ – Under The Hood
I think Stevie Wonder’s ‘Overjoyed’ is one of the best songs of the last 50…
Start Your Song With A Bass Line… Here Are Some Who Did
With some songs all you need, musically, is a melody and a bass line. The…
Why And How To Avoid The Root In Your Melody
A good melody tells a story. It doesn’t just help tell the story of the…
Beware The Songwriting ‘Expert’ (Including Me)
I’ve been writing songs for a long time, and teaching and coaching other songwriters for…
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