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…
The One Unarguable Truth About Songwriting
There’s one fact of songwriting life that I’ve never been able to get around. It’s…
A Cheap Trick That Works… Sometimes
Going into a new key for your Chorus (every time; not just for the last…
What To Do When Your Song… Bores You
I’m working on a song and I lose interest in it because if I’m honest…
Remember… Your Songwriting Doesn’t ALWAYS Suck
There are days… there are days when I just don’t have it. I poke around…
An Easy Way To Do Your Song A Favor
As much as we might prefer it not to be so, the quality of a…
3 Ways To Make Your Chord Progressions Less Predictable
Something we may not think about much is how predictable the rhythms of chords usually…
Can Your Song Work With Three Sections Before The Chorus?
Songs with a Pre-Chorus almost always follow the same basic structure: Verse/Pre-Chorus/Chorus. Sometimes the Verse…
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