Are you a non-stop songwriter? Sometimes, in the music world, moving forward happens best when you take a break and change your focus. And the summer can be a great time to take a few days away from that thing you love to do, and just do a bit of reading. Over the past few years I've been writing articles that relate to songwriting from almost every angle: composing, arranging, selling, and hopefully helping people solve those nagging little problems that crop up from time to time.

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And sometimes, the best thing you can do to solve a songwriting problem is to simply... pause. Take a break, perhaps for a few days or a week, and clear your head.

Since it's summer (where I live, anyway ;) now might be a good time to do a bit of reading. I've put links to 15 songwriting articles below, essays that I've written over the past 3 years. Just in case you're looking for a good reason to sit back and put the pencil/guitar down. (Each article below opens in a new browser window.)

Articles Relating to Song Form:

Intro: Top 5 Song Intros, And What We Can Learn From Them

Verse and Chorus: Comparing Verse and Chorus Structure

Pre-chorus: The Pre-Chorus Can Make Your Song More Memorable

Bridge: What Your Song’s Bridge Needs to Do

Hook: How to Write a Hook For Your Song

Chords and Harmony:

Making Chord Changes Work

How to Find the Chords that Belong to a Key

How One Chord Can Replace Another

How Pedal Tones Make Chord Progressions Sound Great

The Business of Songwriting:

Marketing Your Songs

What Does Copyright Really Protect?

Songwriting Collaborations Are Usually Win-Win, and Worth a Try

Other Songwriting Issues:

Song Energy: Why is My Song So Boring?

Orchestrating Songs: Adding Solo Acoustic Instruments

Vocal Harmonies: Vocal Harmonies Can Add Excitement

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