How to Find the Chords that Belong to a Key

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Good songs sell! Check out “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle – available now at a 50% savings! ________________________________ For a lot of songwriters, finding the chords that fit with a given key causes a mass […]

If Your Song Lacks Excitement, Here's What to Do

From “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website:   If you find that some aspect of your new song bores you, don’t toss it out. The solution may be easier than you think. Take a look at these tips and see if one of them does the trick: 1- Take another look at the basic rhythm of […]

Breathe Life Into Your Chord Progressions – With Pedal Tones

A bad chord progression can kill a song, but don’t assume that a good chord progression must grab your attention. Many of the best songs in the world use very basic chords which, by themselves, are probably a bit boring. That’s because a chord progression must work with your melody and lyrics without pulling focus. […]

Billboard Top Ten Pop and Country – August 23

From Billboards Top 100 List, here are the current top ten From the issue dated August 30, 2008: Rihanna: Disturbia David Archuleta: Crush Chris Brown: Forever Katy Perry: I Kissed a Girl Coldplay: Viva La Vida M.I.A.: Paper Planes Kardinal Offishall Featuring Akon: Dangerous Rihanna: Take a Bow Ne-Yo: Closer Taylor Swift: Change   From […]

Guest Article – "Where Do I Go From Here?"

This is a guest article for “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website, written by songwriter Luc Brisson. Luc would appreciate any feedback to his comments or music, so please feel free to leave a comment below. ______________   Hello everyone, fellow songwriters. I’m a relatively new singer/ songwriter/ arranger/ instrumentalist- about 3 years in the process, […]

Songwriting Software

Occasionally I’m asked about software for songwriters. It’s tricky to recommend one over the other, because by the time you’ve been using one piece of software for years, other programs become irrelevant to you. It’s best to do your research, read online forums, and gather as many opinions as you can before buying. But that […]