Most songs make use of contrasting characteristics as a way of keeping listeners interested. You might get a song with a verse that’s quiet, at least in comparison to the chorus. “Smells Like Teen Sprit” (Nirvana) is a good example, and practically any power ballad. If you’re looking for one set of eBooks that will […]
Most songs will keep the same key from beginning to end. For songs that do change key, the most common circumstance is when you have a minor verse that moves to a major chorus. You hear this in lots of songs. I did a video a while back regarding how songs change key, and referred […]
As you know, an earworm melody is one which gets stuck in the mind of the listener which, even with great effort, won’t easily relinquish its grip. When we’re experiencing a melody as an earworm, we don’t usually describe it as a pleasant experience. There’s an interesting recent study on earworm melodies, “Dissecting an Earworm: […]
Back in the early 70s the band Chicago recorded “Happy ‘Cause I’m Going Home” (Robert Lamm) for their second album. What I love about the chord choices is the primarily minor key feel at the beginning — F#m-Bm — in a song that’s supposed to be about being happy. There’s a chorus-y section where the […]
“Writing a Song From a Chord Progression”: Discover the secrets of the chords-first songwriting process. It’s part of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle” Songwriting should be, at least on some level, fun. It’s not something you’d do unless you were getting a certain level of enjoyment from it. But if lately your songwriting sessions are frustrating […]
The FREE DEAL continues… Get “Use Your Words!” free with your purchase of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle”, and learn how to develop a lyrics-first songwriting process. First, the easy answer: a songwriting collaboration is never a good idea if it means making compromises that you aren’t happy to make. So if you’re […]
