Swapping the IV-Chord For a ii-Chord

Switching one chord for another – done most easily when both chords belong to the same class. ____________________ Check out “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle. Learn to write songs daily, even when inspiration seems lacking. ____________________ The Eagles’ first hit single, “Take It Easy“, nicely demonstrates how replacing one chord with another can subtly […]

Getting a Song’s Foreground and Background In Proper Balance

When too many ideas are vying for attention, the result can be musical chaos. ____________________ Read more about how “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle can make you a top-level songwriter. ____________________ There’s a good reason why most of the walls in your house are off-white. Pale, featureless walls provide the perfect backdrop for […]

A 250-Year-Old Music Lesson for Songwriters

Much of what songwriters do today was established at least 250 years ago in the composition of opera. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, – the complete songwriting package thousands of songwriters are using every day. _____________ I mention quite often on this blog the importance of individual song elements progressing as a song […]

Isolating Important Pitches Helps Add Structure to Song Melodies

Do your song melodies feel like aimless wanderings? Good melodies need at least a couple of “focus notes”. _____________ Read more about “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, the songwriting eBook collection that thousands of songwriters are using every day. _____________ Many songwriters find melodies hard to write — not an intuitive, natural thing […]

7 Tips For Making Better Use of Chord Progression Charts

Like anything in music, chord progression charts still require you to use some imagination. Once in a while, all you really want are some chord progressions that can get you going right away in the songwriting process. For this reason, many of you have collections of chord progressions that you keep nearby as you work […]

The Power of ‘We’

Creating a powerful rock anthem is not so much about you or me – it’s about WE. ______________ We usually rate the quality of the music we hear by the quality of the lyrics. In songwriting, the imagery that comes from well-crafted lyrics is everything. The more a song lyric speaks to us, the more it […]