For every key there are seven chords that naturally occur. You find these chords by building triads (i.e., 3-note chords that consist of a root, 3rd and 5th) above each note of the scale. So if your song is in A major, the seven naturally-occurring chords are: A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, and G#dim. […]
Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career! _____________ If you ever do an online search for lists of “the worst songs ever”, or “the corniest songs in music history”, you’re in for a fun time. When we talk about corny songs, we’re usually talking about song lyrics. We […]
Songs usually make use of several sections, all combining, of course, to make a complete musical composition. But for hit songs, it’s mostly about the chorus. Your verse, and pre-chorus if you use one, will describe a story, but what people want to hear is your reaction to that story. That reaction normally happens in […]
There are many reasons why a verse sounds like a verse and not a chorus. Decades (centuries, actually) of musical tradition shows us that verse melodies tend to be a bit lower in pitch than choruses. We also know that the tonic note and chord show up more often in a chorus than they do […]
Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle – Now with a 7th (free) eBook: “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro” _____________ Boring songs are hard to fix. That’s because when listeners are bored, they often can’t put their finger on why. There may be nothing obviously wrong, and yet the song […]
Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle. Over 390 pages of songwriting instruction, covering every aspect of how great songs are written! _____________ In Classical music, it’s usually known as binary form. In popular songwriting, we normally just think of it as a verse with two sections, usually without a chorus. Two-part melodies are a good […]
