Seven Progressions that Use Altered Chords

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and discover the secret of getting chords to work. An altered chord is simply one which doesn’t naturally occur in a given key. Altered chords add musical interest to a song by creating a small harmonic surprise. They work particularly well as accompaniment to melodies that are […]

Song Lyrics: the Beauty of "Light-Duty" Metaphors

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and discover why good lyrics are good. __________________ There are very few song lyrics out there right now that tell a story in a literal way. We know that verse lyrics need to describe situations and lay out a story line, but if you look at lyrics […]

Which Chords Work Well in a Song's Bridge?

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and learn the difference between STRONG and FRAGILE progressions. ____________ The bridge is the part of the song that typically follows the second chorus, and it has a few reasons for existing. Chief among those reasons is the chance to leave the verse and chorus melodies and […]

5 Tips for Choosing a Song's Key

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and get HUNDREDS of chord progressions, and TONS of songwriting advice! _____________ As a first step to choosing a key for your song, you’ll want to be sure, naturally, that the chosen key allows the song to be singable by you, or whoever you’re writing it for. […]

Can Studying Old Hit Songs Help Us Today?

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and discover how to write great songs. It’s important to stay current in the songwriting world, and be familiar with what the new music of today sounds like. It keeps you up-to-date particularly with the sound and performance style of today’s music, which is always changing. […]

Rihanna's "Only Girl (In The World)": Implied Harmonies and More

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and discover how to write great songs. __________________ It’s important to hear things repeat within a song, but the danger is if something repeats so much that it becomes boring. The obvious answer is to have things repeat in slightly different ways, so that each time […]