Pop Songs: What Checking the Fossil Record Can Do For Us

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” e-book bundle, and learn to write great songs. ____________ You might wonder why someone like me, with an interest in how today’s pop songs work, finds the music of Brahms or Beethoven (1800s) relevant to […]

Make a Chord Progression Longer With Passing Chords

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” e-book bundle, and save a bundle! 50% off! ________________ On a music forum recently I noticed a comment that went something like, “I don’t like the word ‘progression’ to describe the way chords move in a […]

Three Ways to Make Your Next Song Better

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” e-book bundle, and save a bundle! 50% off! _________________ Becoming better at something is a combination of experience and deliberate planning. If you want to be a better songwriter, you can’t keep doing the same old thing. Doing […]

Try a Repeating Melodic Shape to Get Songwriting Ideas

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Check out Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books– Get the most out of your songwriting abilities, and start writing hit songs! __________ Want a great way to generate melodic ideas for your next song? The method I’m going to describe in this article works great because […]

Writing a Compound Chorus: Beyoncé's "Single Ladies"

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Check out Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books– Get the most out of your songwriting abilities, and start writing hit songs! __________ A compound chorus is one which uses two or more distinct melodies and lyrics, each of which include the necessary characteristics of a chorus. […]

If You Have to Beg…

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” set of e-books, and turn your songs into something others want to sing. _____________ For every singer/songwriter, there are two worlds. The first is that tight group of Die-Hard-Fans made up of family and […]