Most songwriters dislike the word “formula” as it pertains to songwriting, because that word implies that there’s something about their music that’s predictable, something that’s been done so often before that we’ve been able to come up with a set of steps — a formula — that can guide you to the finished product. Thousands […]
If you write purely by instinct, it’s time to guide those instincts with songwriting knowledge. “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 10-eBook Bundle shows you, with sound samples and other examples, why great songs sound great. Comes with a Study Guide. It’s not unusual for songwriters to be able to come up with catchy hooks pretty […]
If you look at lists of songwriters who have become known as being “the best” over time, you’ll probably notice that their ability to write a good lyric is one of their most important qualities. There is a lot you can say about what makes writing a good lyric challenging, but certainly the need to […]
Writing a good song means creating an enticing musical journey for your listeners. Like most “real” journeys, it involves a place of rest and repose (often the end of a chorus), a journey outward (the verse and optional pre-chorus), and then the journey back home (the main chorus). It might also involve little side trips […]
You’re familiar with the genre of the “story song”, where the lyric amounts to “first this happened, then that happened.” But I’d like to make the case that, in a sense, all songs are story songs, where the lyric always works best if it creates a mini movie in the mind of the listener. “Best […]
There’s a lot of value that comes from writing songs quickly. Speedwriting requires you to use your musical instinct as a primary part of your process. And most good songs have a noticeably improvisatory sound, as if the singer and players are sort of making it up as they go along (in the best sense […]
