by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Looking to write a song, but stuck at the chord progression stage? Here are some you can try: i) Asus A Bm E F#m D Bm7 C# This one has a few interesting twists. We’re used to starting progressions on the tonic chord, but this […]
by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: You can spend a lot of time wondering if the song you’re writing works better in a major or minor key. So why not use both? Having a song that uses chords from a major key, then abuptly switching to minor (or vice versa), can […]
by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Did you know that chord progressions are not protected by copyright? That’s mainly because, try as you might, you can’t find an original progression. And if you can, it probably stinks. 😉 Not because you can’t write good progressions, but the good ones have likely […]
___________________________ I wish more songwriters would do the melody-first method. Coming up with the melody after endless strumming of chords can often result in a tune that is directionless and uninspiring. What probably scares writers off of writing a melody first is… how do you harmonize it? Getting a bit of understanding with regard to […]
by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Songwriters are always looking for ways to be more creative with chords. Some of the best ways involve simple modifications, and chord inversions offer great bang for the buck. You may know the term “inversion” by another term: “slash chords.” What it means is that […]
Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle is available now at a 50% savings! ________________________________ For many of you, what you really feel you need is a set of good chord changes that work. It’s […]
