Writing a good melody requires several things all working together; chief among them are lyric and harmonies. A melody is good if it seems to complement the emotion of the lyric. The harmonies, of course, need to support the melody. Beyond that, there is another important issue which is often overlooked: melodic shape. Melodies need countour. While there […]
Many songwriters become fixated on one aspect of a song, to the detriment of the others. In my experience, more songwriters worry about their chord progressions than anything else. If you find chords hard to come up with, that fixation may make sense. But the most important element of a song may not actually be any […]
Chord progressions are funny creatures. We spend so much time looking for that elusive set of chord changes that are going to make the listener sit up and take notice. And actually, the best progressions are the ones that stay out of the way of the song. If your progressions are drawing that much interest, they’re probably drawing toomuch […]
You might think that when I talk about “strong” progressions I’m really talking about “good” ones, but that’s not what I’m referring to. A strong chord progression has a particular set of characteristics that contrast with the other category: fragile progressions.Good songs use a combination of strong and fragile progressions. So what is the principle […]
Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and become a top-level songwriter! ___________________ The vast majority of songs out there are written in a major key, so for those of you who avoid minor keys, you’re missing out on an entire palette of colours. Minor key music has a different feel, and a […]
There are many ways to write a bad song, but most of those bad ways will fall into one of the following categories: 1. Ignore the form of the song. The form is what makes the listener feel like they’ve been on a journey. Form, in essence, means that your song will make sense. 2. Make sure your […]
