Making a Verse “Sound Like” a Verse

There are many reasons why a verse sounds like a verse and not a chorus. Decades (centuries, actually) of musical tradition shows us that verse melodies tend to be a bit lower in pitch than choruses. We also know that the tonic note and chord show up more often in a chorus than they do […]

The 7 Reasons Your Songs Might Be Boring

Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle – Now with a 7th (free) eBook: “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro” _____________ Boring songs are hard to fix. That’s because when listeners are bored, they often can’t put their finger on why. There may be nothing obviously wrong, and yet the song […]

Two-Part Melodies as a Complete Song Structure

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle. Over 390 pages of songwriting instruction, covering every aspect of how great songs are written! _____________ In Classical music, it’s usually known as binary form. In popular songwriting, we normally just think of it as a verse with two sections, usually without a chorus. Two-part melodies are a good […]

Starting Your Next Song With the Chorus

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle. Over 390 pages of songwriting instruction, covering every aspect of how great songs are written! _____________ A song is a musical journey, and in order for that journey to make sense to the listener, things need to unfold in a somewhat logical way. If your songs usually involve verses, […]

Working Backwards Creates Better Songs

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and get a new perspective on how great songs get written! _____________ If you were going to take a trip somewhere, it would be a bit strange to set out without having any idea of where you’re going. In fact, that kind of trip usually gets called a […]

Writing Song Intros that Can Do Double-Duty

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career! _____________ The main purpose of a song intro is to set up the basic feel and mood of what’s about to happen. It’s during the intro that you establish the key, tempo, and rhythmic foundation of the song. There’s another use for […]