“Everyone seems to agree that “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is an anthem and “Shake Your Booty” isn’t.” Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter An anthem is one of those kinds of songs that comes under the heading of, “Hard to define, but you’ll recognize it when […]
“Simply making Verse 2 louder than Verse 1 isn’t the answer. Simply making things louder doesn’t give you the natural energy build you’re looking for.” Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter I’ve mentioned recently in several postings that the basic energy level of your song should rise […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter Many of you know that I often compare writing a song with going for a walk. Songs are like journeys, and we take listeners on that journey with us. But without a plan, that journey can leave the listener feeling confused and […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter Probably the most clever aspect of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” is the melodic construction. Beautifully contoured, it’s what really makes the song work. It even displays writing technique usually reserved for more high-brow compositions, including melodic inversion. Here’s […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter The desire to write may be there, but often we get stuck just trying to come up with a topic. It’s frustrating, because you feel that the world doesn’t need another goopy love song. So how do you come up […]
Written by Gary Ewer Follow Gary on Twitter First, let me start by saying that most songwriters worry too much about their chord progressions. It’s actually not as important to get an interesting chord progression as it is to get one that actually works. But if you are looking for ways to get a bit […]
