A few weeks back I wrote about the need to save your failed songs. That’s because you might be surprised how something that sounds completely lame in one setting will sound much better in a different one, and it’s important to leave that option open. That’s got me thinking about something similar today: our negative […]
The following is an excerpt from “Beating Songwriter’s Block: Jump-Start Your Words and Music“, Chapter 6: Verses, Choruses, Bridge: The Moving Parts. It’s a book I wrote two years ago, published by Backbeat Books, a subsidiary of Hal Leonard Corporation: Music, in all the diverse ways in which songwriters create it, comes from what could be thought […]
There are commonly-used words in the music world that have several meanings, depending on who’s using the word, and the context in which the word is being used. For example, you’ll find that the word “hook” can mean a short, catchy bit of music, but it also might mean an entire chorus — depending on who’s talking, and on […]
Here’s a quick tip for writing a lyric that helps to ensure that your verses are descriptive in nature, while your choruses mainly express an emotional response to those descriptions: Choose a topic for your song. Make a list of words that pertain to your song’s topic. Circle the words that seem to be mainly […]
An important first step to being a successful songwriter is to finish songs. If all you have are bits of ideas, with nothing resembling a completed song, you’ve got a huge psychological hurdle to get over. Just finishing something — even if it isn’t what you think of as “good” — gives you a positive shot in […]
Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” Deluxe eBook Bundle. Ten eBooks that describe every aspect of how to get your songs sounding better. Read more. Follow Gary on Twitter Are you stuck, creatively? Everything you try to write just turns into garbage within 2 minutes? It may seem strange to say this, but you might not be […]
