Adele | The Essential Secrets of Songwriting

Building a Sense of Anticipation in Your Melodies

Recently I wrote about the musical power that comes from starting progressions on a chord other than the tonic chord. By avoiding the tonic, the listener subconsciously wants to hear it, and so it creates a very powerful sense of musical energy: the listener is willing to wait to hear the tonic eventually happen. Songwriters […]

Getting the Most Out of a Song’s Hook

For most songs in the pop genre, the bit that you really love will be some short, catchy fragment. That fragment — the hook — is the bit that you’ll remember forever about that song. Long after you’ve forgotten almost everything else, you’ll remember that hook. “Hooks and Riffs: How They Grab Attention, Make Songs Memorable, […]

Sharpen Your Songwriting Chops With “Hello” (Adele)

Songwriters know (or should know) that songs are the best teachers. When you hear something you love, the artist in you instinctively wants to know why you love it. Through that kind of simple musical curiosity, you begin the next stage in your development as a writer. Adele’s “Hello” (co-written with songwriter-producer Greg Kurstin) is a […]

Using Melodic Range Effectively in Your Songwriting

If you spend any time at all comparing verse and chorus melodies, you’ll notice right away that verses often centre in on one or two pitches. And it may not be that they sing those one or two constantly, but you’ll hear everything coming back, over and over again, to those couple of notes. A […]

Building a Song Around a Chorus Hook

Creating a chorus hook starts with finding a really catchy three or four words. _______________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”, and become a top-tier songwriter starting today! _______________ There are many different ways that a songwriter can “hook” a listener. By definition, anything in a song that keeps listeners humming it, and keeps them […]

A Well-Placed Motif Can Be As Important as a Hook

A repetitious element, like a motif, adds important structural cohesiveness to songs of any genre. _____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and learn the 11 principles crucial to any songwriter’s success. _____________ In songwriting, there are two elements that owe their existence and noteworthiness to repetition. One is a hook, that repeating element that […]