Neil Young

In Good Songwriting, You Can’t Tell a Listener What to Feel

To borrow an important observation from Barry Gibb, “Songs are about feelings.” To put it another way, if you haven’t caused your audience to feel something when they hear your songs, you’ve probably missed the point of songwriting. Emotions are funny things: you usually can’t tell someone what to feel. One event or circumstance can cause […]

Music Journal

Untrained Listeners Know More About Music Than They Think They know

So many songs in the pop genres succeed or fail based on the quality of the hook. “Hooks and Riffs: How They Grab Attention, Make Songs Memorable, and Build Your Fan Base” contains info that all songwriters need to write great song hooks. It’s part of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 10-eBook Bundle.” I used […]

Christmas Candles and Choir

Writing a Christmas Song That Connects With Friends and Family

Trying to get a handle on writing song lyrics? Discover the benefits of making a lyrics-first method your new go-to process with”Use Your Words! Developing a Lyrics-First Songwriting Process. It’s FREE right now when you purchase the 10-eBook Bundle. This is the time of year that you’re likely trying your hand at creating a Christmas […]

Songwriting frustration - crumpled paper

The Best Way

Lyrics become all the more powerful when they’re properly paired with a good melody. That’s what Chapter 5 is all about in the eBook “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting.” Polish your songwriting technique with the 10-eBook Bundle and get “Use Your Words! Developing a Lyrics-First Songwriting Process” FREE. There are lots of ways to get better […]

Writing word lists for song lyrics

Creating Word Lists: It Can Give You More Than Lyric Ideas

If you find that writing lyrics takes you a long time, creating word lists can be a big help. By building lists of words, you’re creating a vocabulary that speeds up the process of trying to find the right words: they’re probably all there in front of you, somewhere in your list. Word lists can […]

Folk Singer - Songwriter

On Being the Only Sound In the Room

“Hooks and Riffs: How They Grab Attention, Make Songs Memorable, and Build Your Fan Base” shows you how a good hook can make the difference between songwriting success and failure. With great examples from pop music history. Every conductor has phrases they mutter when things aren’t going well in rehearsal. I’ve had a good number of […]