Back in 1982 Bruce Springsteen released “Nebraska,” his sixth studio album. It’s the perfect example of “barebones.” Springsteen played all the instruments himself: guitar, harmonica, mandolin, glockenspiel, tambourine, Hammond organ and synths. He even recorded the album himself at home on a small 4-track Teac cassette machine. Stuck with how to get chords that fit […]
There’s probably no word less inspiring in the world of songwriting than “structure”. And let’s face it, when was the last time you thought about “structure” when you wrote a song? But the structure of a song can be a vital part of what makes it work. It’s easiest to think about what structure really […]
Beauty is one of those song characteristics that is incredibly hard to define, but we seem to know it when we hear it. Not every great song is beautiful. That’s because as long as a song makes an emotional connection to the listener, it’s usually going to work. Therefore, whatever we might define as beauty becomes […]
The quality of a song’s melody rates pretty high when it comes to listing elements of a song that are most easily recognizable by people. It’s what we hum, so it’s important. How hummable are your song melodies? Here’s something you should try with any song for which you’ve spent any time at all working […]
It takes more than a beautiful singer to make melodies beautiful. It’s all in how they’re constructed, and it’s not accidental. ____________ Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle, and discover the 11 principles of songwriting that the pros have been using for decades. NOTE: Buying the 10-eBook Deluxe Bundle gets you a FREE GIFT. To […]
Making a melody “beautiful” requires you to go beyond simply making it “good.” ____________________ Read more about how “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle can make you a top-level songwriter. ____________________ What is it about a melody that’s beautiful, as opposed to (or shall I say “in addition to”) good? The question implies that it’s […]
