Lyrical Emotion: There's a Time and a Place

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. Here’s how to get your songs working right away! ______________ The simple “I’d do anything for you” lyric is usually a winner in the pop song world. Because you want your lyrics to make a personal connection with the listener, story lines that have to do […]

Which Chords Work Well in a Song's Bridge?

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and learn the difference between STRONG and FRAGILE progressions. ____________ The bridge is the part of the song that typically follows the second chorus, and it has a few reasons for existing. Chief among those reasons is the chance to leave the verse and chorus melodies and […]

Chord Progression Formulas: Good. Songwriting Formulas: Bad.

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and learn all you need to know about how great melodies work. A formula is simply a predictable procedure for writing music. In other words, you’re following a formula if you say, “Once I’ve done this, I need to do that…” For songwriters, there are two […]

How Melodies Reflect the Form of a Song

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle to learn more about how to create melodies that work. _______________ When we think of a song’s melody, we’re often thinking of it in the singular. The fact is, however, that most songs use a variety of different melodies, each one hopefully connecting smoothly to the […]

Your Song, and Triple-Level Lyrics

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and discover the secrets of a good lyric! Song lyrics usually do two things: they describe situations, and they describe emotional responses. It’s typical for verse lyrics to be where you tell a story, explain what’s going on, and basically set the stage, pulling the listener into […]

4 Ideas For What to Do With Your Song's Bridge

The bridge, sometimes called the “middle 8”, is the section that typically sits directly after the second chorus in many songs. There can be many reasons for using a bridge in your song, and no matter what the reason, the main purpose is to offer new melodic and lyrical material that contrasts with the verse […]