Tom Petty

Comparing Lyrics From Different Song Genres

Get the eBook bundle that thousands of songwriters are using to improve their songwriting technique. No matter what genre of songwriting you examine, you’ll find a few commonalities when it comes to lyric writing: Good lyrics usually use common, everyday words. Good lyrics usually use a conversational style. Good lyrics exhibit an ebb and flow […]

Adele

Working With Bits of Failed Songs to Create Winners

There are ways to make sure that the various sections of your song connect well together. Some of them are obvious – like keeping a consistent key throughout, or keeping the tempo the same, and so on. It’s possible (and relatively common) to have various sections in different keys, but the connection comes from the choice […]

Piano and Guitar

5 Verse-Chorus Chord Progression Pairs

A verse-chorus chord progression pair refers to two progressions that move seamlessly one to the other, where one has those characteristics of a good verse progression and the other acts as a good chorus one. Before giving examples of these types of pairs, keep in mind that the easiest way is to create one progression that will […]

What Do You Love About a Good Melody?

Last week I wrote about the similarities between classical and pop music, and what today’s songwriters can learn from the classics. Today I want to look specifically at song melodies, and see to what extent the structure of a pop melody resembles that of a classical work. There is a book that is in great […]

Tips For Writing a Pre-Chorus Melody

Practicing your songwriting craft is a necessary part of getting better, but you may simply be reinforcing songwriting errors. It’s time to step back and take a look at how you write songs. Time to open your mind to the secrets of good musical composition. Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle, and take […]

10 Top Features That Show Up in Most Hit Songs

Learn from history! Here are the ten most common characteristics of hit songs, no matter when they were written. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and increase your song’s HIT potential. _____________ If you’re a songwriter and you aren’t listening to music from a decade or more ago, you’re missing out on an amazing opportunity to […]