What's the Difference Between a Hook and a Motif?

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle is available now at a 50% savings! ________________________________ A motif is a musical idea that keeps recurring throughout a song. This may be a rhythmic fragment, it might […]

You've Got a Chord Progression- How Do You Create a Melody?

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle is available now at a 50% savings! ________________________________ Many songwriters start with chords, then create a melody as they strum on those changes. But most texts that teach […]

Four Suggestions for Dealing With Writer's Block

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle is available now at a 50% savings! ________________________________ As you likely know if you’ve read my blog or my e-books, I am a big fan of not waiting […]

A Good Hook: Keep it Short, Make it Catchy

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Write great songs consistently with “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle ________________________________ There are a lot of myths surrounding the role and importance of the hook in a song. There’s sometimes a belief that all […]

Even in the Songwriting World, Opposites Attract

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Write great songs consistently with “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle ________________________________ Some of the features of good songwriting have been with us for centuries. For example, composers have known for a very long time […]

Songwriting is a Process, Not an Event

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Write great songs consistently with “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle ________________________________ The simple fact that songwriting is a process, where the final product can take anywhere from days to years to complete, may […]