by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Vocal harmonies can be the perfect touch your song is looking for. Harmonies have a lot to do with controlling energy in a song, so in that sense, how and when to use vocal harmonies is an issue of formal design; you can make your song […]
The term “modal chord progression” may technically be a bit of a misnomer. But in common usage, a modal progression could best be described this way: a set of chords that points to a note other than the tonic (key) note. In other words, if you’re using what appear to be chords from the key of A […]
Any working songwriter will tell you that writer’s block is one oftheir fiercest enemies, something they must constantly work against to keep at bay. A bad dose of writer’s block can completely sap the fun and enjoyment out of songwriting, and make you feel like a rank amateur. Writer’s block is, in short, the inability to summon the […]
A songwriting formula is a process. It’s the way you write, the procedure you follow for creating a new song. And it can be, over the long term, your worst enemy. Here’s why. The very term “formula” implies that it’s a method, or set of steps, that’s been done many times before. The good thing about that is […]
It’s pretty obvious that the most important concern regarding chord progressions is to have one chord move smoothly to the next. There’s nothing worse than chords that just don’t feel right. A bad set of changes can actually kill an otherwise pretty good song. But that’s not the only job of a good progression. It’s important […]
Why do so many songwriters swear by the power of the hook? It’s because the hook, by definition, can reel in a listener, and keep them humming your song all day long, for days, weeks and even years to come You can’t ignore the power of a well-placed, well-composed hook to drive your song into […]
