Frustrated songwriter

Controlling An Audience’s Mood With Your Songs

How do you make people think something with music? It’s amazing that simply hearing the air vibrate can do that, but such is the strength of being a member of the human race. I’ve mentioned on this blog before that some songwriters, like Paul Simon, like to compose music (melody and chords) and then decide […]

Songwriting Technique: 5 Ways to Create Dynamic Shapes

Change the impression of how loud your music is with these 5 ideas. __________________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and revitalize your songwriting technique! __________________ In music, we use the term “dynamics” to refer to volume (loudness). Just like most other elements that go together to produce a song, altering dynamics can […]

The Value of Improvisation in Pop Songwriting

Improvisation is a vital part of pop song structure, and should be practiced daily. _____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and learn the 11 principles crucial to any songwriter’s success. _____________ There’s an interesting difference between the performance of pop music and Classical music, and it’s this: any one performance of a piece Classical […]

In Songwriting, What Is a Natural Energy Shape?

“Natural” energy is more important than energy that’s created at the production stage. Here’s how to create it. _____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 10-eBook Bundle, and solve your songwriting problems TODAY. _____________ Predictability is not a good word in the songwriting world, but there are certain things you don’t mind being at least somewhat expected. For […]

Using Deceptive Cadences to Boost a Song’s Energy

Extending chord progressions by using deceptive cadences will entice listeners to keep listening. __________________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. Write smarter – Tap into your creative mind. __________________ One of the important ways that songwriters build energy is by creating an expectation, and then avoiding it. Here’s what I mean. Most songs are a musical […]

Creating a Powerful Chorus With a Key Change

Sometimes the best key changes are the startling ones, the ones that make you blink and shake your head. Someone wrote me a while back to ask what was going on harmonically in the song “Your Dark Side” by The Morning Benders (now known as POP ETC), specifically between the verse and the chorus. It’s […]