Songwriter - Synth

Your Songwriting Success: It Always Comes Down to the Quality of the Song

It may seem to you that those songwriters who have had great success just have the right people in their corner. They’ve had the best chances, and quite possibly a healthy dose of good luck. And while all those things are probably true, there’s one thing that’s got to be in place before any of […]

Two guitarists-songwriters

What a Songwriting Process WON’T Do For You

I don’t want to say that thinking about your songwriting process is a waste of time, because it’s not. And I often write about the importance of process on this blog. But a songwriting process usually only attempts to give you a set of steps to achieve that song that’s bouncing around in your head. […]

Piano and guitar - songwriter

Melody-First Songwriting Means You Need to Have a Good Grasp of Chords

If you take a look back — way back — into the history of music composition, you’ll discover that writing music meant writing melodies. If you listen to something written in, say, around 1550, you’ll hear several melodies being sung together, harmonizing with each other, but not purposely creating chord progressions. The chords were incidental; chords […]

Tom Cochrane

Songwriting: Pairing Up Instinct With Knowledge

As a songwriter, you’re always trying to get the notes of your melodies, as well as the chords that accompany them, to sound somehow magical. At least, that’s the way most audiences will perceive what you’ve done. But hopefully you know that it’s not magic. It’s not even random, even though you may use improvisation and […]

Guitarist - Songwriter

4 Songwriting Myths You Need To Stop Believing

Do you find that writing a great melody is your biggest challenge? Melodies are great when they partner well with lyrics and chords. Learn more about that important partnership in “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting.” $27, but get it at a huge discount when you buy the 10-eBook Bundle. Who knows how many myths there […]