Songwriter in Home Studio

Are Songwriting Principles Genre-Specific?

In songwriting, a principle is a statement that attempts to explain why some aspect or element of music works the way it does. Principles are not rules, because a rule implies that it must (or at least should) be done a certain way in order for the music to be successful. But a principle makes […]

Guitarist - Songwriter

Problem Solving in a Songwriter’s World

What a world we live in. At the touch of a smartphone button, we can get the answer to anything we want to know. Tomorrow’s weather? Stock prices? What’s the migration path of the red-shouldered hawk? It’s our 21st-century world, and, leaving social media aside for the moment, there’s practically nothing bad to be said […]

paper & pencil - songwriter

When Songwriting Ideas Dry Up

It’s frustrating when you can’t come up with any good songwriting ideas. When that happens on random days, we call that normal. Creativity is not a tap you turn on with an endless supply of ideas at your disposal. It’s normal to have days when ideas just don’t seem to happen. Most of the time, you […]

Cheering Crowd

Cheering For Performances – Appreciating the Song

How long has it been since you’ve practiced songwriting? Improving your skills means studying the fundamentals and then working them, over and over. That’s what the 9-Lesson Course does for you. It’s part of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle” In sports, teams compete rather fiercely during their regular season to get home field/stadium […]

Guitar, Pencil & Paper

Who Do You Ask?

If you visit any of the many online songwriting forums, you’ll know that the most common comment/question you’ll find is some variation on “What do you think of my new song?” Who do you ask when you need help with a song? The songwriters asking for online opinions tend to be newbies who are genuinely wondering […]

Reaching Out: Your New Year’s Resolution for 2018

New year’s resolutions are hard to keep, mainly because the determination to fix something about your life needs more than an arbitrary date to inspire you. If you’re like me, you’re good for a week or two, but then you slide back into doing whatever it was you were trying to fix. As a songwriter, […]