How Lyrics and Melodic Shape Work Together

By Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Make songwriting enjoyable again! Check out “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle – available now at a 50% savings! ________________________________ Songwriting is the ultimate multi-tasking exercise. To do it well, you need to be carving out a […]

Everything Old is New Again!

•Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter for website updates, songwriting tips and more. • Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” suite of songwriting e-books at a 50% savings. _____________________ I think J. S. Bach would have made a great pop songwriter if he had […]

Rhythmic Contrast: The Long and the Short of It

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Purchase “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” bundle and get a free e-book. Make songwriting enjoyable again! ______________________________________________ The contrast principle has been mainstay of music composition for centuries. Basically, the principle states that whatever you choose to do in one […]

The Tension-Release Principle of Songwriting

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Clean up your songwriting technique. Purchase “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” bundle and get a free e-book. _________________ What keeps a listener listening? If you can’t answer that question, your songs may be relegated to the dust-heap of music history, along with all the […]

Assembling Songs from Bits of Tunes

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Get the e-books that are turning songs into hits. ____________ What does “A Day in the Life…” (The Beatles) and “No Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature” (The Guess Who) have in common? Both are songs that were created by putting two otherwise unrelated bits […]

Four Hints For Writing an Effective Hook

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Fixing just one or two things can turn your songs into killer hits. Read more here. ___________ Not every song has a hook that will jump out at you. But if you find your song is lacking something that draws the listener in, a […]