Eleven Principles of Songwriting

By Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: In yesterday’s article I spoke about the contrast principle, indicating that contrasting various elements within a song is a crucial part of keeping a listener’s interest. In my book “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” I outline eleven different principles that all work together when a […]

So How Many Notes Make a Good Melody?

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Read about Gary’s songwriting e-books here. ____________________________ If you study the songs that have made it big over the decades, you start to see certain commonalities: they show an identifiable contour, they usually have a climactic point, they’re usually comprised of mainly stepwise motion with […]

Why "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum Works So Well

by Gary Ewer, author of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” suite of songwriting e-books. Click here to read about those e-books. ____________________________ This great new song by Lady Antebellum demonstrates so many things that make great songs work so well. From how the melodies are constructed, how the verse moves into the chorus, the choice […]

5 Lyrical Clichés That Will Kill Your Song

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. It makes for fun reading to go online and find a site devoted to the worst songs ever written. The writers of these songs can at least console themselves with the knowledge that to be renowned for being bad requires the song (often) to have […]

Why The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" Has Been Such a Success

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Let’s get this much out of the way: The lyrics for “I Gotta Feeling” are not the reason it’s been such a successful chart-topper. But there’s got to be a reason why this song has enjoyed so many weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. This […]

How Lyrics Change as Your Song Progresses

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. ________________________ A good lyric is not necessarily good poetry, and in many cases doesn’t need to be. With Gary Ewer’s songwriters’ e-books you can discover how your lyrics can make a connection with the listener, how to create chord progressions, how melodies should be contoured, […]