Hooks and Motifs: Keeping Listeners Listening

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career! _____________ What keeps a person listening to a song over and over again? Though you might describe it as undefinable charm, we do know there are some features of musical composition that make it more likely that people will keep coming back to […]

Songwriting, and a New Kind of 80-20 Rule

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career! ____________ Many of you are likely familiar with the 80-20 rule in business, which states that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients. In music, there’s a different kind of 80-20 rule, and it pertains to the predictability factor […]

Listening Outside Your Genre Improves Songwriting Skills

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career right now! ____________ It’s understandable; you usually only want to listen to the music that you love, the music you grew up with, and the music that you write. If you’re into metal, you’re not likely going to cozy up with the […]

5 Vital Steps for Developing a Great Lyric

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career right now! ____________ A lyric, like any other other element in a song, needs to sound spontaneous and natural. The relationship between lyric, melody, harmony and rhythm in good songs will feel unforced and easy, as if there’s no other good way […]

Does Music Theory Stunt a Songwriter’s Creativity?

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and be the best songwriter you can be! ______ Is it possible to create attractive, appealing song melodies without having a strong background in music theory? I believe it is, and I say that as a person who has had a career-long interest in teaching music […]

Songwriting: What’s the Best Starting Point?

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career right now! ____________ The cheeky answer to “What’s the best way to start a song” is, “Any way you want, as long as it’s not the same way you started your last song.” Usually, the way you start a song greatly determines […]