Singer-Songwriter

The Snapshot That Represents Your Song

I’ve got several analogies I like to use to represent what’s going on when we write songs. Sometimes I find it useful to compare it to going for a walk or a short journey. That’s a useful comparison because it emphasizes the fact that, like taking a walk, we are aware that songs have a […]

Guitarist - songwriter

Songwriting: Creating Instant Gratification

One thing all pop music subgenres have in common, with the possible exception of progressive rock, is that the songs are short. Most of the time you need to offer your audience a complete work of artistic expression that lasts four minutes or less. In the creative arts, that’s not very long. Back in the […]

Neil Young

The Camaraderie That Comes From Being a Performing Musician

What a time we live in! Technology has definitely changed the way music happens. Using a smartphone, you can sing and record song ideas to yourself, maybe going online to check out a rhyming dictionary if you need it, and possibly accessing a list of interesting chord changes for you to try. Then when it’s […]

Band in rehearsal

Getting Chords to Support the Mood of the Lyric

As a songwriter you likely already know the importance of having a strong partnership between the melodies you write and chords underneath them. That partnership between melody and chords is a crucial one. But don’t forget that lyrics are an important member of that partnership. And in that regard, the chords you choose can have […]

Bob Dylan

Your Longevity as a Songwriter

If you’re a songwriter, do you look ahead in time and assume that there will come a point where you’ll simply stop writing? I’ve heard several songwriters talk about this recently, and to be honest, it surprises me a bit. “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle” comes with an excellent Study Guide that’s meant […]

Songwriting

Does It Matter In What Order Your Song Comes Together?

New songwriters can be forgiven for thinking that there must be a right way and a wrong way to assemble a song. When we talk about songwriting process, there tends to be a belief that you should start with a certain element of a song (the lyrics, or the chords, or perhaps the melody) and […]