Not every song is about the melody. For songs where the melody is kind of a neutral player, you’ll typically find that the rhythmic treatments, (especially background) will step up and take a leading role. In other words, the groove and feel become very important contributors. How you know that a melody is acting as a […]
If you’re looking for ways to make your progressions a bit more interesting without being too weird, there’s a simple modification you should consider: simply avoid overusing the I-chord. In a standard I-IV-V-I progression (C-F-G-C) the I-chord is the tonic chord. It’s the one that represents your song’s key. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with its use, […]
You may not know the song “Comme d’habitude“, written by French songwriters Claude François and Jacques Revaux, but you’ll no doubt know “My Way,” a big hit for Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and others. Paul Anka acquired the rights to the melody (for $1), and then penned a new English lyric that brought the song to […]
A sequence in songwriting has the benefit of tightening and strengthening musical phrases. You may be writing songs every day, but are you just reinforcing songwriting errors? Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and solve your songwriting problems today. ______________ In music, a sequence is a short melodic idea with accompanying chords that […]
Written by Gary Ewer • Follow Gary on Twitter • Write great songs consistently with “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle ________________________________ The Golden Mean, also called the Golden Ratio, is a mathematical ratio that artists, architects and musicians have used in the construction of their art form for centuries. Let’s skip all the mathematical complexities and jump […]
