We know from looking at decades of songs in the pop genres that the songs that really resonate with us and make us feel strong emotions are the ones that shift back and forth between sections of lower and higher emotions. “Use Your Words! Developing a Lyrics-First Songwriting Process” is FREE with your purchase of […]
Not everything you write is going to have hit potential, and you should be OK with that. It’s not because a song is poorly written; it has more to do with the fact that it pleasantly (and perhaps amusingly) strays a little into left field with regard to lyric, instrumentation or some other aspect of […]
I want to wish each one of you a very merry Christmas, and hope that, like me, you get to spend it with friends and family. And I hope that you’ve been able to use your musical talents to write songs that can become a part of your family sing-alongs for years to come. That […]
If you’ve got a melody, but don’t know how to add chords to it, you need to read “How to Harmonize a Melody.” It will show you, with sound samples, a clear step-by-step for adding chords that will make your melody sound great. In most pop songs, the chord progressions you’ll find yourself using will […]
If you write a bad song, you’re in good company. Every songwriter writes a bad one. Writing a lousy song is not a reason to stop. It’s not even proof that you’ve done something wrong. Sometimes, songs just don’t work out. If you’re ready to take your songwriting to its highest level possible, you need […]
What are you doing to improve as a songwriter? You’d probably answer that question by saying, “Well, I’m trying to write more“, or “I’m trying to become more consistent…” That’s one way of saying that you don’t really have a plan. No one improves without change. You want to get better at baseball? You change the […]
