songwriter | The Essential Secrets of Songwriting

The Power of Creative Chord Changes

By creative chords, I mean any progressions that stray from the typical 3- or 4-chord changes that strongly reinforce the key your song is in. Standard progressions are the most common ones you’ll find in most of the pop genres, like: I-IV-V-I (C-F-G-C) I-ii-V-I (C-Dm-G-C) I-vi-IV-I (C-Am-F-C) I-vi-V-I (C-Am-G-C) There are more to add to […]

A First Step to Keeping Your Songwriting Output From Fizzling

I’ve always felt that the first step to keeping your songwriting output from fizzling is to have a well organized, tidy workspace. I don’t want to present myself as the model for this: I try, but like most people, my workspace can get a bit out of control. If you think it’s time to put […]

Melodies, Chords and Feel – Musical Ideas from Pat Metheny

I’ve been watching Rick Beato’s interview with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. It’s really great, and filled with a ton of information that’s incredibly helpful for musicians trying to make a go of it in the professional music world. I think what I love about it is that there’s very little time spent talking about gear, […]

Moving a Chorus Range Up an Octave For Musical Power

Back in 2000, Faith Hill had the number 1 country tune and pop single of the year with “Breathe” (Stephanie Bentley, Holly Lamar). It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty-one years since that song hit the charts! “Breathe” is a great example of a song where the range of the chorus notes is approximately […]

Great Songs Are the Best Teachers We Have

Recently the music world has been noting and celebrating the fifty-year anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album “Blue.” If you know this album, you will know that many will tell you that the lyrics are its most powerful element. And I agree with that sentiment. There’s not a weak song on the album. When you […]

What Kind of Help are Songwriters Looking For?

I’ve been writing this blog since 2008, and every once in a while I check my most popular posts, just to see what kind of help songwriters are looking for. Back in the early days, there was a clear indicator that it was articles about chord progressions that got the most visits. Then, starting around […]