Got a Great Hook… But What Now?

Coming up with a good hook probably isn’t the toughest part of songwriting. Knowing what to do next is. ____________________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle – Powerful and Effective songwriting instruction. ____________________ Especially in the world of pop songwriting, hooks can be very important. There are a few reasons for this: Pop songs […]

Creating Melodies by Inverting Musical Phrases

Flipping melody ideas upside-down can help create longer melodies that have a great sense of structure. ______________ Whether we realize it or not, the human brain is able to constantly and spontaneously create ideas all the time. For example, every time you speak to someone, you are uttering words that, just a few seconds earlier, […]

Where to Place a Climactic Moment in a Song Melody

A climactic moment makes music memorable, and adds energy and excitement. _______________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and build your audience base! _______________ Songs usually have several so-called climactic moments, but the moment that usually counts as the most significant is the one that happens in the chorus. In a way, a […]

The Beauty of Simplicity

Simplicity is one of the most important characteristics in powerful music. _______________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle: Songwriting instruction that’s powerful and effective! _________________ Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and her most recent album, “Voyageur”, has a beautiful song called “House Full of Empty Rooms“. Every once in a while, I […]

The Benefit of Composing Songs From the Chorus Backwards

By working backwards on a song, you’re identifying goals first, which makes songwriting a lot easier. ______________ Since songs move in one direction only, it seems logical to write the song that way: from beginning to end. You compose a verse, follow it with a chorus, then repeat that a couple of times. At that […]

Comparing Verse and Bridge Song Sections

Here are some key differences between verse and bridge sections of your song. Similar structure, but different duties. In songs that use verse-chorus formats, there’s a relatively predictable way the structure works: things tend to alternate between ambiguous and clear. When you compare verse and chorus melodies, for example, you’ll often (though not always) find […]