Harmonizing a Melody: When You Should Keep the Chorus SIMPLE

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. (Follow Gary on Twitter) With chord progressions in general, simple is better than complicated. And you’d be surprised by how simplesimple can be. A good chorus melody doesn’t need to be anything more than one or two notes, as long as the progression underneath it […]

Getting Creative – It May Be Easier Than You Think

Writer’s block is a frustrating thing when it happens. And while there’s lots you can do to help keep it to a minimum, it can happen to the best of us. But getting that creative feeling may be easier than you think, and if you’ve got even just a basic keyboard, here’s something you can […]

Five Things You Need to Know Before You Write Your Next Song

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: No one would ever pick up a tool to start building a house without having a complete blueprint in front of them. And while it’s unlikely (and frankly, unnecessary) to have a song’s complete blueprint in front of you as a starting point, it is […]

If You Want Your Song to Sell, Your Melody Needs Shape

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: Many songwriters start the writing process by coming up with a chord progression, and then try to create a melody that works with it. The problem with this approach can be that the melody lacks shape, as the importance is placed on the progression first. […]

Seven Great Progressions to Get Your Summer Writing Underway

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Check out “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. And start writing the songs you’ve always known you could write! ______________________ Summer is a great time to write songs. Especially for those of us in the northern hemisphere, we get out of the house […]

Is "With a Little Help From My Friends" the Perfect Song?

by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: I believe the best songwriters in the world are the best listeners. You can spend a lot of time trying to come up with the next gem, but it’s the ones who really listen to successful songs, trying to figure out why they work, that […]