Shontelle's "Impossible": Why It Works

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Check out “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle ______________________ Bajan singer Shontelle is releasing her second album, “No Gravity”, in June of this year. Her first single from that album is a great […]

7 Ways Successful Songs Make People Listen

•Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter for website updates, songwriting tips and more. • Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” suite of songwriting e-books at a 50% savings. _____________________ When I adjudicate at music festivals these days, I’m usually talking to players about what […]

An Excerpt from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” e-book bundle. 6 E-books for only $37! _______________________ FROM CHAPTER 4: “Harmony” The Chord Muddle For many budding songwriters, their biggest setback is simply not knowing how chords go together. It’s almost as if […]

Creating Melodies with Symmetrical Patterns

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Find Your Songwriting Breakthrough – Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” ________________________ Melodies constructed of repeating patterns are usually the easiest melodies to remember, so if writing hit songs is of interest to you, you’ll want to be sure that […]

How to Make More of a Song's Hook

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER The second edition of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” is out! See the video here. ___________________________________ We all know what a song’s hook is: it’s typically something short and memorable, comprised of a catchy melodic shape married to a catchy […]

Writing a Compound Chorus: Beyoncé's "Single Ladies"

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Check out Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books– Get the most out of your songwriting abilities, and start writing hit songs! __________ A compound chorus is one which uses two or more distinct melodies and lyrics, each of which include the necessary characteristics of a chorus. […]