Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Using Melodic Direction to Act as Musical Glue

Though for the best part of my music career I analyze songs and pull them apart to better understand them, I’m just like any other consumer of music: I want to be entertained. That means when I listen to music, I’m not always critiquing. Sometimes, like you, I just want to sit back and enjoy what […]

The Most Important Feature of Memorable Songs

Repetition in music of any genre is vital to its success. That wasn’t always the case. If you go back a few centuries, much music was “through-composed”, a term that refers to music that was one new idea after another, with very little repetition. Through-composed music has the benefit of establishing a mood, and then keeping that mood. […]

microphone

Getting the Most Out of a 2- or 3-Note Melody

Thinking beyond the world of songwriting gives you the best chance to improve your imagination. “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle (plus a FREE copy of “Creative Chord Progressions”) is written by Gary Ewer, designed to straighten out your technique and get you writing better songs. It can be easily argued that when it comes […]

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 […]

For Singable Songs, Control the Vocal Range

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” e-book bundle, and learn to write great songs. ___________ Most people write songs for themselves, even if they dream that someone else (famous, hopefully) might ever sing it. The key you choose is not really […]