People who don’t write songs, or don’t involve themselves in the arts of any kind, might be forgiven for believing that inspiration is one of the biggest aspects of the songwriting process. It must seem, to those who don’t do it, that songwriting starts with an immense rush of ideas, followed by a flurry of […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. _______________ Reading lyrics from most hit songs can be surprising for what you don’t see. It’s often amazing to find that lyrics from the best songs out there are actually quite ordinary, certainly not “poetry”, as such. And that’s usually part of a lyric’s […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. ___________ A song works best when all elements work together. No lyric, chord progression, or melody exist in a vacuum; they are like partners that complement each other. That means that all good songs are better than the sum of their parts. Your job […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter Jason Aldean’s latest hit on the Country charts, “Big Green Tractor,” demonstrates a great technique for building melodies that work: plateau pitches. It’s a way of structuring a melody to ensure that you get a controlled build through your song that […]
Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website Follow Gary on Twitter Many of you know that I often compare writing a song with going for a walk. Songs are like journeys, and we take listeners on that journey with us. But without a plan, that journey can leave the listener feeling confused and […]
The tonic note is the note that represents the key your song is in. So if you’re writing in G major, the tonic note is G. The tonic note is of tremendous value in strengthening your song’s overall structure; its importance cannot be overlooked. How you use it is what Songwriting Principle No. 8 is all about: The presence of […]
