Making Songwriting a Regular Activity is the Key to Solving Writer's Block.

You hear about writer's block all the time, and if you're normal, it has happened to you. Did you know that writer's block is actually a relatively easy problem to solve? You do not need to experience that dreaded feeling of being "stuck".

Writer's block, in short, is the inability to come up with anything creative, and when it happens to a songwriter, it's extremely frustrating. Have you suffered these three basic symptoms:

• Your melodies seem to have no direction, and just seem boring!

• Your chord progressions are uninteresting and lifeless.

• Your lyrics just don't flow, and they don't say what you want them to say.

You know what I'm talking about, because there are no songwriters out there who haven't suffered in the crippling grip of writer's block.

There is no need to suffer any longer. Writer's block has a specific reason, and if you understand that reason, you'll be able to solve it almost right away.

This page, and in particular the next few paragraphs, will help you solve writer's block, and get you back to writing creative, imaginitive songs!

I want to show you

• how to make chord progressions work;
• the right formula for writing a beautiful melody;
• how to structure music into something that snags your audience and keeps them coming back.
• how to take those ideas you have for songs and organize them into winning pieces of music;
• how to make writer's block irrelevant, and FINISH THE SONGS YOU START!

KEEP READING!

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Stop struggling! And start writing the songs you've always known you could write! Download Gary's four songwriting e-books and start learning how to make your songs sizzle!

If you're finally EXCITED to get going writing good songs, you need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. You need to ask yourself how important songwriting really is to you. If you find yourself saying, "Enough is enough," download "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting." It's going to show you how to be the songwriter you've always known you could be!

"The Essential Secrets of Songwriting offers musicians a comprehensive analysis of the songwriting process.  Each stage of the songwriting process is explained in clear and logical terms, making The Essential Secrets of Songwriting a resource accessible to musicians of all levels of ability.   Gary analyses very successful songs and explains how they were constructed.  This demystifies the songwriting process and clearly demonstrates how the principles apply.  This is a practical and invaluable resource for musicians, music educators, aspiring songwriters and musicians/music therapists using songwriting in therapeutic settings." -Sarifa, Australia

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Writing songs is a combination of art and craft.


The "art" part of that equation is the part we love - the "inspiration." We love it when we can sit down and have the musical ideas flow out of our pen. Most people who don't write music think that this is the main (and perhaps the only) driving force behind writing songs. But that's not true.

If we all waited for inspiration, very little music would actually get written. Every song has some measure of inspiration at it's starting point, but that's usually not enough to make the songs flow. It's the second part of that equation - craft - that is the important feature.

"Craft" is what we'd call the "nuts and bolts" of songwriting. It's the "knowledge" of how great songs work, and our ability to apply that knowledge to our next song. If the art of songwriting mainly involves inspiration, then craft mainly involves knowledge.

So good songwriting requires two things: art (inspiration) and craft (knowledge). The problem is that 90% of songwriters out there right now are relying almost entirely on inspiration, and are applying very little craft to what they do. The end result? WRITER'S BLOCK!

So what can be done about this? The website has a set of 9 songwriting lessons that are designed to give you the CRAFT of musical composition - the KNOWLEDGE you need to write better songs. These lessons will give you songwriting activities and fun tests that will make songwriting a joy again, and will finally loosen writer's block grip!

You will notice in those lessons that you are going to be encouraged to make songwriting a regular activity. Whether you feel like it or not! But you will notice that if you write when you don't feel inspired to do so, the result is that you must rely on your craft - your knowledge.

And though it may shock you to hear this, CRAFT will take you further than ART in the songwriting world. The best songwriters out there succeed because they know what works. It's not so much that they feel inspired; they just know how to write a great song.

Keep reading this page, because you're going to learn more about how to write a great song. If if you are REALLY READY to dig into the world of songwriting, get these four songwriting e-books and get started on an amazing journey!

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But more, MUCH MORE than anything, there needs to be a general excitement about your song that transcends anything else you can say about it. Something that sets it apart from all the other songs being written. Without that excitement, you're just adding to the noise.

START WRITING GREAT SONGS TODAY! Stop wasting your time, and wasting your listener's time. You could be writing killer tunes today for your own recordings, and for other artists. You could be on your way to becoming one of the world's great songwriters!

So I want to show you:

• HOW to change a boring chord progression into something that really works.
• HOW to make your lyrics say what you want to say, and
• HOW to construct your melodies properly.
• HOW to structure your songs into something that really clicks with the listener.
• HOW to get rid of writer's block!
• HOW to protect your music by understanding copyright, mechanical rights, performance rights, and more.
  

This website will get you going, finally, in the right direction.

You need to read this page, but more than that, you need to download the e-books that will finally make songwriting a joy!

For most of you, the problems you have with songwriting are likely to be one of seven basic errors. The exciting news is that there are solutions in this article to those errors that will make your songs work. I want to show you not just how to write good melodies, chord progressions or lyrics... I want to show you how to make them work together to produce killer songs. KEEP READING, because this page contains valuable tips to help you become the songwriter you've always wanted to be.

"Gary, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for helping the untrained musician learn to understand the fundamentals of music..." -Emily, New York

SEVEN BASIC MISTAKES, AND THE SOLUTIONS

So are there only seven things you need to do to write good songs? In my experience as a teacher, the seven tips listed below address the seven most common errors committed by students of songwriting. Addressing these short-comings is essential to  making your songs work.


ERROR #1: THE FORM OF THE SONG IS CONFUSING.
SOLUTION: Strengthen the form of your songs by carefully controlling the energy. Usually, an intro should have the same or more energy than a verse, not less. A chorus should have more energy than a verse. A bridge should have more energy than the chorus that came before it. This chart shows the general energy pattern that works for most songs:



ERROR #2: THE MELODY LACKS SHAPE.
SOLUTION: In a verse, the range of the melody should generally be higher immediately after the middle point, to help it gain momentum as it gets ready to connect to the chorus. The old standard, "Under the Boardwalk," by Resnick and Young, is a perfect example.

ERROR #3: CHORDS SEEM TO WANDER AIMLESSLY.
SOLUTION: The chord that represents the key your song is in (i.e., the "tonic" chord) should be featured more in the chorus than in the verse. (And the actual tonic note should also be used more in a chorus than in a verse.)

ERROR #4: STRONG AND FRAGILE CHORD PROGRESSIONS ARE USED HAPHAZARLY.
SOLUTION: Chord progressions that feature chords four notes away from each other (i.e., in the key of C major we're talking about  G7 to C, C to F, Dm to G, as examples) form a strong progression, and should be featured in a chorus. Other chord progressions (let's say Dm to Em, F to Dm, G to Am, for example) form what are called "fragile" progressions, and can be featured more in a verse.

ERROR #5: LYRICS ARE NOT SUPPORTING THE FORM OF THE SONG.
SOLUTION: The kind of lyric determines the kind of chord progression you use. Strong, conclusive lyrics need many strong progressions; introspective lyrics work well with fragile progressions. And remember, writing a good lyric does not necessarily mean writing a good poem. Rather, it's better to write a working title for your song, then start brainstorming words and short phrases that relate to that title.

For example, if you've written, "All I've Ever Wanted" as your working title, you might come up with these words as relating text: love, hand-in-hand, touch, satisfaction, emotion, my heart, for you, warm... etc. You will find that even though many of these words won't necessarily make it to your song, they get you thinking in the right direction, and start you formulating a working lyric.

ERROR #6: YOU'RE RELYING ON A HOOK TO SAVE A BAD SONG.
SOLUTION: Adding a hook to a bad song gives you a bad song with a hook! Composing a song and then trying to find a hook that makes it really come alive is a really difficult thing to do.  Try writing the hook first. Improvise on a couple of chords, or a few notes, or a rhythm - something short and attractive. Once you've got something that really catches your attention, try using it as an intro to your song, and something that keeps recurring between verses and choruses. A hook needs to draw an audience in, and keep them coming back to your song.

ERROR #7: YOU'RE WAITING FOR INSPIRATION.
SOLUTION: I can say it no better than the musician/author Ernest Newman: "The great composer... does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working." Waiting for inspiration is, quite frankly, a waste of time! You need to be writing daily in order to make your songs better. If something isn't working.... don't throw it out. Just put it away, and start something new. Keep everything you try to write in a scrap book. You'd be surprised what will eventually make its way into a song.

These are just a few examples of the kinds of things that will make your songs work better.

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"The book is so cool. I really like your 'fresh, simple approach' and it reminded me of so much things I already know, but someone had to remind me of...yet learned so much new stuff." - Drago, Slovenia "As a beginner, I have visited a number of sites offering music lessons and I find your site more trainee friendly. The material presentation is not only precise but also specific for easy gasp. I thought I should commend you for the good work. God bless." P.P., U.K.

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I have been teaching music for many years, and many of my students, in addition to their music studies with me, are budding songwriters on the side. But the number of students who describe the anxiety songwriting causes is far greater than the number that describe the gratification or contentment. Have I just described you?

You know, it's a bit strange: if you ask a professional songwriter how they do what they do, many will describe the songwriting process by saying, "Well, it's just got to happen... It's not something you can describe, as such..."

WRONG!

I CAN describe the songwriting process, and this page is going to help you, so keep reading. If you have ever felt that music is within you, but you can’t seem to get it out in an organized way, you may simply be committing one of the seven basic songwriting errors listed below. Keep reading, because I want to start to clear up the muddle for you.


As  a music teacher, I often see the same sorts of errors cropping up in many songs written by budding songwriters. Over and over, the same problems with chord progressions, melody construction, lyrics, and more. Do any of the following seem to apply to your songs?

• Your chord changes feel uninspired or directionless?
• Your melodies don't seem to keep your listeners interested enough to keep listening?
• Your lyrics feel cumbersome or uncreative?

WHY SOME SONGS WORK AND OTHERS DON'T

As frustrated as you may feel at times, the good news is that you may already be creating good chord progressions, melodies and lyrics. It could just be the underlying structure of your song that is  at fault. You've got the right components... now you need to put them all together in a way that keeps people singing your songs.

You need to find out why some chords work together and others don't. You also need to learn how to construct a beautiful melody, and how to  structure your ideas into great songs. You don’t need to feel frustrated.



STRUCTURING MUSIC


SO WHY ARE SONGWRITERS NOT LEARNING THIS VITAL LESSON FROM ARCHITECTS?


DEALING WITH WRITER'S BLOCK


THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF GOOD SONGS...

• How to balance innovation with predictability. Good songs need predictability. Here's an interesting fact: though the terms innovation and predictability are opposites, too much predictability creates the same effect in a listener as too much innovation: BOREDOM. But balancing the two properly makes a piece that's exciting and memorable - the two characteristics that produce winning songs!

There is SO MUCH to learn, but the journey is FUN, and it is WORTH IT!


WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

This e-book is extremely comprehensive. This book deals with every possible frustration that has been nagging you as a songwriter. Just think of one word that deals with songwriting, and I guarantee that when you click here for a listing of the table of contents, you will find that word listed right there, right in the table of contents. When I wrote "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting", I wanted to make sure that I dealt with writing songs from every conceivable angle.

"Your sparkling personality puts the material across in a memorable way.  Keep up the wonderful work!" - Sue, New York City

WHO CAN WRITE SONGS?

YOU can write songs! I can say that with complete confidence, and I haven't even met you! All psychological studies show us that humans are artistic animals. ALL humans. The ability to do musical things is within all of us, not just some of us.

If you have tried songwriting and it hasn't worked for you, don't despair - the solution is within your grasp and your ability. Bad songwriting comes mostly from basic errors in technique, not some intangible failing of your skill.

SO WHO ARE THE PROFESSIONAL SONGWRITERS?

The principles that I have developed in "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting" are not principles that I invented. In fact, they weren't invented, as such, by anyone. But I can take credit for one thing: I have spent years listening to the music of the world's most successful songwriters, and have thoroughly studied what they do. And the professional songwriters are the ones who had been following the principles I've outlined in my e-book, years before I wrote them down for you.

Great writers like Leonard Cohen, Dave Matthews, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Raine Maida, John Denver, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, Leiber & Stoller, Bruce Springsteen, and dozens of others!

"I love the way you put the ideas together... I want to buy the book" -Nazeeh, Egypt

LISTENING TO THE PROS

If you want to write like the pros, you need to listen to the pros. Songwriting is an art form. No art is created in a vacuum. Anything with artistic value that we see around us is the natural progression from something that came before.

If you aren't listening to professional songwriters from every genre, you are missing out on one of the key ingredients to improving your skills.

To write "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting", I took years of listening and boiled it down to eleven essential principles. When you read the e-book, you are going to see these eleven principles laid out for you, chapter by chapter. Principles that describe:

• the role of contrast between song elements;
• the controlling of energy as a necessary ingredient to a good song;
• every aspect of chords, including harmonic rhythm;
• how melodies should be shaped; how to use the key note of a song to make your song exciting;
• how to work your text between being reflective and being narrative;
• how to write a hook that keeps your listeners singing your song for the rest of the day.

SO... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

But talking is one thing, and writing is quite another. I want you to get this e-book, and start writing the songs you always knew you could.

For a limited time, anyone who orders "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting" will receive Gary's new e-book "How to Harmonize a Melody" FREE. Find out how!

"Essential Chord Progressions," is a book full of chord progressions that you can use right now! Chords that are great for pop, rock, jazz, funk, blues, country and more! If you've been looking for chord progressions, you need this book!

So ORDER NOW! There is no reason to be delaying your advancement as a songwriter.

All the best in all of your musical endeavors!

Gary Ewer

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All of the information and tips on this page come from Gary Ewer's downloadable e-book, "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting." It's a book that will help you understand more about the structure of music. It will help you understand not just how to write great chord progressions, melodies and lyrics, but will show you effective ways to weave them together.

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