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Songwriting Tips by Gary Ewer.
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Between Chords, Melody and Lyrics, Something Should Be Predictable  |
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| Thursday, May 17, 2012, 9:02 am AST |
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You wouldn't think of "predictability" as being a good characteristic to incorporate into music. After all, when something is predictable, it usually means that it's been done so often that it's obvious what's going to happen next. Who wants to write a song like that? But one of the most important characteristics of good music is the proper balance between the predictable and the unpredictable... [READ FULL ARTICLE... ] |
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The Essential Secrets of Songwriting website shows you how great songs work. Read daily articles that explore the fascinating world of songwriting.
If you struggle with writing a great song, and you can't seem to finish any song you start, Gary Ewer has written a set of songwriting ebooks designed to get you doing the thing you love. Let those e-books be your guide. They'll show you how to improve your writing skills by showing you how lyrics, melodies, hooks, chord progressions, and every other aspect of good music works. The books take a look at hit songs from the past, showing how and why they became winners.
Along with tons of chord progressions and formulas you can use, you'll be writing the songs that you always knew you could write! The instructional e-books come with sound samples and a glossary of musical terms, so even if you don't read music, these e-books will clear up the muddle and get you enjoying songwriting again.
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Building Song Energy is Usually an "Ebb and Flow" Thing |
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 10:20 am AST There aren't many musical compositions that start at a low energy level, and then build energy in a straight line to the end. For most songs, energy is something that ebbs and flows constantly. But even with the ups and downs of the basic momentum of a song, you'll want the end to be at least as energetic as the beginning, and probably more so. That ensures that listeners keep listening... |
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Harmonizing the Same Melody With Major, Then Minor Chords |
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 9:04 am AST The repetition of musical fragments is an important part of the structure of most songs. We like to hear things repeat; obvious things, like the basic beat and rhythms, and the chord progression. And then less obviously, short melodic ideas that go together to make a complete melody. Here's an idea for doubling the length of a chorus melody. If you've got a short 2- or 4-bar idea in a... |
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Simplifying the Songwriting Process: Plateau Pitches |
| Monday, May 14, 2012, 9:51 am AST We know that the way a melody proceeds often has to do with its subject matter. For example, if you're writing a song that describes strong opinions, forthrightness or determination, centring your melody around one or two pitches can help enhance the strong emotions and intensify the song's energy. But those reasons aside, it's important to note that a lot of great songs have been... Read more |
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Curing Songwriting Frustration With Some Mindless Activities |
| Thursday, May 10, 2012, 9:49 am AST It would be ridiculous to think that you should never feel frustration as a composer. When you write, you're getting something to grow from a basic germ of an idea right through to a finished product. And there are bound to be creative hiccups along the way. While it's probably true that some find it easier to write than others, everyone occasionally gets to the point where frustrations run... Read more |
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What Songwriters Need to Know About Song Structure |
| Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 9:43 am AST It's a good bet that most seasoned songwriters won't have a lot to say about song structure. There's a "just get going and write" opinion out there that makes it seem that structure is something that just happens. This is borne out by the fact that most songs, particularly hit songs, rarely stray from the verse-chorus (optional bridge) form. It's important to take a closer look at... Read more |
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Why Pentatonic Melodies Are So Easy To Harmonize |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 9:52 am AST Yesterday I wrote a post that offered ten basic tips for writing melodies that are easily remembered by listeners. Just to finish up that thought, I wanted to pay tribute to the benefit of writing melodies that use pentatonic scales as their primary note source. A pentatonic scale is one that uses only five notes. While technically pentatonic scales can use any 5 notes within... |
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10 Tips for Writing Great Song Melodies |
Monday, May 7, 2012, 9:05 am AST When you've written a great song, more often than not that means that you've given the listener something they can hum all day. Since it's very difficult to hum a chord progression, and since it's hard to remember lyrics without also remembering the melody that they're attached to, the quality of your song's melody becomes crucial to the success of your song. You'd think that since there are... |
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A Speedwriting Challenge For Songwriters: Musical Bungee Jumping |
Friday, May 4, 2012, 9:20 am AST It's often a useful exercise to change the way you write music, if only to keep things interesting. In my last post I talked about changing the way you start songs, because how you start is often going to determine how a song sounds. But what I'm talking about here is a little different. I want to focus in on your songwriting technique, by which I mean how you develop your ideas... |
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Too Many Chords Can Clutter Up a Good Song |
Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 8:19 am AST Boring an audience with music is probably the worst thing that can happen to a singer-songwriter. It's worse than outright hatred. At least with hatred you've been able to stir up some emotions. And experience shows that when a song is hated, there's usually another group of listeners that love it. Boredom is a much worse reaction, and part of the reason is that bored listeners can't often... |
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Why a Double Chorus Might Work Better Than a Pre-Chorus |
Monday, April 30, 2012, 10:16 am AST Is it possible, or even desirable, to write a song that uses a double chorus? Your first thought might be that it seems to be a bit redundant. If the verse sets up a story and describes people and situations, and a chorus gives the emotional reaction to that story, what would be the need of a second chorus? But there are songs the use what could be called a double chorus, and the purpose... [Read more] |
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5 Improvisation Activities That Generate Song Ideas |
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| I applaud the songwriter who spends as much or more time working out small songwriting challenges than they do actually writing songs. So here are some ideas for improvising your way to a great song. Read more |
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