Song Analysis: Hey Rosetta!’s “Yer Spring”

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. Here’s how to get your songs working right away! __________________ Recently CBC Radio’s premiere arts & entertainment show, “Q“, with host Jian Ghomeshi, featured award-winning Newfoundland indie group Hey Rosetta! performing “Yer Spring” from their newly-released album “Seeds.” The album is simply fantastic, a model for […]

Improvising guitar chords

7 Chord Progressions That Work All the Time

FREE with the Bundle purchase: “Use Your Words! Developing a Lyrics-First Songwriting Process” shows you how to put lyric-writing front and centre in your songwriting process. Do you find that your songwriting gets stuck at the chord progression stage? When this happens, it’s usually attributable to a common misunderstanding about chords: the need for chords […]

5 Ways to Make Your Song’s Chorus Outstanding

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle. Here’s how to get your songs working right away! __________________ Ask someone to sing the theme to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and you’ll get that famous “da-da-da-DUM” theme. But Beethoven, Brahms, and all other composers realized that most compositions used at least two themes, the so-called “contrasting […]

Captivating Listeners in Today’s Songwriting World

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and open your mind! Become the songwriter you’ve always wanted to be! ____________________ Ever notice that many hit songs start with unique intros? Just take a listen to any songs in the top 10 right now on Billboard, and you’ll notice that the majority of them […]

Five Ways to Make a Distinction Between Verses 1 and 2

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and open your mind! Become the songwriter you’ve always wanted to be! ____________________ In general, listeners should perceive a build in energy over the length of  your song. That energy build is what keeps them interested, and keeps them listening. There can be a problem with […]

Tips ‘n Tricks: Brainstorming Song Lyrics

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and open your mind! Become the songwriter you’ve always wanted to be! ____________________ You may think that starting the songwriting process with lyrics means coming to the table with an already-finished lyric sheet, or a completed poem. It doesn’t. Or at least, it shouldn’t. If you […]