Songwriting tools

Establishing “Landmarks” Within Your Songs, Then Working Backwards

If you’re ready to take your songwriting to its highest level possible, you need “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle.” Get the manuals that thousands of songwriters are using. You might think that most of the time, songwriters work forward through a song as they’re writing it, but in fact, there’s a case to be […]

Audience at a rock concert

Today’s Top Songs: What Am I Missing?

I always avoid doing the “old man rant” on this blog, but this may stray into that category… forgive me! One of the biggest problems I have with top-rated Billboard Hot 100 songs these days is that the chords are usually pretty simple and, frankly, uninspiring. Don’t get me wrong, a simple progression that works […]

Guitarist - Songwriter - Lyricist

How Songs Might Change Key As They Progress From One Section to the Next

Many songs will use the same chord progression throughout, and with such songs, the implied key isn’t going to change. So if the progression you’re using is C-G-Am-F, the key is C major, throughout the entirety of the song. Trying to get the chords-first songwriting process working? Your main concern with chords-first songwriting will usually […]

Songwriter and piano

Dealing With Musical Muscle Memory

Writing songs is not always easy. Some would argue that it’s never easy, but you get such a great feeling from completing one that it makes the task worth it, and you want to do it again. That makes sense, because when something gives you a challenge, and you finally succeed, you get what might […]

Bruce Springsteen

Audiences Don’t Remember Notes — They Remember Patterns

If you look at the number of different notes that any one good melody uses, you might be surprised by how few there are. For many songs, most of the notes will be from one octave, and often less. In a song like “Hound Dog”, most of the song is comprised of 3 or 4 […]