Sequencing chord progressions is an easy way of creating longer progressions from short ones. Here’s how it works. ____________ You’re probably familiar with a sequencer, which is a piece of hardware (or software) that can record and play back music. This article isn’t about that. A musical sequence occurs when you take a short bit of […]
Placing opposite ideas near each other is an important feature of good songwriting. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and get back to the basics of why hit songs sell. _____________ A colleague of mine was once asked what music was. His reply was, “Anything written with musical intent.” In context, his answer made sense, […]
Song melodies need to have a direction, a goal. Otherwise they’re just aimless wanderings that bore listeners. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and get back to the basics of why hit songs sell. _____________ Recently I wrote about one of the most common problems I saw in young songwriters, which was a serious flaw […]
Song structure is hard to define in any specific way, but songs can die when it’s missing. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and get back to the basics of why hit songs sell. _____________ Back in 2004 I started doing research into pop music in preparation for writing “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting.” At […]
Hooks give listeners something that’s hummable, and something easy to remember. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and increase your song’s HIT potential. _____________ Sometimes a song will become a hit to the surprise of the writers, performers and producers. But so-called “sleeper hits” – songs that rise to hit status unexpectedly – are actually not […]
So what’s the deal with strong and fragile chord progressions? What are they, and how do you use them? Answers here! ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and increase your song’s HIT potential. _____________ If you’ve been writing songs for a while, you’ll notice something about chord progressions: they all tend to point to one particular […]
