Keeping Songs Fresh, and the Predictability Factor

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 E-book Bundle. You don’t need to wait for inspiration to write great music! _________ In musical composition, we use the word “fresh” to mean that there is an acceptable dose of innovation and creativity. A song that bores us is suffering from one of two things: it’s either 1) too […]

5 Ways to Give Your Chorus More Emotional Punch

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 E-book Bundle. Become a top-level songwriter, starting now. _________ When you look at hit songs from the past 50 years, patterns and commonalities become apparent regardless of era or genre. Those patterns, those “things songwriters do” become the basis of what we usually call the “rules” of songwriting. And […]

Using Opposite Ideas To Keep a Song Moving

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 E-book Bundle. Become a top-level songwriter, starting now. _________ Whether audiences know it or not, what keeps people attracted and listening to a song is the successful blending together of opposite ideas within the same song. Called the contrast principle, presenting opposing musical shapes and elements within a song […]

Lennon, Cetera, and the Art of the 3-Part (ABA) Song

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 E-book Bundle. Become a top-level songwriter, starting now. _________ Three part ABA songs are ones that usually have no chorus. They normally consist of one long “verse” that presents a main melody, a contrasting melody, and a return to the first main tune. There are two perfect models for […]

Generating Song Energy With an Open Cadence

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 E-book Bundle. Become a top-level songwriter, starting now. _________ I frequently use the term “forward motion” when describing how music captivates listeners. Specifically, forward motion is that characteristic of songs that makes the listener feel that whatever is happening at any given moment is going to be “answered” or […]

For Hit Songs, It’s All (Mostly) About the Chorus

Songs usually make use of several sections, all combining, of course, to make a complete musical composition. But for hit songs, it’s mostly about the chorus. Your verse, and pre-chorus if you use one, will describe a story, but what people want to hear is your reaction to that story. That reaction normally happens in […]