Good songwriting happens when someone has an instinct for it. But like anything in the arts (or in anything, come to think of it), great songwriting happens when you build on your innate talents, through study, analysis and practice. Most people who write songs have at least some level of instinct and talent, because it’s unlikely […]
One of the biggest drawbacks to starting your songs by working out a chord progression is that melodies can get a bit neglected. Historically, composers in the Classical realm rarely if ever started compositions with just chords. They’d practically always start with something hummable (a melody), or something otherwise memorable (the lyrics, perhaps). And since […]
Whatever you write about comes with a mood. Not to simplify this, but songs are usually either generally happy or sad, with often a blend of many different shadings of emotions. “Happy” can mean “triumphant”, “at peace”, “jubilant”, “satisfied”… you get my meaning. Of all the various elements that go together to make a song, chord progressions are […]
Do you find frustration building practically every time you sit down to write a song? Sometimes you find that a song’s first ideas will come to you quickly, but what to do with those ideas… That’s when the frustration kicks in, and everything starts to feel hopeless. One of the most common causes of songwriting frustration […]
When it comes to technology that helps us as musicians, we’re living in wonderful times. Using smartphone apps or the internet, we have instant access to tuners, metronomes, mixers and recorders. We’ve got software that can write out our musical scores, then print up the parts, all correctly transposed. We can work out lyrics with […]
If you’re not familiar with the music of Jack Garratt, you’re missing out. Every aspect of his music is worthy of some pretty intense study: the melodies, the power of the vocals, the fantastic production, and then those captivating videos. I think what I like most about his music is his ability to create something […]
