I’ve written about 80 songs in the past 5 years. I’m essentially a poet who puts words to music. That’s a challenge, as I have very little formal music training. Gary’s series of e-Books is well organized, well indexed, clearly written and very practical. It’s an excellent mix of detailed “how-to” information with thoughtful and inspirational ideas about the more abstract issues of song-writing.

Nigel Pleasants, (Toronto, ON, Canada)

I wanted to let you know that I am completely enjoying your e-books. I think they are brilliant and fabulous to learn by. I’ve written medical texts before and the secret is to not talk down to people, make it understandable and you’ve done an outstanding job on that.

Phillip Tirman MD, (California, USA)

As a beginner, I have visited a number of sites offering music lessons and I find your site more trainee friendly. The material presentation is not only precise but also specific for easy grasp. I thought I should commend you for the good work. God bless."

P.P. (U.K.)

I ordered your e-books, and I am absolutely loving them. I've only very recently started writing songs (I've written four...but all within the last week!), and the information you offer is incredibly useful. So, thank you!

Sue, Los Angeles (California, USA)

Hi Gary, I just love all of your e-books. I do hip hop as well as other styles like r&b, neo soul, and jazz. I often refer to your e-books for inspiration. You have been stellar in my book. Keep it coming.

Francis (USA)

I recently bought your collection of e-books on song writing, chord changes and creating harmonies and I would just like to let you know how pleased I am with them. They have very clearly answered so many of the things about music writing which I've never been able to really find a clear answer to before. My enthusiasm for song writing has just come back with a vengeance! Many thanks!

Andy (U.K.)

Gary, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for helping the untrained musician learn to understand the fundamentals of music...

Emily, (New York, USA)

THE ESSENTIAL SECRETS OF SONGWRITING, 4th EDITION

A BRAND NEW VERSION! Released August, 2017. A complete e-book (342 pages) that shows you everything you need to know about how to write songs, including:

• why song form is so important;
• how a great hook works;
• writing intros and outros;
• how to create chord progressions that work;
• how a bridge works, and how to write one;
• what to do about writer's block;
• the difference between copyright, performance rights, mechanical rights and royalties;
• a discography of songs that demonstrate all the concepts discussed within the book;
• a glossary of musical terms.

And you can HEAR the musical samples demonstrated in the book by accessing the sound samples page on the web!

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THE 9-LESSON COURSE

If you are serious about songwriting, you'll find the exercises contained in this course to be just what you need to help you become the songwriter you need to be. The exercises and activities will get you writing lyrics, melodies and chord changes for greatest effect. In short, it will help you incorporate all the ideas you've been reading about in The Essential Secrets of Songwriting.

Included in this eBook:

• LESSON 1- FOCUSING YOUR LYRICS
• LESSON 2- WRITING CREATIVE LYRICS
• LESSON 3- WRITING "FAMILIAR" LYRICS
• LESSON 4- WRITING MELODIES THAT WORK
• LESSON 5- STRUCTURING MELODIES
• LESSON 6- INTEGRATING LYRICS with MELODIES
• LESSON 7- CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHORD
• LESSON 8- MIXING STRONG AND FRAGILE PROGRESSIONS
• LESSON 9- CONSIDERING FORM

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ESSENTIAL CHORD PROGRESSIONS

If you always get stuck at the chord-progression stage of writing songs, "Essential Chord Progressions" will save you time and frustration.

With guitar fretboard diagrams if you need them.

In several different keys, with easy instructions on how to transpose them to even more keys.

INCLUDED IN THIS E-BOOK:

• Standard progressions of all types;
• Progressions that include secondary dominant chords, modal mixtures, etc.
• Progressions that help you change key;
• Chord changes suitable for pop, rock, country, folk, and more.
• 12-bar blues and other standard progressions.
• Hundreds of progressions you can use right now in your songs, or modify to suit your needs!

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MORE ESSENTIAL CHORD PROGRESSIONS

Full of interesting chord progressions that you can use in your songs as is, or modify as you see fit. If you spend most of your time trying to find the killer chord progression, you’re probably wasting a lot of time.

A continuation of “Essential Chord Progressions”, this e-book will give you:

• More progressions, in both major and minor keys;
• Progressions that start and end in different keys;
• Using suspensions (chords that contain a non-chord tone which resolves downward);
• Dominant chord formulas;
• Inverted pedal point (an upper note that is sustained throughout a progression);
• Circle of fifths progressions;
• Chord planing (taking a chord sonority and moving all tones together).

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HOW TO HARMONIZE A MELODY

You've got a great melody, and you can "hear" the chords in your mind, but you just can't find them. All that leads to songwriting frustration of the worst kind.

And that leads to chord progression MUDDLE.

This e-book partners up with Gary Ewer's other songwriting e-books: "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting", "Essential Chord Progressions", "More Essential Chord Progressions" and "Writing a Song From a Chord Progression". It answers the questions you've always had about how to add chord progressions to your song melodies.

If you find yourself banging out the same three chords over and over again, trying to harmonize a song melody, this e-book is going to help you. Most people stay in the safe zone of those three chords, afraid to venture further afield simply because they don't understand how chords work.

"How to Harmonize a Melody" starts by showing you what a good melody is, and then shows you how to harmonize it. It deals with vital areas such as chord structure, harmonic rhythm, root movement, and more. And it gives you some suggested activities to practice what you're learning.

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CHORD PROGRESSION FORMULAS

For many songwriters, chord progressions are a mysterious wandering of one chord to another, without knowing what could or should happen next. For the serious songwriter, that just can’t be a good use of time.

There is nothing random about a good chord progression. When one chord follows another, there needs to be, for most of the time, a sense of predictability. That’s predictability in the best sense of that word.

And in fact, the best progressions can be described by using formulas that give them strength and structure. From “Chord Progression Formulas: “[N]othing destroys a song quicker than a chord progression that doesn’t work. Nothing in the songwriting business makes you look like an amateur faster than a bad progression.

“Chord Progression Formulas” shows you, in a few pages, exactly how you can create dozens of progressions for you to consider as you write your song. And it does it using a clear and easy method. The formulas in this ebook will always work, no matter what genre you write in, and no matter what key or time signature.

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FROM AMATEUR TO ACE: WRITING SONGS LIKE A PRO

Now is your time.

Time to take your songwriting to a new level of excellence.

Time to see if you've got what it takes to be a pro in this business.

Time to set goals for yourself and make songwriting more than just a hobby.

It's time.

The first rule for becoming professional in anything is: you need to be excellent - consistently.

Gary Ewer's eBook, "From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro" answers 12 crucial "how-do-I" questions that every pro knows. Questions like:

• How Do I Sell or Market My Songs?
• How Do I Write a Hook For My Song?
• How Do I Write Good Vocal Harmonies?
• How Do I Protect My Songs?
• How Do I Write a Better Song Intro?

... and much more.

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WRITING A SONG FROM A CHORD PROGRESSION

Are you the kind of songwriter who likes to start the process by vamping a chord progression until other ideas occur to you. That's a legitimate way to start, but you could be putting other elements in your songs at jeopardy.

A chords-first song can be a great way to write music, but it comes with a set of problems along with the benefits. In "Writing a Song From a Chord Progression", you'll discover:

• How to get the process started;
• Why we like starting with the chords;
• How to find a melody when all you've got are chords;
• What makes a good song melody?

And you'll get a step-by-step process for writing a song from chords, a process that uses a hit song as a template.

You shouldn't write every song by starting with the chords, only because starting the same way every time gives your music an unpleasant "sameness" that you want to avoid. But if you're keen to make the chords-first procedure work, this is the ebook for you!

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FIX YOUR SONGWRITING PROBLEMS - NOW!

Does songwriting make you happy? That's the first sentence you'll read in this important manual. You have a right to be happy, and songwriting can open the door to being artistically satisfied. But if your happiness is turning into frustration, you need solutions!

This eBook addresses seven of the most common problems plaguing pop songwriters today. If you always get that nagging feeling that there's still something wrong every time you finish a song, let this eBook help to guide you onto the proper path.

Within these pages, you're going to discover:

• How to write a lyric that connects to the audience;
• The secret of how a song melody pairs up with the song's lyric;
• What role inspiration plays in songwriting;
• How various aspects of song form (including when and how to use a pre-chorus or bridge) can strengthen you music;
• Why some chord progressions sound great, while others sound horrible.

This eBook puts a magnifying glass on several aspects covered in greater detail within “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting". But this eBook gets you moving in the right direction immediately. If you have problems, this is the first eBook in the bundle that you should consult.

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HOOKS AND RIFFS: HOW THEY GRAB ATTENTION, MAKE SONGS MEMORABLE, AND BUILD YOUR FAN BASE

We hear about the hook in songwriting as if it's the most important element of a successful song. In the pop songwriting world, that's not far off from the truth. But it can be a tricky element to describe accurately, because for obvious reasons, no two hooks are the same.

But we do know some things for sure. Most hooks blend together three crucial ingredients: an enticing bit of melody, a catchy rhythm, and a short, strong chord progression.

"Hooks and Riffs" discusses this vital element of music, that bit that's responsible for audiences wanting to hear your song over and over again. It takes a close look at 15 classic hits and discusses how the writers layered hooks for maximum effect.

The eBook finishes with three suggested step-by-step procedures for writing a song based on a hook: by focusing on melody first, rhythm first, and then chords first.

If you've been trying to get a hook to work -- to get something for your songs that waves a flag and grabs attention -- let this eBook show you how.

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