If you’ve got a melody, but don’t know how to add chords to it, you need to read “How to Harmonize a Melody.” It will show you, with sound samples, a clear step-by-step for adding chords that will make your melody sound great. In most pop songs, the chord progressions you’ll find yourself using will […]
If you look at the description of Lennon & McCartney’s “I Saw Her Standing There” in the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, you’ll read this: This song had been written by McCartney two years earlier. After penning the first line – “She was just 17” – McCartney wanted to avoid completing […]
Most works of art, whether you’re talking about songwriting, poetry, the painting of a landscape, or anything else, really, are comprised of some element that acts as a focus, and then many surrounding, supporting elements. For example, you might photograph a landscape that features a beautiful pine tree as the main element — the object that immediately […]
A time signature is not something that gets a lot of attention when we think of pop songs, and truth be told, it’s possible to write great music without giving it much thought. Most songs are either in 4/4 time or some other arrangement of strong-beat/weak-beat meter. As you begin the songwriting process, you’ll likely start strumming […]
Chord inversions (“slash chord”) add forward motion and musical energy to a song. Here’s more. ______________ Looking for good songwriting content for your iPad, Kindle, laptop, desktop, or other PDF-reading device? “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” ebook bundle packages will show you why good songs are good, and how to apply those lessons to your own […]
Repetition, along with a carefully-placed climactic moment, allows melodies to make a strong connection to listeners. _____________ Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-Ebook Bundle. 11 Songwriting Principles That Will Turn Your Writing Around – Guaranteed. _____________ If you look at some of pop music’s greatest melodies — and by “pop” I mean the broader definition of anything written […]
