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 […]

Songwriting: The Many Ways to Hook A Listener

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career right now! ____________ A “hook” is any musical aspect that is repetitive, catchy and short. In reality, most songs contain many elements that are “hooky.” They range from the obvious (a repetitious song title) to the subtle (a background guitar riff.) Without […]

Without a Motif, a Song Hardly Has a Chance

Great songs SELL! – Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle and START WRITING GREAT SONGS! __________________ A motif is a short musical “idea” that serves as a crucial building block for a composition. While you might think I just described a hook, a motif differs by virtue of the fact that it can change […]

Balancing the Strange With the Predictable

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-book bundle, and FINE-TUNE your songwriting skills! ________________________ Most of the songs that become hits in any generation display a mixture of innovative elements with a dose of predictability. But in fact, the balance is very much toward the predictable. Most hit songs sound, in their day, like most […]

Ditching a Songwriting Formula and Feeling Good About It

If you find yourself ever using the phrase, “my favourite formula,” while describing your songwriting process, you might be actually identifying a problem that keeps you from building a solid audience base. A formula is a method or procedure for how a song typically comes into being. If you’ve used one method a lot more […]

What Is It That Keeps a Listener Listening?

When it comes to songwriting, it’s possible to do everything “right” and yet fail to entice anyone to keep listening. Sadly, that’s quite common. For me, when I’m sent an MP3 by someone to assess, I ask myself a critical question: if I turned this recording off right now, would I care? And when I’m […]