5 Ways Your Songs Might Be Too Predictable

The danger of a songwriting formula is that everything becomes predictable. Here’s what you can do about that. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and increase your song’s HIT potential. _____________ Using a songwriting formula means one or both of the following: 1- fitting your song into one of many possible song designs (verse-chorus-bridge, for example); or […]

Song Structure Idea: Starting With the Chorus

Verse-chorus designs are the most common, but there’s nothing to say that you have to start with the verse all the time. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and get back to the basics of why hit songs sell. _____________ It may seem strange to start a song with the chorus if you consider that […]

Classic Song Analysis: “Like a Rolling Stone” (Dylan)

Sitting atop The Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” is arguably one of the most influential pop songs ever written. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and get back to the basics of why hit songs sell. _____________ There was much about “Like a Rolling Stone” that would […]

5 Steps to Writing an Effective Countermelody

A countermelody gives the listener two melodies at once, and considerably boosts melodic interest. Here’s how to write one. ____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and get back to the basics of why hit songs sell. _____________ A countermelody is a second melody that is sung or played at the same time as the main […]

Verse Structure in “Irresistible Force” (Jane’s Addiction)

Don’t make the automatic assumption that Verse 2 needs to be the same as Verse 1. You have options. _____________ Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and build your audience base, starting right now! _____________ When we talk about songs in a verse/chorus-bridge format, we tend to make the automatic assumption that all the […]

Pre-Chorus: When It Makes Sense To Write One

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook bundle, and kick-start your songwriting career! _____________ A pre-chorus is that bit of music that songwriters sometimes insert between a verse and a chorus. Not all songs use them; in most cases, it’s completely fine to move straight from the verse to the chorus. But there are songs, and […]