The Tension-Release Principle of Songwriting

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Clean up your songwriting technique. Purchase “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” bundle and get a free e-book. _________________ What keeps a listener listening? If you can’t answer that question, your songs may be relegated to the dust-heap of music history, along with all the […]

Writing a Compound Chorus: Beyoncé's "Single Ladies"

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Check out Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books– Get the most out of your songwriting abilities, and start writing hit songs! __________ A compound chorus is one which uses two or more distinct melodies and lyrics, each of which include the necessary characteristics of a chorus. […]

The Fundamental Relationship Between Melody and Chords

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER The difference between a bad song and a good one is structure. Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” bundle of e-books to get your song structure working. _________________ If you’ve written a melody, or if you’ve got melodic ideas you […]

Why Chord Progression Formulas Work

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Let Gary’s songwriting e-books show you how to fix your songs. Click here to read more. ____________ Good songs are a balance of foreground and background. The foreground elements are the aspects of the song that the listener would notice right away, such as […]

Pump Up Your Progressions with Altered Chords

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” You might be surprised by how close a failing song is to being a winner. Do you know all the essential secrets of songwriting? Click here to read more. _____________________ Anytime you use a chord that includes a note not normally found in the chosen […]

A New Take on the I-IV-V-I Progression

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books will get you writing songs, and can help stamp out writer’s block for good. Click here to read more. _____________ You’ve often heard me say that one of the problems with chord progressions is that they can often be too complex. […]