songwriting frustration

The Value of Small Goals in Songwriting

If you find yourself always succumbing to writer’s block, you may find yourself thinking that there’s as much frustration in the act of songwriting as there is fun. What can you do to prevent a creative block from constantly showing up at the worst times? One of the best ways I know to keep writer’s […]

Musical inspiration

Inspiration is Part of a Musical “Machine”

Some songwriters can’t compose unless they feel inspired to do so. That word inspired refers to a kind of excitement that drives our creative process and motivates us to write. You might think of the word in its less metaphorical form: to inspire, meaning to breathe in. It’s like saying that the excitement to write comes […]

Songwriter- Writer's Block

Do You Burn Out As a Songwriter? Here’s What You Can Do About It

As a writer of songs, you’ll probably notice that you’ve got two important qualities: Your ability to come up with good musical ideas; Your ability to work for longish periods of time to get the song finished. Good songwriters usually have both of those working for them when things are going well. But from time […]

Creating Songs With AI

What AI Is (Possibly) Doing to Songwriting

Lyrics become all the more powerful when they’re properly paired with a good melody. That’s what Chapter 5 is all about in the eBook “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting.” Polish your songwriting technique with the 10-eBook Bundle. Computers have been a part of the world of music and songwriting for a good forty years now. […]

songwriter waiting for inspiration

Stop Waiting For Inspiration to Hit

Inspiration is whatever excites you enough to start writing. The stereotypical image is something like a waterfall — something that takes your breath away, invades your creative mind, and prompts you to pick up your guitar and a pad of paper to try to set feelings to music. The problem with that kind of inspiration […]

guitar and candle

Remembering Your Reasons to be a Songwriter

In my last blog post I wrote about the natural ebb and flow of creativity in all of us, and how we shouldn’t be overly surprised or worried if we find that our musical imagination comes and goes, sometimes within the same songwriting session. But even though there’s something natural about that, you can still […]