How a Bridge Melody Differs from Verse and Chorus

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website __________ The bridge of your song is usually the section that builds energy beyond what the chorus can do for you. Not all songs have bridges, and actually, whether your song needs one or not is more an issue of lyrical development than it […]

Imogen Heap's "Tidal": Using a Melodic Shape as a Formal Map

Written by Gary Ewer, from The Essential Secrets of Songwriting website. ___________ How do we identify a good song to someone else? Generally it’s by the melody. You don’t usually go to a friend and say, “Hey, I just heard this great new song…”, and then tap out the prominent rhythmic motifs, or recite the […]

Crafting a Melody By Using Melodic Cells

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. ___________ Norah Jones released a new album, “The Fall”, this past November. Its first single is “Chasing Pirates.” It’s a great song with an infectious laid-back groove that really hooks into your brain. As a songwriter, that’s your aim – get a song out […]

"Steal" Your Latest Song? 5 Ways to Avoid Accidental Plagiarism.

Composers sometimes get the “I think I’ve heard this before” fear. It’s a very real issue because successful songs are a mix of innovative ideas with established songwriting practice. And with the balance firmly toward predictable, songwriting can present you with the nagging fear that you might have accidentally plagiarized your new song.

Creating a Melody from the Bass Line

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. ___________ A song works best when all elements work together. No lyric, chord progression, or melody exist in a vacuum; they are like partners that complement each other. That means that all good songs are better than the sum of their parts. Your job […]

Seven Seconds to Impress is All You Get

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website: ____________ Anyone who runs a website knows that if you don’t give the visitor something close to what they’re looking for within the first five to seven seconds, they’re going to be clicking away from your site and looking elsewhere.  And that sense of […]