Headphones and Synth

What Makes a Song Boring?

It’s hard to talk about songs as being “good” or “bad”, since those terms refer so much to the taste and experience of the listener. What’s good for one listener might sound pretty bad to someone else. And that’s to be expected in the world of songwriting, or, frankly, anything in the creative arts. On track […]

Songwriting tools

Establishing “Landmarks” Within Your Songs, Then Working Backwards

If you’re ready to take your songwriting to its highest level possible, you need “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle.” Get the manuals that thousands of songwriters are using. You might think that most of the time, songwriters work forward through a song as they’re writing it, but in fact, there’s a case to be […]

Billy Joel - Tell Her About It

Working Key Changes Into Your Songs

For most of the songs you’ll write, you’ll likely use the same key throughout. If you do happen to change key, the mostly common scenario is to put the verse in a minor key and then switch to the relative major for the chorus, like Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” That’s pretty standard, and […]

Piano and guitar

When Your Songs Don’t Fit the Verse-Chorus Format

Progressive rock isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Most prog rock tunes are longer than the standard 3-4 minute length you expect with typical pop songwriting, and that alone will turn some listeners off. Also, it’s not unusual for prog rock songs also to use complex chords and lyrics. In other words, most music that would […]

Chicago

How Tension and Release Works in a Song

Have a listen to any song and put your attention on its musical energy. You’ll probably notice that it rises and falls throughout the song. In some genres, like the various dance-related ones, musical energy may seem static, as the beat and loudness tend to remain somewhat the same. But even in songs where beat […]