Six Reasons Why Boring Songs Bore, (and How to Fix Them)

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. _________________ Good songs usually present a balance of unique ideas with tried and true techniques. Usually, you’ll want that balanced in favour of the predictability that tried and true offers. A song that is too unique will often leave listeners confused, and boredom quickly […]

When Do I Use Chord Inversions?

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Follow Gary on Twitter for songwriting tips, news and more. __________________ An inverted chord means that you’ve moved the root of a chord to some upper position, leaving a note other than the root as the lowest sounding note. It’s a really great device […]

Sia's "Soon We'll Be Found"- Two-Part Verses and Other Goodies

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Follow Gary on Twitter for songwriting tips, news and more. ___________________ If you don’t know the music of Sia, you’re missing a real treat. Her music is a perfect example of how songwriters need only venture minimally outside the box to create fantastic music. […]

Good Lyrics: Always Consider the Natural Pulse

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Follow Gary on Twitter for Songwriting Tips, News and More . _________ Nothing kills a lyric faster than forcing words into a rhythmic scheme that just doesn’t work. What you should be after is a natural flow. For that reason, it’s really important for […]

Does Learning Music Theory Help or Hinder a Songwriter's Imagination?

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. ________________ Part of my job at Dalhousie University is teaching an entry-level music theory class. Many of the students who take it are non-music Arts students, many of whom are songwriters, taking it as an elective. And so if you don’t want to take […]

Five Reasons Bach is Still Relevant to Today's Songwriters

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. You can read Gary’s songwriting e-books (and take advantage of a free deal) by visiting the Online Store. It never ceases to amaze me how similar melodies are, no matter what genre, or even historical period, you examine. There really isn’t much difference between […]