The notion of the so-called killer chord progression is a bit of a myth that I used to hear songwriters discuss years ago. It’s a myth, not because chord progressions can’t be powerful and epic, but because songs are nearly always about a partnership of many different elements. Trying to get the chords-first songwriting process […]
Don’t be surprised if most of the time you start your songwriting process by working on getting the chorus happening first. For most of your listeners, your song will be defined by what’s happening in the chorus; it’s the chorus that really needs to shine. Songwriters are very familiar with the chorus hook, but there are […]
How far into the future do you think about your songwriting? Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing in a year’s time? It’s definitely worth thinking about, because if you’ve got no specific plan, it means that anything that happens with your songwriting will come down to random […]
For any songwriter, uniqueness is a crucial pursuit. Why would you want to write something that sounds like some other song out there, no matter how good it is? In every song you write, you need to hope that there’s something unique about it so that your fans can tell that it’s you they’re listening to, […]
Over the past twelve years of me doing this blog I’ve written probably hundreds of articles that focus on chord progressions – how to create them, how to partner them up with a melody, how they impact the mood of music, and so on. If you’ve had problems with the chord aspect of your songwriting, […]
In practically anything we make or do there are the standard tools to help us. Want to build a bookshelf? You probably need a saw, a measuring tape, a hammer, sandpaper and so on. Want to make a cake? You’ll need bowls, spoons, measuring cups and perhaps a mixer. Songwriting at the beginning of pop […]
