Experimenting with Odd Song Forms Can Pay Off

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Get the most out of your creative abilities! Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” ___________________________________ Most songs follow a rather predictable pattern: after an intro of some sort, you get the basic verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge […]

Prolonging a Chord Progression with Deceptive Cadences

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER Get the most out of your creative abilities! Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” ___________________________________ There’s nothing like a creative chord progression that really feels like it’s taking you on an interesting journey. But in the attempt to make a progression […]

“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting”: Learning to be Creative

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER The second edition of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” is out! See the video here. ___________________________________ The second edition of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” was released last week, and I’ve gotten great some comments from many musicians. One question, […]

How to Make More of a Song's Hook

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER The second edition of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” is out! See the video here. ___________________________________ We all know what a song’s hook is: it’s typically something short and memorable, comprised of a catchy melodic shape married to a catchy […]

Three Bits of Advice for Analyzing Your Melodies

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. FOLLOW GARY ON TWITTER The second edition of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” is out! See the video here. ____________________________ The nature of melody is different depending on the genre you’re writing in, and it’s almost impossible to state any rules. Just as soon […]

“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” – 2nd Edition Released

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. ________________________________ At long last, the second edition of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” has finally been released. Song samples have been updated to more current examples, with more in-depth descriptions of certain songwriting concepts. Like the first edition, it examines the technique of the […]