The Beatles

How High You Sing Can Have a Big Effect On Song Energy

You can define song energy in several ways, but for the purposes of this post, song energy is the sense of musical intensity a listener perceives when they hear your song. And there are several aspects of music that might contribute to intensity: Loudness Rhythmic complexity General rhythmic activity Tonal quality of the various instruments […]

Finding the Melody Inside a Line of Lyric

Take your songwriting to a new level of excellence. Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and discover the secrets of great musical composition. (Purchase now and receive “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro” FREE. More.. ______________ English isn’t a tonal language, per se, but you likely know that you can change the […]

Creating Good Chord Progressions: See the Big Picture

Your songs missing something? Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle, and get back to writing great songs! _______________________ When you’ve got a melody that you’re wanting to harmonize, the usual way to proceed is to first establish a pulse (i.e., get your foot tapping). For most hit songs (more than 90%), that […]

3 Cool Ways to Change Key

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-book bundle, and learn every aspect of great songwriting! ________________________ Changing key within a song can add that spark of variety and uniqueness you might be looking for. Of course, key choice will be closely related to the vocal range of your melodies; you can’t put your song in […]

3 Smooth Ways to Change Key

Written by Gary Ewer, Senior Instructor, Dalhousie University, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. • Follow Gary on Twitter • Polish your songwriting technique with “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle ________________________________ It’s quite common for songs to begin and end in the same key. However, you can generate excitement and interest by […]

A Pedal Point Adds Glue to a Wacky Chord Progression

Written by Gary Ewer, from “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” website. Follow Gary on Twitter There are many ways to add a bit of variety to your chord choices. The problem is, the more you stray from the tried and true, the more confusing it can be to the listener. A pedal point is a great […]