Articles discussing songwriting approaches
Even if you don't observe Christmas, you can give yourself a gift as a songwriter. And that gift is something you never would have expected - Garbage! One Songwriter's Garbage, is Another Songwriter's... Garbage? Okay, I won't suggest that one writer's garbage is another writer's gold, or anything like that. What I'm really talking about… Continue reading Give Yourself the Gift of Garbage
Ah, Co-Writing. What a great way to write a song that you wouldn't, and couldn't, have written by yourself. Ah, Co-Writing. How the hell do we figure out the "splits" on our co-written song? Ah, Co-Writing. But you didn't actually write the song with me, so why are you asking for a writer's credit? There… Continue reading Remember That Song We “Wrote Together”?
Over the years, I have entered my songs in many different songwriting competitions. Local and Regional competitions, National and International competitions, I've tried them all, with some thrilling results: An international song competition win - Mike Pinder's SONGWARS - funded the recording of my third full-length album, along with some handsome prizes.A regional song competition… Continue reading Five Reasons to Love and Hate Song Competitions
There are very few songwriters who can write a funny song that doesn’t lose its charm on repeated listens. Top of this game perhaps is the work of Barenaked Ladies, songwriters who have managed to create moving musical works that also make us laugh, time after time. Is there a secret to writing funny songs… Continue reading Yeah, But is it Still Funny?
Ah, I love an open mic night. The chance to hear new songs that I didn’t write, in an intimate setting, and to meet the songwriters. Do you attend open mic nights? Do you perform your songs there? Do you listen while other songwriters are performing? Oh, Behave! A lot can be (and has been)… Continue reading Work That Open Mic!
I’ve ranted before about picking great titles for your songs. (Click Here to read more). I’m in the mood to rant just a little more. First, let me be straight – the title of your song doesn’t make or break your song’s success. Without question, you can list many of your favourite songs that have… Continue reading Hooked on Titles
Every song is trying to communicate something – telling a story, capturing an emotion, ultimately making the audience experience an emotional reaction. But Who Am I and Where Do I Fit In? Before that audience can experience an emotional reaction to your lyric, however, it’s crucial that they understand what relationship they have to the… Continue reading The View From Here
We know already that familiarity breeds enjoyment. Our brains naturally enjoy something they recognize. This is why it’s so all-important to get your listeners to hear your song multiple times – it develops in them a desire to hear it even more times. Within your song, repetition of a hook serves the same purpose –… Continue reading Out of the Trees and Into the Forest
It does a disservice to songwriters everywhere, each time we hear a well-known songwriter speak to the media about how they wrote a favourite song of ours in a mere twenty minutes. It does a disservice because it is always either a deception or simply an untruth. Sure, it is not uncommon for a songwriter… Continue reading Writing Is Re-Writing Is Writing
Surely you've seen enough Spiderman movies to remember Uncle Ben telling his impressionable nephew - shortly before making his final screen exit - that "With great power, comes great responsibility". While this is undoubtedly true for those with super-powers, it extends to super-songwriters as well. One Rule to Rule Them All In fact, I will… Continue reading With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility
