Whether you’re writing a song by yourself or collaborating, the time you set aside to create is valuable. Making the most of your songwriting session is a goal worth striving for each time you sit down to write. Below are a list of tips that will help you squeeze every ounce of effectiveness out of
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Above and beyond the wailing and gnashing of teeth that accompanies most conversations about the changes in the music industry, it’s worth mentioning that it has never been easier to make and distribute your own recordings. Choosing the glass half full perspective, I’ve decided to focus on some of the exceptional advantages available to you
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Lyric writing, at its heart, is about telling a story. However, it can help to remember that it’s not just the story we tell but how we tell it that gets people to listen to what we have to say. To that end, I’ve put together a collection of tips and tricks to help you
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So, when’s the last time you pitched one of your songs? Really? That long? I’ll bet I know why. It’s not much fun is it? Dragging around your song children and showing them off to potential “buyers” bears a surprising resemblance to work. Actually, when you think about it, it IS work. OK, I’m with
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As a part of my work with new songwriters, I spend a decent amount of time consulting with them about their songs. One thing that I’ve noticed is that there’s a tendency for new songwriters to look at critiques as a direct means of making their critiqued song “better.” However, it’s my belief that even
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For any songwriter interested in furthering their professional career, the “industry towns” that come to mind are New York, Los Angeles and Nashville. The reason Nashville stands apart in my mind is that while New York and Los Angeles have a high concentration of songwriters, they also happen to have a high concentration of many,
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At its best, lyric writing is a magical mixture of creativity and storytelling that can bring your listener into a world you’ve created and hold them there for the length of your song. However in order to create the perfect, tightly-scripted narrative that great lyrics possess, countless hours of writing and re-writing are often necessary.
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One of the best parts of spending time in Nashville for as long as I have is that I get to observe – up close – the way successful songwriters manage their day to day lives. Beyond the obvious songwriting talent, there are lots of other things that these songwriters do day in and day
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The life of a songwriter is full of a seemingly endless array of tasks that extend well beyond the act of writing songs. While there are a lot of things songwriters can – and should – be doing to get ahead in their careers, sometimes it can be a relief to know that we don’t
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When it comes to pursuing a career in songwriting, there is very little room for songwriters to indulge in stereotypical “artistic” behavior. The reality is that flighty, irresponsible and disorganized creative geniuses rarely have any significant commercial success. Being organized yields measurable benefits above and beyond the obvious ability to find a pair of matching
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While there isn’t an official songwriting rulebook, there are quite a few tried and true songwriting conventions that over time have essentially become rules. In almost all instances, these “rules” are there because they tend to make songs more commercial or catchy or both. That being said, breaking these rules can be a very effective
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When I think about the mental state of my younger songwriting self, I see a mixture of bravery, idealism and a healthy dose of misinformation. While I wouldn’t trade any of my experiences, it might have been nice to receive a friendly warning or two along the way about the realities of my chosen profession.
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