So you think you can roll with Mr. Rogers, huh? I don’t know, man. I don’t know if you’re ready. Do you have the discipline? The guts to stand up for your principles? The consistency? …
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Songwriting tips, techniques, and ideas
So you think you can roll with Mr. Rogers, huh? I don’t know, man. I don’t know if you’re ready. Do you have the discipline? The guts to stand up for your principles? The consistency? …
Continue Reading about The Mr. Rogers Guide to Rock Stardom →
Why writing a song is like sculpting a sand castle You put lots of effort and care into every little parapet and archway, and then a big wave dislodges the entire foundation from underneath. @#$%! …
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Two ambulances were called, but 27-year-old singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse was pronounced dead on the scene. No cause of death has been given yet. Amy did struggle with health problems related to …
Hi everybody! Matt Blick of Beatles Songwriting Academy was kind enough to point out that my comment system broke. Oops. Sorry ‘bout that. Luckily, the great comments that you’ve all left over the …
Tom Waits, even with his barnyard growl and urban hipster yawp, may just be what the Daily Telegraph calls him: “the greatest entertainer on Planet Earth.” Over a span of almost four decades, he has …
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Alas. As the title of this post says: just because a song is fun to play doesn't mean that it's fun to hear. Given that unpleasant truth, if you can manage to hear your own songs as though they were …
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“Is songwriting mostly inspiration or perspiration?” This question typically divides the room into two camps. Camp 1: The Inspiration Fetishists Some of the songwriters present cross their arms …
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Be sure to click "Full Screen" for the best reading experience: …
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If the human voice is the instrument most essential to songwriting, then breath itself shapes our art. Songs contain pauses, or rests, where the singer can inhale. But if you consciously pay …
The Gears Index of Songwriting Terms is gradually growing. Big gears, little gears… here are a few new additions that I found inspiring. Enjoy! Answer Song Given that personal values inform the …
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We all need to loosen up. This afternoon I improvised songs with my niece. She saw a Taylor Swift concert over the weekend, and apparently it inspired her. So I strapped on a guitar and sat my niece …
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1. Free writing Free writing is basically just unstructured, haphazard, nonstop writing. Forget that your pencil has an eraser. Forget that your keyboard has a backspace key. Ready…? Set… The goal …