Songwriting tips, techniques, and ideas
Fiona’s enthusiasm is infectious here—it’s inspiring to see someone so excited about music. Clearly, despite her enormous success, Fiona’s in it for the right reasons. Here are some points that I …
Continue Reading about Fiona Apple on Writing and Performance →
If you've already got music in mind for a song, but don't know what lyrics would fit with that music, read on—these tools will help. What Does it Sound Like? Knowing what genres the piece sounds …
Continue Reading about How to Write Lyrics for an Instrumental Track →
This is a transcript of podcast #002--"On Writing Universal Songs." Quoth Pamela Phillips Oland, in her book "The Art of Writing Great Lyrics": ...why use an ordinary adjective when you can find a …
Continue Reading about Are “Universal” Songs Meant for Nobody in Particular? →
In commercial songwriting books, you’ll sometimes see mention of writing “universal” songs—songs that just about anyone can relate to. While reading Pam Oland’s book The Art of Writing Great Lyrics, …
Continue Reading about Ain’t Been No Crystal Stair: Suggestions for Writing “Universal” Songs →
Liszt’s lover Caroline about the famous composer’s work habits: “He must be made to concentrate, otherwise he gets all mixed up,” said she. “It is not genius he lacks, but the capacity to sit …
Continue Reading about Even Liszt Had Trouble Sitting Still →
This week I’m honored to be featured as a guest writer on Matt Blick’s excellent blog Beatles Songwriting Academy! The article’s called Getting Naked with John & Yoko. In the interest of science, …
Your hands are like dogs, going to the same places they've been. You have to be careful when playing is no longer in the mind but in the fingers, going to happy places. You have to break them of their …
A father and his very young boy are riding home late at night, and the boy begins crying that the “Erl King” is whispering promises, trying to lure him away… Der Erlkönig was a poem by …
“Schubert found three ways… to set verses to music. (1) He wrote one verse of music and repeated it for each verse of poetry; this is called strophic treatment. (2) He followed the text as closely as …
Continue Reading about The Three Ways Schubert Set Words to Music →
"Up on your feet! This is no time to tire!" my master cried. "The man who lies asleep will never waken fame, and his desire and all his life drift past him like a dream, …
Continue Reading about Songwriting Tips from Dante’s Inferno: Get to it! →
To create with no goal, no clear or even blurry idea of what you’re after, no way of telling whether you’ve succeeded or failed is a hopeless, thankless, and possibly even meaningless task. The …
Continue Reading about Focus and Finish Your Song by Deciding on a Clear Key Message →
Musicians and songwriters regularly come under fire in America for being vulgar and obscene. Interestingly enough, Dante reserved no special torment in Hell for those who cuss (though they surely …
Continue Reading about Songwriting Tips from Dante’s Inferno: ‘Offensive’ is Subjective →