I spend every day writing, reading, and practicing guitar. Much to my chagrin, none of these activities seem to be giving me chiseled abs. So, I've taken up running and strength training again. …
Structure: Tools and Discipline
Structure in songwriting gives you everything you need to set your own finish lines and then run for them. Whether you’re determining the rhyme scheme you’re about to use, the number of syllables in …
Investigation and Obsession
Artists in all media tend to gravitate toward certain themes, topics and symbols in their work. Sometimes these themes are premeditated; in other cases they surface naturally over time. Jorge Luis …
Focus.
No matter how many songwriting techniques you learn, no matter how many songwriting books you read, and no matter how much you daydream… this is all for nothing unless you actually write. Leo Babauta …
Two Literate, Insightful Songwriting Authors You Should Check Out
Given yesterday’s post, in which you witnessed the nostrils of a literature dork flare with righteous anger, I’d like to show you that there are actually a few songwriting authors out there who’re …
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Video Post: Correcting Some Misinformation Spread by a Well-Known Songwriting Author
Write the Songs You Were Born to Write.
No matter what kind of music you make, somebody is eventually going to criticize that music. Period. Especially if you’re out there making innovative, daring, exciting sounds, there are going to be …
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What Webster Isn’t Telling You About Strawberries
A strawberry isn’t just a strawberry. Words are much more than their dictionary meanings. Aside from definitions, words also have connotations. Much of a word’s emotional resonance and impact come …
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It Doesn’t Have to be Pretty to be Poetic
Road kill has its seasons, just like anything There’s opossums in the autumn And there’s farm cats in the spring. -Waits/Brennan, “Murder in the Red Barn” …
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A Songwriting Reference Book I Found in the Garden Shed
Maine has four distinct seasons: furious white winters, muddy melting springtimes, lush hot summers, chilled expectant Autumns. Sit here in my chair for a year, and you'll see seasons roll by the …
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When Applause Feels Wrong
If at any point you feel weird about receiving applause and praise, it's probably because you're suspicious—you don't feel in your heart like you've earned it. I've seen singer-songwriters burn out, …
The Last Batch of American Radio Babies
by Nicholas Tozier Many of you reading this were raised on the radio. At twenty-six, I belong to perhaps one of the last batches of American radio babies who might have sufficient knowledge about …
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