Ted Greene--whose books and music I adore—wrote this note to himself. I’m interested to hear your reactions to it. “Some musicians play only for themselves not caring if they reach others, just trying …
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Moving Beyond Chord-Centric Songwriting
I didn’t post any songwriting articles this week due to some serious growing pains as a songwriter. I was writing lyrics—slowly—but the music just wasn’t happening. I spent about five days kicking …
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17 Great Songwriting Tutorials From Around the Web
1. Tickets to Write – Beatles Songwriting Academy Matt Blick is studying the songwriting of the Beatles and blogging about what he learns from (eventually) all 211 of their songs. Along the way, he’s …
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Shake a Tail Feather: How to Use Body Language in a Lyric
As writers, we hear this advice often: “Show, don’t tell. Show, don’t tell. Show, don’t tell.” Readers and listeners trust their own senses more than they trust blandly delivered information. It’s …
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Who Are You Trying to Impress?
Who exactly are you trying to impress with your lyrics and music? A record label? The fans who liked your last album and want another just like it? The listening public at large? A certain …
A Collaborative Object Writing Exercise
Here’s a great way to warm up and break the ice with a collaborator at the beginning of a songwriting session. 1. Just sit down together for a quick, tandem object writing exercise—if you’re new to …
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