Songwriting tips, tricks and motivation
The first time I heard “A Little Bit Yours”, I was instantly hooked. JP Saxe has a way of creating subtle but hooky riffs, punch-in-the-gut lyrics and killer melodies. This Chorus in particular feels very satisfying in both the beginning of the Chorus and the payoff line. It seems like a simple song on the… Continue reading Song Breakdown: What Makes the Chorus in “A Little Bit Yours” by JP Saxe so Satisfying
Like everyone, I experience self-doubt when it comes to songwriting. Along with music having a brutal, messy industry, it was pretty early on when I realized just how many other songwriters are out there. Part of being a musician is getting passed on and rejected, and after many of those instances, I can feel pretty… Continue reading Overcoming Self-Doubt in Songwriting
My five favourite books to learn the craft of songwriting If you’re a reader like myself, you’ve probably noticed how many songwriting books are out there. There are also many types of songwriting books, ranging from instructive to anecdotal, and it can be overwhelming to figure out which books actually get to the meat of… Continue reading My 5 Favourite Books to Learn the Craft of Songwriting
Have you done timed object writing before and loved it? The advantage of using a timer is that it shuts off the inner critic. The goal is to get the main ideas across and defined, rather than ruminating endlessly on one line, and get it finished in a set amount of time. Here are a… Continue reading Songwriting Exercise: Using a Timer
Have you ever gone months and months without writing a song? Years? I definitely have. When I first started writing, it was like an obsession; I was constantly writing, sometimes a song a day. Then I slowed down to where I was writing a song every couple of weeks, maybe a month. There were periods… Continue reading Is Inspiration Bullsh*t?
One of the fundamentals to songwriting is creating contrast between sections. I say “fundamentals” because it is one of the first things you might learn, but like most of the basics, it requires practice and persistence throughout your lifetime of writing music. Even after more than a decade of songwriting, this is still something I… Continue reading How To Create Contrast Between Sections
Nearly every writer has tried object writing at some point in their lives. The idea is usually very similar every time: when you wake up in the morning, grab your tea or coffee and sit down with a timer and a notebook. Pick an object and free-write for ten minutes about it. Maybe at the… Continue reading Songwriting Exercise: Structured Object Writing
When I’m sleepy, probably the last thing I want to do is write a song. As much as I love writing, I can admit that it requires a lot of effort and brainpower. Like most things worth doing, songwriting can get pretty difficult when your focus has to be squeezing a story into short lines… Continue reading Why I Write Songs When I’m Sleepy
There are many songwriters out there who argue that the lyrics don’t matter. I hear this especially when I hear critique of pop music, and how the lyrics are “too simple” and the songwriters just write anything down, as long as it sounds catchy. This might be true in some cases, but truly great songs… Continue reading Why your Rhymes are Getting in your Way
Songwriting isn’t easy, and one of the most difficult parts of the process is starting. One could argue that activities like writing, art, music, exercise, etc. can sometimes feel like more work than fun. Songwriting requires a lot more effort than simply tuning into Netflix, but I definitely think the former is much more satisfying.… Continue reading How to Start: The Hardest Part of Songwriting
