Tips // These are blog posts (mostly text) that are trying to teach or give advice on a particular topic.
Getting Out of the Four Chord Rut
Many would consider a four-chord-song to be a song with one completely unnecessary chord in it, and it is true that there are many brilliant three-chord-songs. Country songwriter Harlan Howard famously stated that all he needed was “three chords and the truth” and my mother-in-law used to joke that she only knew how to play […]
Song Critiques: Why You Need Them, Why You Should Do Them
Song Critiques: Why You Need Them, Why You Should Do Them There are two crucial steps that many amateur songwriters overlook in their quest to improve their craft and take their songs to the next level. First, they fail to subject their songs to a critique by other songwriters, and second, they fail to critique […]
How to Write a Protest Song
Perhaps two of the only things left that we can all agree on is that we live in a world divided, and it is now a time of protest. Whether people are protesting truth to power, or power to truth, protesting a certain ideology, or defending it, it appears that protest and social justice songs […]
Songwriting: Your First 50
I remember very little about the first song I wrote…I was in sixth grade, and I know it was a cheesy breakup song in A minor about my first “girlfriend” in fifth grade. I don’t think any recordings of “The Love We Shared” exist (mercifully), and it wasn’t until a year later, when my older […]
Top 10 Songwriting Insights From Durango
Twice a year for the last six years or so, I have attended the four-day Durango Songwriters Expo. The people that attend this intensive confab are publishers, film supervisors, performers, and most of all songwriters of all ages. I’m going to break with my usual MO here and not drop any names, but I can […]
The Honest Lyric
There is no right or wrong way to write a song lyric. And there are no right or wrong lyrics. But, there is truth and falsehood. Is your song honest? Or are you just making rhymes? I was honored to be asked to write this column exploring the craft of lyric writing. I have no […]
All About Five (Or V For Victory)
SUMMARY: This debut article takes a reasonably deep look at a basic topic. It describes the dominant chords, which are often referred to as V and V7. I’ll also illustrate how the chords function, how they’re used, and I’ll end with some examples. You’ll learn that a dominant chord can be used alone, or you […]
Songwriting Lesson: Matching Melodies and Lyrics
I would like to start off our little coaching session with a tip that is crucial for good song development. It’s sad but true that many songwriters ignore this skill I am about to tell you resulting in underdeveloped songs. It’s also a skill that’s not easy…I suppose that’s why many overlook it. Here it goes! […]
Set Your Voice Free
Sound catchy? That’s the title of a book by “America’s #1 Vocal Coach” Roger Love that I bought some dozen years ago. At the time, I was living in cramped quarters, and when I would try to practice the funny sounds that he has his students pronounce, I would hear snickers from the people walking […]
DIY Blues, Pt. 3: Touched For The Very First Time
There is plenty of information about guitar repair on the internet, not all of it great (the article you are currently reading comes to mind). However, there are at least a few useful resources that will help you troubleshoot and provide a good overview of basic repairs. The following “Instructable”, written by an enterprising 15-year-old, […]
Sponsors
Copyright © 2011-2015 - Songwriters in Seattle - music and photography contained in this website are copyrights of their respective authors. All rights reserved. Conforms to W3C Standard XHTML & CSS
Connect With Us!