Can Songwriting Be Taught?…Online?
When I tell people that I teach songwriting courses for Berkleemusic.com, it always inspires an interesting conversation. The first question usually is, ‘can songwriting be taught?’ followed closely by...
View ArticleSongwriting for Film
Among the many opportunities for songwriters to get our songs heard is connecting with independent filmmakers. To get a little more insight into how to approach this, I talked with Tyler Gibb, a...
View ArticleCollaborations and Sticky Situations
Co-writing can be a truly freeing experience. In a good co-writing relationship, we can expect to come upon ideas together we wouldn’t have normally thought of on our own, broaden our lyrical and...
View ArticleChoosing A Theme to Write About
One of the hardest questions we writers can ask each time we sit down to write a song is, “what should I write about?” It seems almost ridiculous, with there being so many experiences, events, ideas,...
View ArticleBuilding a Successful Artist Career
A familiar topic floating around artist and musician circles is how to decide how much time to spend on writing, and how much to spend on marketing and promoting our music. The balance is often a...
View ArticleIdeas for Writing Choruses
Awhile back, this question was posed and I thought it well worth a blog. What would you do with a song that stubbornly refuses to offer up a chorus, or am I expecting something too substantial (other...
View ArticleRhyme More Naturally
Rhyme is an important structural and sonic element of great lyrics. When used well, rhyme helps us to control the pace of the lyric, where the listener feels conclusion of our thoughts, and...
View ArticleSummer 2010 Workshop for Songwriters
I would like to spread some information about an opportunity for songwriters offered by The Johnny Mercer Foundation. The foundation offers a week-long summer intensive program for writers between the...
View ArticleExercises for Developing the Plot
One great way to exercise our writing chops without digging deep into the lyric writing process is to do some plot development. I like to do this when I’m just motivated enough to sit down to write,...
View ArticleFinding the Right Producer for Your Songs
One of the most exhilarating parts of recording a record is collaborating with players, producer(s), and engineers who ‘get’ our music. When we find a match with good chemistry, our songs take on new...
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