NOTE: This article should not be considered legal advice. It discusses opinions on copyrighting your music. Copyright laws are different in each country, so if you’re unsure about how something will affect you specifically, please contact a lawyer for how to proceed.   In this article, we’ll get into what you need to do [...]

NOTE: This article should not be considered legal advice. It discusses opinions on copyrighting your music. Copyright laws are different in each country, so if you’re unsure about how something will affect you specifically, please contact a lawyer for how to proceed.   Before we get into exactly what you need to do to protect [...]

  In this video, you’ll learn an easy technique for writing effective, singable melodies your listeners will be singing, even after your song is over. Watch it here:  

When I’m putting together a song, I always like to plan out each section of the song, before I put pen to paper to write the lyrics. I find it helps to keep the song focused. A lot of songwriters just write line after line until they’ve filled up a song, but a lot of [...]

  In this video, you’ll learn how to write a song in any style by modeling the style of songs you already like.  

  In this video, you’ll learn how to get the full potential of your lyrics based on where you put them in your music. This technique will help your listeners better relate to the lyrics you’re singing.  

  You may have heard me discuss why a strong opening line is an important gateway into your story. A great lyrical introduction is an excellent way to get your listeners interested in your story right off that bat. Plus, if it’s a snoozer, you run the risk of losing them. People have really short [...]

  I always love a great example of a strong use of prosody in a song. When the words and the music work together towards the same idea, you can create some really magical musical moments. This is especially true when those moments span the length of the entire song, for the most impactful listening [...]

  In this article, I want to talk about the use of grammar as it applies to your lyric writing. In most cases, it’ll be in your best interest to be grammatically correct when you’re writing lyrics, but as you’ll see here there will also be times to break that rule. So let’s look at [...]

  Melodies are the most important aspect to writing a memorable song. Technically, melodies are composed of two parts. Those are rhythm and pitch. In other words, what you can read from a piece of sheet music.   Vocal delivery isn’t part of a melody in a technical sense, however it can greatly influence a [...]

  Sometimes using a flashy little technique during a couple lines of your song can be a fun way to peak interest at a certain place in your song. In this article, I want to talk about one of those cool little tricks that I like to call a pivot line. There’s a great example [...]

  If written well, a captivating title can be enough to pull people to your song like a magnet. Of course, once they’re there you have the job of holding their attention so they don’t float off. But getting them there in the first place with an effective title can be a great place to [...]

  Recently  I was listening to the song “A Long December” by Counting Crows and some of the lyrics really stood out to me, in a positive way. This made me dig a little deeper to find out why.   Overall, the song’s about loss. With that in mind, the one section of lyric that [...]

  Ending a song with a punch line is a playful way to take everything you’ve said in your song up until the very last line and turn it on its head.   Look at the lyrics from Train’s song, “I’m Not Waiting In Line.”     Verse It’s clear to see that you’re down [...]

  Sometimes when you’re writing a melody, you don’t know where you should go with it. Maybe you came up with a good melodic motif, but you don’t know how much you should repeat it, or how quickly you should change it.   If that sounds like a rut you’ve been in, then I have [...]