How To Write Songs

Category: Revising Songs

  • Mistakes Songwriters Make About Pitching Songs to TV

    When I was 24, I took a song of mine, ‘Waiting for the Avalanche,’ to a music industry conference— specifically a panel of music supervisors (the people responsible for sourcing and securing the rights to use songs in film and tv). I got the chance to play them this song. One of them said the…

  • Can you really teach someone to write better songs?

    I so often get asked whether it’s really possible to teach someone how to write a song. There still seems to be a mysterious veil of magic and witchcraft about it, that is very fuelled by interviews with songwriters talking about channeling the muse. It turns out that songwriting is really like anything else. You…

  • Lyric Writing Masterclass March 16 2020

    Can songwriting actually be taught? Can your lyrics actually improve, or are you just born Bob Dylan? Author Ann Patchett beautifully writes: “Why is it that we understand playing the cello will require work, but we attribute writing to the magic of inspiration?” Great writers know that while we must always “leave room for the…

  • Driving Around the Road Cones: Two Easy Strategies for Moving Beyond the First Verse

    Almost all songwriters I know experience a type of road block in the process of writing songs. Paradoxically, this block seems to happen when you have a really good idea that you are particularly excited about. Put your hand up if you’ve ever written a verse and a chorus…and can’t seem to write a second…

  • VIDEO: The Psychology of Lyrics

    Thanks to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for hosting their first inaugural Teach Meet – a public lecture series of music educators presenting a short demonstration of an effective classroom tool. You’ll need a pen and paper to do the quick exercise at the beginning of the lecture. Enjoy!  

  • ASCAP Blog – ‘Bringing Cliches Back From the Dead’

    I’m very chuffed to have had this article published on the ASCAP Blog, ‘We Create Music’. Click on the image to access the article.

  • Eagle Rock Fall Songwriters Retreat

      EAGLE ROCK SONGWRITERS RETREAT – OCTOBER 8 2011   Former Berklee Songwriting faculty Keppie Coutts presents the Eagle Rock Fall Songwriters Retreat on Sunday, October 8!   Fall Retreat will involve a series of creative exercises and time-proven writing techniques in the morning, equipping you with processes to bring your unique perspective and voice…

  • SPECIFICITY #2: Getting Specific About Images

    A while ago I started an article about SPECIFICITY in lyric writing (see post: Specificity #1: Getting Specific About Ideas). The main conclusion of that article was to pick a central idea for your section, and make sure all the images and language are working towards supporting that main idea. Another aspect of ‘getting specific’…

  • Getting Fruitful Feedback – (Eagle Rock Songwriters Retreat this weekend!)

    One the most important things in the journey of a songwriter is being part of a community who can give you helpful feedback. Your friends, parents and audience will always be more than willing to tell you how much they love your songs (aka how much they just love you), and sometimes how much they…

  • Specificity #1: Getting Specific About Ideas

    Whether you are reading songwriting books, watching videos, going to workshops, in school, or paying close attention to excellent songwriters, you will eventually hear the same message again and again: MAKE YOUR LYRICS SPECIFIC. This can be frustrating and confusing. At some point, you will write a song that you think is specific, only to…

Weekend Songwriting Intensive - January 4-5

Ignite 2025 with an immersive weekend of songwriting, led by Keppie and Benny.