Category: Uncategorized
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Lyric Writing: 3 Exercises for Generating Endless Original (and excellent) Lyrics
Some lyrics arrive like lightning. Most don’t. Most begin as something much less impressive: a half-formed image, a title you’re not sure about, or a feeling you can’t quite put into words. The problem is, many songwriters assume that if the lyric doesn’t flow, the idea must not be good enough, or that they should…
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How to Write Better Lyrics—Now
I’ve put together a short-and-sweet playlist of lyric-writing tutorials today. The tutorials are designed to show you—quickly and practically—that lyric writing is not a mysterious gift reserved for a special few. There are learnable tools, techniques, and exercises available to anyone with the desire to improve. Each tutorial selected focuses on a different aspect of…
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The most important skill a songwriter can have
Our next Songwriting Sprint is coming up, and I thought I’d share one of the 4 prompts from the current 8-Week Sprint. You’re welcome to try this yourself, and if you want the structure, support, and accountability of deadlines, feedback, and community—join us for the August Sprint! Listen Like an Anthropologist Prompt You are going…
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Paul Simon’s Simple Cure for Songwriter’s Block
Why Finding Something to Write About Is One of the Biggest Songwriting Challenges One of the most persistent challenges songwriters face isn’t finishing songs—it’s knowing where to begin. Whether you’re writing your first song or your hundredth, the same questions often appear whenever you sit down with a blank page: Where do I start? What…
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The 3 + 3 Chord Challenge
One of the prompts inside our current Songwriting Sprint is the “3 + 3 Chord Challenge.” The idea is deceptively simple, and we want to share it with you so you can feel its immediate impact in your own writing! The Challenge We are focusing on chords – and I warmly invite you to take…
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This Songwriting Mistake is Easy to Avoid, If…
You know how to find it. There’s a storytelling mistake that shows up in songs all the time. And it has nothing to do with rhyme schemes or chord choices. It’s this: We bury the most interesting idea. This came up inside one of our live feedback sessions this week — the real, live, slightly…
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Why You Shouldn’t Bother Being “A Songwriter”
I was in Queenstown, New Zealand last week with my best friend from high school. We were there before setting off on a 3-night hike on one of the ‘Great Walks’ of New Zealand — the Kepler Track. Queenstown is stunning — right on a lake, wrapped in mountains, with a kind of Swiss-village energy…
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You’ll Never Guess Why “Golden” Is Surprisingly Catchy
You’ll Never Guess Why “Golden” Is Surprisingly Catchy Whether you’re a fan or not, you would have surely heard of K-Pop Demon Hunters by now. Netflix’s latest movie has taken the world by storm, with multiple songs from the soundtrack gracing the Billboard with their presence. In this article, we’ll discuss the secrets hidden within…
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What’s the Most Crucial Melody Mistake Songwriters Make? Discover Now
What’s the Most Crucial Melody Mistake Songwriters Make? Discover Now One might think that the biggest melody mistake songwriters make would be something that’s directly related to melody. For example, some might think it has to do with the repetitiveness of a melody. Meanwhile, others might think it has to do with the number of…
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The Big Problem with Writing Melody First
I recently got a message from one of the songwriters in our membership Community, Leigh Ann, who expressed a very common frustration: “I create melodies but get stuck with putting lyrics to them – or visa versa.” I get it. Finding the right words to a pre-written melody can feel awkward, and often feels like we…
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The Magic of Borrowed Chords Explained
The Magic of Borrowed Chords Explained Chord progressions can make or break a song. Despite this fact, many songwriters often have trouble coming up with interesting chord progressions. They get stuck using the same old sequences over and over again. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to help spice up your chord progressions, and that’s…
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Sonic Targeting – The Secret Technique to Writing Amazing Lyrics
Sonic Targeting – The Secret Technique to Writing Amazing Lyrics Songwriting is a game of balance. We have to be relatable to our listeners, but also truthful to our story. We have to be interesting, yet also familiar. Although this may sound difficult, it certainly isn’t impossible. In this article, we’ll discuss how to help…
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5 Steps to Turn a Good Song Great
5 Steps to Turn a Good Song Great We previously wrote a first draft of a song in this video “How to Write a Great Song in Under an Hour”. In this article, we go through the steps we’ve taken in order to turn that song draft into a great song! It’s to be noted…
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Analysing Sting’s Songwriting Process
Analysing Sting’s Songwriting Process Studying the songwriting process of established songwriters is a great way to get an insight into other ways of thinking artistically. This in turn broadens our pool of creative knowledge to draw from. In this article, we take a close look at 17-time Grammy Award Winner Sting and discover some of…
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A How-To Guide for Writing Choruses
A How-To Guide for Writing Choruses A chorus is not just the bit where the lyrics repeat. It’s something else entirely. In this article, we tell you what a chorus is, different types of choruses, as well as 3 practical tips – one lyrical, one melodic, and one chord-based – that will help you write…
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System #3 to Help You Always Make Time for Songwriting – Seeking Accountability
System #3 to Help You Always Make Time for Songwriting – Seeking Accountability In a world where time is a precious commodity, finding ways to make time for songwriting can be a constant struggle. Plenty of songwriters have told us how they lack the discipline to stick to a schedule. In this article, we’ll discuss…
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5 Creative Chord Progressions to Reignite Your Creativity
5 Creative Chord Progressions to Reignite Your Creativity In this article, we’ll go through 5 captivating, out-of-the-box chord progressions, each using different chords outside their key, that any songwriter can use immediately to make your chord progressions more interesting, sophisticated, and creative. This article is a summarised transcript of our video “5 Out-of-the-Ordinary Chord Progressions…
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Upcoming Songwriting Workshop | ‘Understanding Chords: How to 10x Your Chord Options in 2 Simple Steps’
This is a totally hands-on, practical workshop. We’ll tackle two of the biggest questions in songwriting: ‘How do I know what chords to use?’ and, ‘How do I write more interesting songs?’ Click here to register. In this 90-minute workshop, we’ll explore a process for writing chord progressions that doesn’t feel random, doesn’t get repetitive and…
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System #1 to Help You Make Time for Songwriting – Practice Daily
System #1 to Help You Make Time for Songwriting – Practice Daily We received loads of responses from a survey we sent out to our subscribers asking “What’s your biggest challenge with songwriting?”. One of the most common responses was that it’s difficult to make time to get any songwriting done. In this article, we’ll…
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‘Write a Song in 60 mins’ Workshop—Oct 21/22 2023
This is a totally hands-on, practical workshop. In 60 minutes, we’ll be working through a 5-step process for writing great songs, fast. You will come away from this workshop with a finished first draft of a song. Click here to register now! If you are a songwriter of any level of experience, and struggle with…