Song Chops
“Your own voice is the voice that carries you through life the best.” – Nanci Griffith
5 Step System For Songwriting Success
An easy approach to start writing songs today! Combine with the Song Builder Template and the Songwriting Process Template as a starter kit!
Simple Song Builder Template!
Everything you need to get your song’s story and structure into a clear message. After all, you have a reason for telling the story.
Songwriting Process Infographic!
This easy-to-follow infographic will help you get from the beginning to the end of a song. We’ll also show you exactly how to implement each part!
Daily Creator Songwriting Worksheets
Each is designed to provide you with a song-focused action and help you complete songs!
Colter Wall Sings Ian Tyson’s “Bob Fudge”
Ian Tyson is one of the best cowboy song writers around. Maybe songwriters. His song "Bob Fudge" is an exceptional example of how to write from someone else's perspective, cover 71 years, and make it interesting in less than 5 minutes. Writing someone's life story...
Travis Meadows “Pontiac”
If you want to start with something that's true, one of the best songwriting mentors you can look to is Travis Meadows. He has a way of writing about his experiences that brings others in and not only reveals a bit about himself, but also creates a perspective for how...
Mary Gauthier “Between The Daylight And The Dark”
Mary Gauthier is known for her strong scenes and emotional context, and "Between The Daylight And The Dark" is no exception. Written with Fred Eaglesmith, it's a great example of how to create a movie in the listener's head - and that's exactly how the pair wrote it!...
Ghost Songs: Lyrics First
Using someone else's song to help you get started isn't cheating, and it's not copyright infringement unless you don't change it significantly. So, for the Ghost Songs Lyrics exercise, make sure you change the song you started with to get going. A good test? Can...
How To Write Song Lyrics: Number of Lines
I got a question from one of the SongChops Members asking how to write song lyrics, and the number of lines in a verse, chorus and bridge in particular. What a great question - and one I realize I've never actually covered! So, how many lines should you have in your...
Finding Inspiration Around You
Finding Inspiration is a hard thing to come by sometimes. To help inspire you, try some unconventional sources - your photos, a dictionary or some online image searches! STEP 1: Pick up a dictionary or thesaurus (or head online). Randomly choose a word, or a few...
Kenny Chesney “American Kids”
I once heard someone say there are three kinds of songs: Ballads, Dancers and Anthems. This one is definitely an anthem. "American Kids," written by Rodney Clawson, Shane McAnally and Luke Laird, is a celebration of being a kid in a small town - and by the end - any...
‘Mama’s Broken Heart’ (II)
Part 2 of the post "Mama's Broken Heart" (I) Written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves Rhyme Scheme & Lyrics Rhyme scheme in the song is a relatively simple quatrain (A/B/A/B, C/D/C/D, etc.) for the verses and "heroic couplets" for the Chorus and...
“Mama’s Broken Heart” (I)
Three terrific songwriters: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves took an age-old story line (mother / daughter "you listen here little missy! Act like a lady!") and found a unique way to tell the daughter's story of rebellion. Miranda Lambert's vocal...
You have songs in you! Write your hit song today. And let the world hear it!