Song Chops
Songwriting Made Simple
“Your own voice is the voice that carries you through life the best.” – Nanci Griffith
Write A Song
Everything you need to get started. And the best thing – we keep things simple. You’ll find tips on the things you need help with the most:
- Lyrics
- Melody
- Rhyme
- Song Structure
Choose A Level
Select the level that’s best for you, and you’ll find articles and tips that will help you excel quickly! Choose a streamlined process to get you to the next level of your songwriting.
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Free Member Resources
Everyone gets access to the free member guides and worksheets that will level up your songwriting. You’ll find tools to help you write in the moment, techniques used by hit songwriters you can use in your songs and guides to level up your writing, market yourself and create goals.
Songwriting Worksheets
Why spend time trying to figure out things like rhyme patterns and song structure. Our worksheets will make it simple to get started so you can spend your time being creative.
Song Prompts
No one likes staring at a blank page. Use our song prompts to challenge yourself, finish song ideas, or simply to make the whole songwriting process less overwhelming.
Songwriting Exercises
Sometimes you just want a songwriting exercise that will take a few minutes and help you grow your skills. Well, we’ve got those too! From lyrics to music you’re covered.
Guitar Books For Songwriters
These guitar books for songwriters will help jump-start the music side of your songwriting. Music and melody are two...
Zoom Set Up For Singer Songwriters
A Zoom set up can be easy, but the technology and pieces can be overwhelming. I've compiled a simple, basic product...
Beginning Songwriter Books And Gear
Getting started right is important - and- when you start, genre doesn't really matter. The goals is to write strong...
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...
Direct Address: Writing “You” Songs Not About You!
Direct address is a great way to remove yourself from the song story. Wait . . . What?! I know, it sounds...
5 Steps To Song Creation Success
How can we make songwriting easier? Change your perspective before you start writing! Songs are really just scenes...
Why Co-Write At All?
It's a valid question. Why co-write at all? I mean, you know how to write songs, and other people sort of get in the...
Co-Writing 101: Getting Started With Co-Writing
I get a lot of questions about co-writing and how co-writing happens in the room. The biggest question is what should...
Beats Per Minute: Online Tools
Beats per minute (BPM) is a major component of your song. It's basically the tempo of your song. It helps set the...
Quick Links To e-Books & Worksheets!
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!
MEMBER LIBRARY
Songwriting How To Guides
These guides will help you start or continue your songwriting journey.
Daily Creator Songwriting Worksheets
Each is designed to provide you with a song-focused action and help you complete songs!
Songwriting Level Up Worksheets
Grow your skills at a faster pace whether you’re just writing for yourself or want to go pro.
Songwriting Exercises
Tempo Change With Drum Tracks Songwriting Exercise
Free drum tracks with no augmentation are a great way to change up your songwriting. They're also a fantastic way to...
Create A Songwriting Habit
Because starting a song is the hardest thing to do, having a ready-made bucket of ideas, thoughts, observations,...
Auto-Generate Chord Progressions
One of the easiest ways to tune your ear into different sounds is to force the creation of variety in your chords....
Song Vamp
Using someone else's song to help you get started isn't cheating, and it's not copyright infringement unless you don't...
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...
Rhyme Pattern Proxy
This song exercise is great to use if you're stuck on a song line and can't seem to make the song work. It's a great...
Follow Your Own Rules
This song exercise is meant to get you outside of your normal routine, and create some variety for you as you approach...
Rhyme, Lyrics & Melody
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...
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...
Finding Inspiration Around You
Finding Inspiration is a hard thing to come by sometimes. To help inspire you, try some unconventional sources - your...
Song Sketching: Using Story Arcs
If you've ever been in a high school English class, you've studied how drama is created in a play, a novel or short...
Song Sketching: Tell Stories Like A Movie
Song Sketching is very similar to object writing, and is the next step in the process to craft your song. Unlike...
Poetry As Lyrics: Using Anaphora
We've all heard it: poetry as lyrics just doesn't work. But, as your songwriting skills grow, and you begin using...
Simple Steps To Melodies
Melodies are one of the most difficult parts of songwriting, but you can become very proficient at it with some basic...
Music Business
What’s A Performing Rights Organization (PRO)?
In the U.S., Performing Rights Organizations, or PROs, like BMI, ASCAP and SESAC are entities that collect the...
Getting Started Pitching Songs
How to get started pitching songs is a question I often get from songwriters. It usually sounds something like this:...
Setting Songwriting Goals Quick Guide
I know, it seems like a no-brainer to set songwriting goals as well as goals for your music career, but most of us...
New Streaming Service Pays More
Streaming is all the rage. And likely the future of music distribution. But with streaming services paying from...
A Streaming Royalties Example
Janis Ian dropped an example of her mechanical royalties statement on FB, which gives you a great idea of what...
5 Keys To Better Song Pitching
Song pitching, or writing songs you pitch to others to sing, is tough. Unlike singer-songwriters who can make sure...
Resources For Texas Musicians & Artists
Texas musicians, performers and singer-songwriters have some home state support. If you were born in or reside in...
You have songs in you! Write your hit song today. And let the world hear it!
