by lashibes | Jun 12, 2021 | Exercises, Song Craft
Because starting a song is the hardest thing to do, having a ready-made bucket of ideas, thoughts, observations, lines, hooks and cool words is one of the best things you can do for yourself, Sure – you can talk into your phone or leave your ideas scattered all...
by lashibes | Jun 12, 2021 | Exercises, Music
One of the easiest ways to tune your ear into different sounds is to force the creation of variety in your chords. This gets you out of common patterns or melodies you might use and can be quite inspiring. Switch up what you normally use for a chord progression by...
by lashibes | Jun 12, 2021 | Exercises, Music
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...
by lashibes | Jun 12, 2021 | Exercises, Lyrics
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...
by lashibes | Jun 11, 2021 | Song Craft
A songwriter glossary of common terms you’ll run across as you get feedback about your songs. Figurative Language & Literary DevicesAllusion An expression or phrase used to call something to mind without expressly mentioning it. A form of figurative language,...
by lashibes | Apr 24, 2021 | Beginning, Lyrics
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...
by lashibes | Dec 13, 2020 | Song Craft
We’re always on the lookout for innovative gadgets, software and books that can make songwriting and creativity easier. I’m a “one for you, one for me” kind of person, so whether you’re buying for a friend or yourself, we want to make...
by lashibes | Sep 5, 2020 | Featured, Songs Analyzed
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...
by lashibes | Aug 9, 2020 | Beginning, Lyrics
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...
by lashibes | Dec 17, 2019 | Song Craft
Sometimes it’s hard to finish unfinished songs. And, there’s nothing worse than sitting down to write and ending up with a partially completed song. Do you have a pile of lyrics and melodies with a verse and chorus but are stuck? Have you hit the second...
by lashibes | Sep 22, 2019 | Song Craft
Whenever you go into a co-write, you’re usually thinking “OK – we’re going to write a song.” And usually, you’re thinking it’s one song. You contribute your ideas and lines, and whatever comes out of the day is the song. But,...
by lashibes | Jul 6, 2019 | Song Craft
Every song has a story behind the writing of it. The craft, the idea creation, and the minutia of working it into a song. As songwriters, I think we’re naturally drawn to the “how” of a song’s creation – the story behind the song. ...
by lashibes | Feb 22, 2019 | Song Craft
Most songwriters want to write more songs, more often, but run into blockers like daily life, too much writing and no new ideas and the ever-popular no time to write. If you want to improve your songwriting as well as your songs, and eventually have a song catalogue...
by lashibes | Nov 27, 2018 | Song Craft
This songwriter gift guide covers everything from getting started to moving to the next level to running your music business to performing on stage. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or someone else, not having to sort through a ton of “Recommended For...
by lashibes | Oct 23, 2018 | Featured, Songs Analyzed
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...