Gillian Welch & David Rawlings “The Way It Will Be”
If you’ve followed the folk and Americana genres, or read Pat Pattison’s books on songwriting, you know who Gillian Welch and...
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Brandi Carlile “The Eye”
I got a direct message through twitter asking about a Brandi Carlile song called “The Eye” (thanks Helen!). While I’ve...
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Change Perspective But Keep Your Point Of View
Perspective isn’t a common songwriting topic. Most songwriting conversations revolve around Point of View (POV), but there’s...
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Texture In A Song: What Is It?
Texture is what helps tie your lyrics to an emotional connection for the listener. Texture is the particulars that give your scene...
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5 Steps To Organize Your Song Files
It happens to every songwriter. The business of music. Your focus is on writing songs, not organizing your song files! Why bother? But,...
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Starting Your Songwriting Notebook
A songwriting notebook, also called a Hook Book, or a journal, is your idea vault. It’s one of the best ways to capture all of your...
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Eric Church “Record Year”
We’ll deconstruct Eric Church’s “Record Year” to discover the songwriting devices that made this song a #1 on...
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Songs Using Allusion: Joel To Swift
While it’s one thing to know what an allusion is, applying it to your songwriting is easier to grasp if you can study songs using...
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Allusion: What Is It?
You probably see or hear an allusion in use a couple of times a day, but do you use it in your songwriting? Have you had a moment when...
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Can A Three Character Song Work?
A three character song doesn’t work. We’ve all heard it, and if you haven’t, you will. In song feedback sessions...
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Chris Stapleton “Parachute”
“Parachute,” written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers, is one of my favorite songs on Traveller. It delivers a universal...
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Who’s Coming To Your Co-Write?
We’ve all had stories of nightmare co-writes with people who had clashing personalities. Maybe it wasn’t even you. Maybe you...
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Song Outline: Church’s “Kill A Word”
To help learn more about what is one of the biggest challenges in writing a song – story line or thought progression –...
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Creating Effective Similes In Songs
Similes in songs can take a ho-hum lyric and turn it into a “wow!” lyric. The magic of a simile is that it allows you to use a...
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What’s A Simile In Songwriting?
A simile is a type of “figurative language” used in creating imagery. Wait . . . figurative language and imagery aren’t...
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Texas Singer-Songwriters
Texas singer-songwriters are out there. Sure, there’s a huge country scene with its own TX music chart, and you probably already...
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In A Point Of View or Perspective Rut?
It happens: sometimes you consistently write from a single point of view or perspective and can’t seem to break the habit. Now, that...
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Perfect Songwriter Gifts?
Looking for the perfect songwriter gifts? Not sure what they need, what they want or even what they’re talking about if they do...
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Amy Speace Song Critiques
Amy Speace takes a look at several songs submitted for the American Songwriter Magazine songwriting contest. Songwriters were given the...
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Point Of View (POV) Switch Exercise
One of the easiest ways to increase your understanding of point of view (POV) is to take a song you’ve completed and work through...
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Lori McKenna “The Bird & The Rifle”
Lori McKenna’s “The Bird & The Rifle” is a lesson in song craft. And, she’s a great example of how writing...
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Lyric Basics: What’s a Metaphor?
A metaphor is a type of “figurative language” used in imagery. It’s best used to make a connection between things your...
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Adele “Hello”
Written by Adele and producer Greg Kurstin, “Hello” focuses on a telephone conversation/voicemail. The song brilliantly...
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5 Of The Best Rodeo Songs By Texans
We’ve all heard rodeo songs, but what are the 5 best from Texans? And before the email gets out of control, yes, Oklahoma and...
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Aaron Watson “Bluebonnets”
How do you make a very personal moment a song that can connect with thousands and top the Texas Regional Radio Music Chart? Aaron Watson...
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