Pages Navigation Menu

Start With Something That's True

Why Co-Write At All?

Why Co-Write At All?

Posted by on Oct 24, 2019 | Comments Off on 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 way of your...

Read More
Co-Writes Can End With Two Versions Of A Song

Co-Writes Can End With Two Versions Of A Song

Posted by on Sep 22, 2019 | Comments Off on Co-Writes Can End With Two Versions Of A Song

Whenever you go into a co-write, you’re usually thinking “OK – we’re going to write a song.” And usually,...

Read More
Co-Writing 101: Getting Started With Co-Writing

Co-Writing 101: Getting Started With Co-Writing

Posted by on Jul 2, 2019 | Comments Off on 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 I expect to happen...

Read More
Beats Per Minute: Online Tools

Beats Per Minute: Online Tools

Posted by on Jul 27, 2016 | 0 comments

Beats per minute (BPM) is a major component of your song. It’s basically the tempo of your song.  It helps set the overall tone of...

Read More
Songwriters’ Notebooks: Nashville Pro Writers

Songwriters’ Notebooks: Nashville Pro Writers

Posted by on Apr 20, 2016 | 0 comments

Songwriters’ notebooks are the holy grail of ideas, titles, hooks and great phrases. Afterall, a songwriter’s notebook is a...

Read More
Songwriter Craig Wiseman

Songwriter Craig Wiseman

Posted by on Mar 11, 2016 | 0 comments

Craig Wiseman is one of Nashville’s pre-eminent songwriters. He’s had more than a dozen songs reach number one on the country...

Read More
George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Posted by on Jan 30, 2016 | 0 comments

How did “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” evolve from George Harrison’s songwriting self-assignment? In his own words from...

Read More
Organize Your Hook Book

Organize Your Hook Book

Posted by on Nov 1, 2015 | 0 comments

Organize your hook book! It’s one of the best things you can do to make sure you’ve got ideas and lines at your fingertips...

Read More
Pro Tip: Having A Songwriting Life

Pro Tip: Having A Songwriting Life

Posted by on Jul 24, 2015 | 0 comments

I was recently in Nashville recording a demo at The 515 Studio, and got to know Chip Hardy, a long-time music industry producer and...

Read More
Songwriter Ashley Arrison

Songwriter Ashley Arrison

Posted by on May 14, 2015 | 0 comments

Below are excerpts from an interview with Ashley Arrison on Rob Brayl’s BeyondBeyonce.com back in January of 2011.   Q  So I...

Read More
6 Tips To Make Your Songs More Commercial

6 Tips To Make Your Songs More Commercial

Posted by on Mar 6, 2015 | 0 comments

Guest Post By Brent Baxter   If your goals are like mine – getting cuts, hits, etc., then your best bet is by writing...

Read More
Original Demo: “Bette Davis Eyes” Bluegrass

Original Demo: “Bette Davis Eyes” Bluegrass

Posted by on Feb 15, 2015 | 2 comments

The third best-selling song of the 1980’s sung by Kim Carnes was a originally a pop ballad appearing on Jackie DeShannon’s...

Read More
Songwriter Lori McKenna

Songwriter Lori McKenna

Posted by on Dec 19, 2014 | 0 comments

Lori McKenna is one of my favorite songwriters on the planet – Janet (sorry – just a habit from the 80’s). You may know...

Read More
Original Songwriter Demos

Original Songwriter Demos

Posted by on Oct 26, 2014 | 0 comments

Hit songs come from the original songwriter demos being pitched to different publishers in Nashville. Ever wonder what your favorite...

Read More
Songwriter Lance Carpenter

Songwriter Lance Carpenter

Posted by on Oct 19, 2014 | 0 comments

I met songwriter Lance Carpenter (@LanceCarpenter) because he had volunteered to kick off NSAI coordinator training. He ended up spending...

Read More

CMA Songwriter Series Interviews

Posted by on Aug 29, 2014 | 0 comments

On its 10th anniversary, interviews with founder Bob DiPiero on why he started the series as well as perspectives on participating from...

Read More
Pistol Annies’ Angaleena Presley On Songwriting

Pistol Annies’ Angaleena Presley On Songwriting

Posted by on Aug 23, 2014 | 0 comments

Angaleena Presley talks about songwriting and the 12 tracks she wrote or co-wrote on her debut CD ‘American Middle Class.’...

Read More
Songwriter Brett James

Songwriter Brett James

Posted by on Aug 17, 2014 | 0 comments

In this songwriter profile we’ll take a look at one of Nashville’s biggest hit makers, Brett James.  He’s had over 300...

Read More
Story Behind Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho And Lefty”

Story Behind Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho And Lefty”

Posted by on Jan 16, 2014 | 0 comments

“Pancho And Lefty” Wasn’t Historical Townes Van Zandt is one of the the best songwriters who ever walked the planet. ...

Read More
Guy Clark’s “My Favorite Picture Of You”

Guy Clark’s “My Favorite Picture Of You”

Posted by on Dec 15, 2013 | 0 comments

Guy Clark has been writing for years and goes back to the early days of hanging out with Townes Van Zandt. Who better to answer the...

Read More

Songwriter Interview: Bob McDill

Posted by on Sep 28, 2013 | 0 comments

Interview with Nashville songwriting legend Bob McDill in American Songwriter on the state of country music. [Excerpt from the interview]...

Read More

Interview with Marshall Chapman

Posted by on Jun 3, 2013 | 0 comments

American Songwriter Magazine spent some time with Marshall Chapman.  This is a great interview covering her songwriting process, some new...

Read More
NPR Project Song Moby & Kelli Scarr

NPR Project Song Moby & Kelli Scarr

Posted by on Apr 20, 2013 | 0 comments

Despite being given only 48 hours to complete a song, Moby and his collaborator Kelli Scarr completed theirs in one day. And it’s...

Read More
NPR Project Song: Chris Walla & J. Robbins

NPR Project Song: Chris Walla & J. Robbins

Posted by on Oct 15, 2009 | 0 comments

Project Song documents the songwriting process over the course of two days. All songs created as part of the project are based on an image...

Read More