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ON THIS PAGE:
THE SEVEN SECRETS OF SONGWRITING: BY ALAN CURRENS
The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 1, The Origin of a Song
The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 2, Lyrics and Structure
The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 3, Lyrics and Melody
The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 4, Melody and Harmony
The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 5, Harmony and Tempo (the composition of instrumentation)

VARIOUS ARTICLES
Songwriters! - What'cha Doin' In Your Rhythm Fit?
Turning a Band Into Songwriters - 10 Songs In One Hour
SONGWRITING - Recommended Software

Search now for software and/or books on songwriting or recording at home or anything else to help you beef up your home recording studio and your chops!

This is a seven part article that addresses the art of song writing from a completely different perspective and provides some unique tips and tricks to help everyone from the most seasoned pro to the least experienced novice. I've tried everything in the series and can attest to it working for me, but of course we are all different so I can only hope this helps you as well.

Part 1, The Origin of a Song

Have you always wanted to be a song writer, but don't know where to start? You listen to the songs on the radio or on your iPod and you just can't wrap your head around the entirety of the project. It's just this incredible noise that you love.

There's just so much to it... the lyrics, sure... but there's the melody that gets stuck in your head. There's the guitar, the drums, the piano, sound effects, harmonies and sounds you can't even identify sometimes! In the end, there's this little 4 dimensional thing that happens to your ears through some kind of speaker system and it's magic.

The noises produced can evoke memory, passion, tears, angst, horror, disgust and a host of other feelings. But how is it that it all works so well together? All of these separate parts of the noise somehow come together to create movies in your heart or mind. Well, before I tell you how to start, you need to realize that trying to wrap your head around the whole thing will scare you away. It's just too much to take in and process. So learn right now that the art and craft of song-writing can be broken into attainable parts. In fact, if you learn to break the process into smaller task you will likely have more success writing your first song or two. And if you have success with the first ones, you are more likely to stick to the craft and make the most of it.

Recipe for a Song

There's a recipe for lyrics.

I remember when I first started writing music, I would write words and then try to sing them. That was it. Lyrics and melody. Song writing in its purest form. And a pretty good place to start. For me, there was a simple recipe for my first songs, and it's a recipe I use to this day. Here it is:

• 1 part Inspiration
• 1 part Expression

That's my recipe, what's yours? If you don't have one, feel free to try mine:)

Inspiration is key. If you don't have a reason to write a song it may not work. We all have a reason to write. We all have something to write about and it's valid. Even if all you did today was wake up and read this article, you have all of the material you need to write a song. And if well crafted, even a song about waking up and reading this blog could be done in such a way that many people could relate to it and think it was written just for them and the situation they are going through. Let's do a case study, shall we?

Case Study - Writing a Song

OK, I'm going to spontaneously write a song, right now. As I type this article. It's 2:34 pm, here I go.

This is a song about waking up and reading this article.

Title - Now I Know

[Verse ideas]
It's just as hard today as any other day
Waking up to things I don't yet know
I hit the ground with an open mind and cruise this open road

I never knew just where I should begin
There it is, in front of me again
Everything I needed to get me on that road, Now I know

[Chorus ideas]
Now I know, what it takes to do this right
Now I know, I have the wings and I can fly
Now I know what promise holds for me, The treasures mine I hold the key and everything I wanted you to show... Now I know

TEST 1

So Now I have some lyrics and I can play with them. First I want to see if they are too specific or if they have a broad enough appeal. I want to be sure that everyone can relate to them or identify with them in some way. I'll go back now and read them from the perspective of a guy who is in love with a co-worker and wants to tell her how he feels. Here goes.

TEST 2

That went well. So let's read this again from the perspective of a college girl who has been dumped by her boyfriend a week ago. Here goes. OK, that went well, too. So we have some pretty good lyrics to start with here. Just imagine if it was ME that secretely loved a co-worker. Wow, what a great inspiration that hidden love would be for a song. Or if I were that college girl (that felt weird to write) who had just been dumped. Again! Sorrow is a great resource for inspiration, too.

SUMMARY

The Point is that the "origin of a song" can be any single thought, event or moment in time. If you have the ability to capture it and express it in general, easy to identify with terms, you will be off to a good start.

That's it for Part 1, The Origin of a Song! I hope this helps and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to read Part 2, Lyrics and Structure

Part 2, Lyrics and Structure

Have you ever had a lyrical idea but apart from a few catchy lines, you just have no direction. The lines have potential but you aren't sure where to take them. Well, the good news is that in today's musical landscape you can pretty much do what ever you want and it's fine. There really aren't any rules! However, if you are trying to develop a craft of songwriting you'll want to learn some things about common practices with songwriting.

Let's start by bringing out the classic stuff. The lettering "A" "B" and "C" has always done well in these explanations.

A = Verse

B = Chorus

C = Bridge

Of course, there can be all kinds of arrangements of these parts and you can even add other stuff like:

• Introductions
• Pre-chorus
• Collision
• Instrument Solos

  Songs With AABA Form

  And Lyrics can also be more complex, including things like "hooks", "Licks", etc.. But let's go with just the three parts for now . Let's look at some classic songs and how they were arranged with the "thirty-two-bar form". Otherwise known as AABA. In the AABA Hall of fame are (drum roll please...)

  • Boston's "More Than a Feeling" (1976)
  • Tom Petty's "Refugee" (1979)
  • Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (1964)
  • Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" (1969)
  • Also featured in the AABA form quite often are features like the "Middle Eight". This is a section of the song that has a significantly different melody from the rest of the song. A typical song structure employing a middle 8 is often:

  Intro-{Verse-Chorus}{Verse-Chorus}-Middle 8-{Chorus}-{Chorus}-(Outro)

  Middle 8s are often quieter than the main song, which contrasts with Solos, which are generally more energetic. In slower songs, however, a middle 8 can be used to generate energy. By adding a powerful upbeat middle 8, musicians can add a great hook for an end chorus and finale.

  Study the songs listed above and find more of your own. There is a real art to phrasing and writing these structures AND it gets even cooler when you can understand the role melody and harmony play in the dynamics.

  Things to Do - Practice Makes Perfects

  Now it's time to start getting better. Start by looking at how the best of the best have done it. Look at Barry Manilow, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Don Henly or whoever... The best thing to do is to study the people who you want to write like. I'm looking at Linkin Park and Evanessence a lot right now.

  When you select who you'll study, pay attention to the way they use words. Some are eloquent and use big words a lot. Some write lyrics as if they were just casually talking to you. These are the kind I like best, but go with what is natural to you. Some tools of the trade are: Thesaurus, rhyming dictionary.

  Now, let's let the rubber hit the road. Start writing! Here's a formula you might like:

  • Discover the Subject you will write about
  • Write the subject down and then a description of the story you want to tell
  • Write a rough draft of the chorus
  • Write rough drafts of the verses
  • Structure the verses in a way so that the story makes sense and so that the story unfolds nicely and doesn't just flop out all at once
  • Review the song and revise the words... tweak and tweak until you have a nice poem that you like
  • Practice "free writing" now and then. Just write as fast as you can about anything and if you run out of ideas just keep the pen moving or keep typing. Words will appear. Your mind might go places it normally wouldn't go if you practice catching it off guard now and then.

  Things to Avoid

  You now have some tricks up your sleeve to help you write lyrics, so go do it! Buy some cool notebooks or journals and fill them up with ideas.

  Don't be trite... Any comparison of life to a road, highway, river, etc... seems to fail. One forum said "any of Lenny Kravitz's lyrics" were trite... I don't know about that, but someone thinks so.

  • As a rule, if you think it might be trite, it is.
  • Don't overdo the thesaurus to the point of just being confusing
  • Don't get too hung up on any song that you don't move on to the next one. Nobody ever got better by just writing one song over and over.

  SUMMARY

  The Point is that the "lyrics and structure" of a song can be anything at all. But ultimately you should master the basics before you walk any tight ropes. Practice, practice, practice. Fill up a few journals with some ideas and you'll be off to a good start.
  
  That's it for Part 2, Lyrics and Structure! I hope this helps and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to read Part 3, Lyrics and Melody

  
  
  

  The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 3, Lyrics and Melody

  by: Alan Currens, from the http://athomestudio.wordpress.com/ blog.

  Part 3, Lyrics and Melody

  I keep saying this, but there really are no rules in song-writing... and then every time I say it I offer some rules! So, in keeping with that weird pattern, here are some suggestions when you are ready to take your lyrics to that next level and put a melody to them.

  If you love a song, perhaps you've noticed that the words and "meaning" of the song fit with the melody and sounds you here. All of the sounds. The instruments being played, the chords those instruments are playing and even the way it is all made to sound in final production. For this part, I will focus on what might be the most important combination, that of the lyric and the melody.

  If you are writing a song about being happy, you should have an upbeat tempo and a melody that involves Major chords. If you don't know theory well enough to know what a Major chord is, here's a quick summary.

  MAJOR CHORDS

  Are those chords in music that meet the following criteria:

  • A major chord sounds "happy" - I don't know why... they just do
  • They are usually three note chords consisting of the root of the chord, the third and the fifth. What makes the chord "major" is that the interval between the root and the third is a major interval (4 half steps)
  • The three notes of the major chord can be played in any order, that is, any note can be the lowest pitch in the chord and any note can be the highest pitch in the chord.
  If you are writing a song that is generally sad, or more thoughtful, you might want to focus on including some minor chords. Here's the minor chord explained.

  MINOR CHORDS

  • A minor chord sounds sad
  • A minor chord is usually a three note chord consisting of the root of the chord, the third and the fifth. What makes the chord "minor" is that the interval between the root and the third is a minor interval (3 half steps)
  • As with major chords, the three notes of the chord can be played in any order
  • Now, you don't necessarily need to know music theory, but some basic knowledge at this point sure would help. However, I've had many people who have NO knowledge about music theory sing me a song idea in which they instinctively matched positive lyrics with major keys, and I've also heard sad lyrics instinctively coupled with more minor keys. So, to some degree, it's inherent in the creative process that this happens.

  TEMPO

  Another entry level theory concept is that of tempo, or "speed" of a song. Songs that are faster have a higher tempo whereas ballads have a slower tempo. Example, Whip It by Devo is a fast tempo while Arms of An Angel by Sarah McLachlan is a slower tempo.

  Simply put - The tempo of the song should also match the lyrical intentions of the song.

  SCALES

  If you know more about theory you can begin to incorporate 2nds, 4ths, 6th notes and other interesting notes of the scale to draw out emotions along with the lyric. A Seventh chord is great for dressing up a typical melody. Some of the best, most interesting music is inventive and explores the lesser traveled scales. I'm a huge fan of 6ths and 2nds in melody.

  SUMMARY

  The Point is that the "lyrics and melody" is intangible. It's not something you can buy or put in your pocket, it's an ethereal part of the composition in which your ear and the way you 'feel' the song play a huge part.

  That's it for Part 3, Lyrics and Melody! I hope this helps and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to read Part 4, Melody and Harmony

  
  
  

  The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 4, Melody and Harmony

  by: Alan Currens, from the http://athomestudio.wordpress.com/ blog.

  Part 4, Melody and Harmony

  OK, so if you are going to go this far with your song-writing you must get familiar with at least SOME music theory. Harmony involves playing the chords behind the melody that support the movements of that melody. Often the chords may be chosen to fit a pre-written melody, but just as often the chord progression itself gives rise to the melody.

  Harmony is an important part of the song. Although they harmony isn't the first thing you listen to, it will guide your ear through the song and it has the power to make even the most basic melody sound interesting.

  [WARNING: This can get confusing if you don't know theory, but wikipedia has some good basic knowledge on this, I will openly borrow from wiki for this section]

  Three-chord progressions

  Three-chord tunes are very common. They allow for the melody to dwell on any note of the scale.

  The three-chord I - IV - V progression, a popular kind of circle progression, can be placed into a four-bar phrase in several ways that have been put to endless use in popular music. Ottman[6] gives examples of favoured progressions:[clarification needed (what page?)]

  I - IV - V - V. (The basis of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba", this progression also provides the refrain of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", The Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout", and The Beatles's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".) I - I - IV - V. (Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop" (usually credited to Robert Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts), "Heartbeat" (written by Bob Montgomery and Norman Petty for Buddy Holly), The Rolling Stones' "Get Off Of My Cloud" (refrain), Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", Van Morrison's "Madame George"...) I - IV - I - V. (Common in Elizabethan music (Scholes 1977), this also underpins the American college song "Goodnight Ladies" and Solomon Linda's "Mbube"/"Wimoweh"/"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" among many others.) I - IV - V - IV. (Chip Taylor/The Troggs' "Wild Thing" etc.)

  Blues changes

  Blues progressions influenced a great deal of 20th century American popular music The twelve bar blues and its many variants use an elongated, three-line form of the I - IV - V progression that has also generated countless hit records, including the most significant output of rock and rollers such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. In its most elementary form (there are many variants) the chords progress as follows:

  I - I - I - I IV - IV - I - I V - IV - I - I

  Circle progressions

  Main article: Circle progression

  Circle progression in C major Play.

  Introducing the ii chord into these progressions emphasises their appeal as constituting elementary forms of circle progression. These, named for the circle of fifths, consist of "adjacent roots in ascending fourth or descending fifth relationship" - for instance, the sequence vi - ii - V - I ascends with each successive chord to one a fourth above the previous. Such a motion, based upon close harmonic relations, offers "undoubtedly the most common and the strongest of all harmonic progressions".[8] The succession of cadences gives an impression of inevitable return to the key-note of the piece.

  The ragtime progression (E7-A7-D7-G7) often appears in the bridgeof jazz standards ( Play). The III7-VI7-II7-V7 (or V7/V/V/V - V7/V/V - V7/V - V7) leads back to C major (I) but is itself indefinite in key.

  Short cyclical progressions may be derived by selecting a sequence of chords from the series completing a circle from the tonic through all seven diatonic chords:

  I - IV - viio - iii - vi - ii - V - I (in major) Circle progression in major I - V - I Circle progression excerpt: I - V - I I - IV - V - I Circle progression excerpt: I - IV -V - I

  This type of progression was much used by classical composers, who introduced increasingly subtle inflections. Particularly, substitution of major for minor chords giving, for example, I - VI - II - V allowed a more sophisticated chromaticism as well as the possibility of modulation. These harmonic conventions were taken up by American popular entertainers, giving rise to many variations on those harmonic staples of early jazz that have been dubbed the ragtime progression and the stomp progression. All such progressions may be found used sectionally, as for example in the much-used "rhythm changes" of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm".

  Harmonizing the scale

  As well as the cyclical underpinning of chords, the ear tends to respond well to a linear thread; chords following the scale upwards or downwards. In the 17th century, descending bass lines found favour for "divisions on the ground", so that Pachelbel's canon, the Bach orchestral suites (the famous Air on a G String), and Handel's organ concerti all contain very similar harmonisations of the descending major scale. When this was reintroduced into mid-20th century pop music, it brought with it many baroque trappings (The Beatles' "For No One", Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale", and The Steve Miller Band's "Dear Mary" and "Baby's House").

  At its simplest, this descending sequence may simply introduce an extra chord, either III or V, into the I - VI - IV - V type of sequence described above. This chord allows the harmonisation of the seventh step, and so of the bass line I - VII - VI. This strategy underlies Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry". The baroque examples descend for an octave, while "A Whiter Shade of Pale" manages a stately two octaves, before "turning around" through the dominant chord to recommence upon the key note.

  Ascending major progressions are not as common but many exist: the verse of "Like a Rolling Stone" ascends by steps to the fifth, I-ii-iii-IV-V before descending again to the key-note, IV - iii - ii - I - the latter being another common type of harmonisation of a descending major scale. The Four Pennies' hit "Juliet" and The Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" both use similar ascending progressions.

  The descending chromatic scale has also formed the basis of many progressions, from the "Crucifixus" of Bach's B Minor Mass, through Beethoven's Thirty-two Piano Variations, to songs such as Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate",George Harrison's "Something" and Lucio Battisti's "Paradiso", a hit for Amen Corner when translated as "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice".

  That's it for Part 4, Melody and Harmony! I hope this helps and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to read Part 5, Harmony and Tempo

  
  
  

  The Seven Secrets of Songwriting - Part 5, Harmony and Tempo (the composition of instrumentation)

  by: Alan Currens, from the http://athomestudio.wordpress.com/ blog.

  Part 5, Harmony and Tempo

  The composition of instrumentation

  If you are able to go this far into the song writing process on your own, you are truly an indie artist. Many, many of us that consider ourselves indie artist have spent countless hours dedicated to mastering the peripheral skills required to get our music out to the world. Among these skills are:

  • Knowing your way around the internet
  • Learning the basics or advanced use of recording software
  • Programming or playing other instruments on your songs that may not be your "main" instrument singing, etc...

  The Harmony parts and tempo of your music are illusively important because although a strong lyric and melody are the backbone of any song, they are only as good as the bed of sound they lie on. If you were to take the song "Yesterday" by the Beatles, and let my first rock band record the thing I can promise you it would NOT have been a hit. LOL - My God, we would have just killed that song. Dead, dead, dead... haha But let a producer and some musicians get ahold of the instrument parts and production and wow, the lyrics and melody really 'POP'. Almost to the point of the rest being invisible. And that's my point of writing Part 5, I think a good harmony and tempo should be almost invisible.

  If you think about it, you'll realize I'm wrong, so quick... before you think about it just read this really quick. The ear is like the tongue, sort of... in that it has taste buds just like the tongue. Now, if you have a perfect bag of popcorn at the movies, you are going to taste what? The salt and butter! You won't even recall what the popcorn tasted like, but just imagine eating the butter and salt without the popcorn or the bag. Hopefully that makes you quiver just thinking about it. Ew. So it is, I think, with lyrics and melody. They need popcorn and a bag.

  OK, I've milked the popcorn analogy all I can. So I'm just going to speak frankly now. I like music that is strong on it's own. And I like music that is only there to support a great lyric and melody. So, it makes sense that when the two meet, I'm in heaven... but it is NOT easy writing lyrics, melody and supporting tracks that are all strong enough to stand on their own, and if you start out with that goal you might be disheartened with your efforts. So I personally recommend that you focus on making it so that the harmony and tempo first, do not interfere with the lyrics and melody... then you can develop your skills with making the harmony and the tempo brilliant!

  That's just my two cents. You should read around at other systems and advice and just use whatever suits you best. I don't pretend to have a system that "fits all", I just have some ideas. Hope they help!

  That's it for Part 5, Harmony and Tempo! I hope this helps and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to read Part 6, Enhancements

  
  
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  Songwriters! - What'cha Doin' In Your Rhythm Fit?

  by: Khaliq Glover aka Khaliq-O-Vision

  I was watching TV recently and I saw a movie that I hadn't seen in a long time that changed musical history. Wow! Where has the time gone? Can you believe that it's been almost 30 years since the movie "Saturday Night Fever" came out and broke all records at the box office and music sales.

  Songwriters and Musicians - Do You Want To Get Paid? You need to go out and rent this movie, or even better, buy the soundtrack and study it very closely. Saturday Night Fever is one of the best selling record albums ever made because of one thing, GREAT SONGS.

  The level of song craftsmanship is off the hook. The variety of music in this movie covers every single emotion. There's straight dance music, love songs, funk, r & b, pure disco, ballads, and more.

  Up and coming songwriters should make it a point to regularly refer to the greats of the past and examine every nuance of their writing. These masters take the craft to a whole new level that still gets them income decades later.

  Don't make the mistake of considering artists like the Bee Gees, or Kool and the Gang, as old fashioned and not what you need to study. These people made hits time and time again, proving that it was no accident. Wouldn't you like to have a fraction of their success? You can if you study them carefully.

  You can listen to these songs 30 years later and even though styles have changed, a great song lives forever, and that's how you really get paid. Publishing royalties get you paid over and over and over again.

  There is a BIG difference between a SONG and a RECORD. Great songs from the 70's and 80's are constantly being redone and sampled by younger writers and artists all the time. As a result, the songwriters of that era are still getting paid time and time again.

  The thing that determines whether music sounds modern or old fashioned are the changes to the beat and rhythm. This applies to singing as well as musical instruments. You can even sing the melody to "Mary Had A Little Lamb" over reggae, rock ,or rap and it takes on a new sound each time, but that great and simple melody is still the basis of it all.

  Just think about how differently singers such as Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, Sara Vaughn, and Elvis Presley sounded compared to singers like Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, or Beyonce.

  Young people started singing and making music with more complicated syncopation compared to back in the day when rhythms were much simpler. But, the same 12 musical notes still exist. They just get shifted to different rhythm based on what's happening now.

  Even rap is not immune to this effect. Think about how complicated the rhythm is for most rap compared to the days of "Rapper's Delight".

  My point to this whole comparison is that if you build your song based on a great foundation of strong melody and lyrics, then it doesn't matter what happens with the rhythm too much because your song can be done in many styles and redone in the future. This will provide you with income well into the future because more than just one artist can perform it.

  Destiny's Child redid "Emotions" written by the Bee Gees and it became a hit all over again and they get paid all over again decades later.

  Study, study, study old songs to learn the craft and you'll have a huge advantage over your peers. Learn the reason why these songs are so catchy and why you can remember them even if you were a kid when you first heard them. They hook you and never let you go. So now YOU - GO FISH.

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  Turning a Band Into Songwriters - 10 Songs In One Hour

  by: Brandon Drury

  While most bands have good or even very good drummers, guitar players, and bassists (notice I didn't say singers), most bands don't have good songwriters. In fact, songwriting is usually an afterthought with most bands. That's why I came up with the 10 songs in one hour challenge.

  That's right, if you did the math, you quickly figured out that the band must write a song every 6 minutes to stay on target and THEY MUST STAY ON TARGET. That's the challenge. You must enforce that they have to get 10 songs done in one hour.

  Here's how I do it:

  I divide the band in groups of two. If they are a three piece, I'll jump in and play along. Each group gets a guitar, a small amp, and small PA system. I put a wall of gobos (sound deadening device) in between them and I hit go while recording both the guitar amp and vocal mic from each room. One person is expected to sing, the other is expected to play guitar. After each song is written, they must switch.

  While this method might seam a little off the wall, it's the best way to get a band to work creatively together. It breaks down a lot of barriers and it's common for about 10% of the songs to be very good. I like this method because it solves a lot of problems. It forces the band to be a band.

  One problem the 10 songs in one hour challenge fixes is the notion that the singer has to come up with all the melodies. Why? Okay, a singer should be able to sing, but the melody is the entire song in my opinion. The only thing separating a great song from a crappy song is vocal melody, in my world. So, let's get the entire band in on writing the melodies. You'd be surprised how good your drummer might be at creative vocal melodies.

  A lot of guys are shy in front of the mic. I've never recorded any Kansas type bands where the entire band can sing. I'm lucky to find a band where one guy can sing. So the guy with absolutely no clue about singing must get on the mic and do it. Even when a terrible singer gets on the mic, the intent is usually clear. A real singer would have no problem making your drummer's melody sound great. So when you force a guy to sing, he usually adapts to his situation.

  It forces everyone to play guitar or similar instrument. This is great. It makes the drummer pick up an instrument that he's not used to. If he can't play it, he must deal with it. That's part of the process. He can play one note lines if he has to. I just want a song. Seldom does proficiency at the instrument effect the quality of the song.

  While there are certainly exceptions, a band that is not used to writing a lot of songs, simply won't write a lot of songs. By adapting to this lighting fast method, the band will understand that not ever song has to be great. In fact, you need to write a few terrible songs on purpose just so your brain will be creative enough to do something interesting. Bands play it safe all the time. They feel like each song has to be great. In fact, it's the opposite. I noticed it more with 80s pop groups who weren't going to be dropped after the first record like they are now. They would come up with the most screwed up, stupid songs sometimes. Listen to a bunch of Human League. They had at least 3 top 10 hits, but then listen to "Black Hit of Space" or "Empire State Human". You can tell they just messed around. When you are actually being creative and experimenting is when you will come up with your hits and your crap.

  I'm not saying that the 10 songs in one hour method is the best method for all bands. I think it's a great method for bands who need to come together as a group. It's a great songwriting tool for any band that just expects the singer to write songs. There is no finger pointing. Every band member is responsible for writing great tunes in this situation.

  Posted by admin Staff Writer on October 24, 2009

  A new and current list of recommended songwriting resources is being compiled now. Below are some great recommendations to assist you in songwriting.

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  SONGWRITING - Recommended Software

  SONGWRITING - How To Songwrite! Become A Musical Mind Reader!
  How to Record At Home's "Good Deal Seal"
  Investigate!

  SONGWRITING - Masters of Songwriting!
  The Best Songwriting Book Around - Great For Songwriters Looking To Get To The Top In Today's Music Industry. Everything Is Here From Creating Commercial Songs, To Marketing, Digital Help, Global Covers, To Reading And Understanding Publishing Contracts.
  How to Record At Home's "Good Deal Seal"
  Investigate!

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