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songwriters

singing bassists

Who says it’s impossible to sing and play bass?

October 21, 2022October 21, 2022 Scott McCormick

Being excellent at your instrument takes a lot of work, and being a stand-out vocalist is rare, indeed. But combining the two? Let’s learn from 10 singers who also play bass. Read the post.

songwriting tips and advice

Songwriting tips: Insights and advice on the craft of writing a song

September 15, 2022October 14, 2022 Disc Makers

We’ve posted songwriting tips that cover music theory, the use of interesting chords, lyric writing advice, and ways to channel creativity. Read and enjoy.

Allen Woody with Gov't Mule

When the bassline makes the song

July 20, 2022July 25, 2022 Michael Gallant

There are lots of examples where the bassline is the prominent part of the song. This driving blues track from Gov’t Mule rages atop a super-dense bassline that propels the song. Read the post.

Paul McCartney onstage

After the Beatles: Paul McCartney’s basslines

June 10, 2022June 10, 2022 Keith Hatschek and Robert Bassett

The genius of Paul McCartney’s basslines never wavered, but his choices as a bass player post-Beatles show his focus was ever more on the song and serving the vocal melody. Read the post.

money on sheet music depicting new copyright rates

Mechanical royalty rates are going up… Or are they?

June 1, 2022June 29, 2022 Tony van Veen

The Copyright Royalty Board announced plans to increase the mechanical royalty rates for product sales, which is great for songwriters. But will streaming rates do the same? Read the post.

songwriting duo, with lyricist in the forefront

Things every lyricist should know

May 10, 2022May 11, 2022 Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter

If you are a lyricist, or if you also write melody but you think your strength is more lyric, this is for you. This is more mindset stuff, so this will be helpful no matter what your thing is. Read the post.

a look at Paul McCartney’s basslines

The genius of Paul McCartney’s basslines

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022 Keith Hatschek and Robert Bassett

Paul McCartney’s basslines are an integral part of the Beatles’ evolution from world-beating pop band to musical pioneers. We identify just what McCartney did to make his parts stand out from what other bassists were doing at the time. Read the post.

case with money depicting the music industry's royalty distribution issue

The MLC’s $424 million royalty distribution conundrum

March 23, 2022June 21, 2022 Tony van Veen

The music industry has long had a royalty distribution problem, AKA the infamous “black box,” which represents hundreds of millions in mechanical royalties collected on behalf of publishers and songwriters who have not been paid because they cannot be tracked down. Read the post.

conversational lyrics

Writing conversational lyrics: Say it like you say it

April 28, 2021April 5, 2022 Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter

Song lyrics are not poems put to music. Lyrics can be poetic and should be interesting, but there’s power in conversational lyrics that sound like something the character in your song would actually say. Read the post.

writing pop songs

Writing pop songs that stand out

September 17, 2020October 15, 2020 Bobby Borg

Bobby Borg talks with Anika Paris — an award-winning singer/songwriter, classically trained pianist, and published poet and author — about ways to write unique pop songs. Read the post.

McCoy Tyner

Things every musician and songwriter can learn from McCoy Tyner

August 6, 2020March 2, 2021 Michael Gallant

McCoy Tyner, a giant of jazz piano, embodied powerful lessons that music-makers of any sort can learn from. Read the post.

Ben Folds "2020"

Ben Folds’ “2020” — A case study for indie artists

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 Michael Gallant

From songwriting ideas to recording technique, there’s a lot you can learn from the songwriter’s tragi-comic recording-in-quarantine project. Read the post.

songwriting

Songwriting Dos and Don’ts

May 4, 2020May 10, 2022 Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter

A recent “Play For a Publisher” event featured Stacey Willbur, VP of Publishing and A&R for Full Circle Music sharing her feedback about 10 songs that were selected to be showcased. Read the post.

happy song

The story of “The Happy Song” (or “The joy of musical manipulation”)

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 Andre Calilhanna

“The Happy Song” is music that is scientifically engineered to make a baby happy. Is it freaky mind control or brilliant use of resources? Or a bit of both? Read the post.

songwriting advice

Songwriting advice: Cry when you write, dance when you produce

February 19, 2020March 26, 2020 Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter

Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter lean on some sage songwriting advice Brent got from veteran songwriter Ralph Murphy: deliver a positive tempo. Read the post.

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