Writing pop songs that stand out
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.
songwriters
Things every musician and songwriter can learn from McCoy Tyner
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” — A case study for indie artists
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 Dos and Don’ts
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.
The story of “The Happy Song” (or “The joy of musical manipulation”)
“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: Cry when you write, dance when you produce
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.
Songwriting tips from the Beatles’ “Help!”
Few popular songs meld music, lyrics, and theme as potently as the Beatles’ 1965 hit single, “Help!” Here’s how they did it. Read the post.
From independent musician to independent author
The parallels between the changes in the music industry and the publishing industry are striking. Just as the music industry tilted to give independent artists a fighting chance two decades ago, writers are enjoying the same power to bring their books to market as independent authors. Read the post.
Should I copyright my song?
Per the Copyright Act of 1976, as soon as your song is in a fixed form, you own the copyright. So usually what people are talking about is registering the copyright when they ask, “Should I copyright my song?” Read the post.
The magic of Nashville tuning
While Nashville tuning uses the same notes as a standard guitar tuning, used by itself and in layers with other guitars, this tuning can bring an articulate presence to a recording. Read the post.
Seven Things Every Lyricist Should Know
This post is excerpted from The CLIMB podcast, Episode #125, “Seven Things Every Lyricist Should Know.” Realizing these points has really helped me in my songwriting career. This is more mindset stuff, so this will be helpful no matter what you do. Read the post.
Need songwriting inspiration? Try alternate guitar tunings.
This post explores some common — and some of the more obscure — alternate guitar tunings to inspire you to write your next masterpiece. Read the post.
Can authors quote your lyrics in their books?
For someone to quote lyrics in a book, or liner notes, it requires special permission and is not covered by the set fees or processes of music licensing. Read the post.
Rock Your Speech helps autistic children connect through music
Tom Petersson and his wife Alison’s lives were transformed by their experiences with their autistic son, Liam. They created Rock Your Speech, an organization aimed at helping children with ASD connect to the world via music. Read the post.
A look at the Music Modernization Act
Music creatives of all types, along with the entire digital music ecosystem, celebrated the signing of the Hatch-Goodlatte Music Modernization Act into law on October 11, 2018. Read the post.