Posts by Marti Jane Dodson

As songwriters, we all know that exhilarating yet daunting feeling of staring at an unfinished song. Whether you’re fine-tuning lyrics, building out a second verse, or deciding if your song even needs a bridge, it’s crucial to approach each step methodically and creatively. Here’s a comprehensive guide, inspired by an interactive workshop, to help you…

Ahh, boys. Men. Boyz II Men. (hang on, be right back) Ok sorry. I had to stop typing for a minute so I could scream sing “ALTHOUGH WE’VE COME, TO THE END OF THE ROAD” but it’s mostly out of my system now STILL I CAN’T LET GO..okay..okay I think I’m good. Today, what’s on…

Do you remember that Mousetrap board game? Where you set a marble in motion and it goes through a series of ridiculous pulleys and levers and gears and baskets to get to the endpoint? This is what I imagine the inside of my brain looks like. One little thought or notion enters from the outside,…

I wrote songs for about 5 years before the first time I had anyone at a ‘professional’ level chime in on my writing or critique any of my songs. (Disclaimer: that autocorrected to ‘I wrote dogs for about 5 years’….and I’m not all that sure it isn’t accurate.) There were bits and pieces of goodness…

Money-the big green elephant in the music business living room. There are many reasons we don’t like to talk about it. Some of us feel that putting a price on our art cheapens its value, or implies that we’re in this for the wrong reasons. Some of us attend the school of Faking It Til…

SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE–A Cheerleader’s Lament I am not generally a peppy individual. I don’t like things like “exercise” and “being in shape,” nor do I care about literally any sport other than college football. Actually, if we’re sitting in the real Tree Of Truth here… most of my passion for college football has…

I can’t count the number of times I have had this question asked of me… What makes a hit song?  Someone will play me a GREAT song and express their confusion over the lack of interest they are getting from the industry when they play it for people. So, I thought I would lay out…

Hi! I’m here to introduce myself as a guest blogger here in SongTown …I know my name is already familiar, as I am the blondest member of the Club For People Named Marty/i Dodson. As well as sharing a name and friendship with your illustrious SongTown founder/mentor Marty Dodson, I also share a love for…