How To Write Romantic Songs

how-to-write-romantic-songs- songtown

Over the course of my career, my biggest hits have been romantic ballads or mid-tempo songs. So, I’m not the stereotypical pro writer who writes up-tempo all of the time. I’m not afraid to write a ballad! And, I don’t think you should be either. Some of the biggest songs in music history have been…

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The Scariest Songwriting Moment

I believe that the scariest songwriting moment in songwriting is the moment before you start. Most of us have voices that play in our heads. Those voices often tell us that the task at hand “can’t be done”. “You aren’t good enough”. “You can’t handle this”…. you know the drill.   It is the rare…

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4 Tips To Help Songwriters Get Better Song Critiques

Sometimes, people get frustrated with the kind of feedback they get on their songs, but when we dig into the issue, we discover that they really didn’t give the feedback giver much to go on. Here are some tips to help you get better song critiques back on your songs: Don’t submit finished demos if…

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What’s Going On with Hit-Song “Writing Sessions”

Does a writer need to “sell-out” to write a hit song today? Multi-platinum writers Clay Mills and Marty Dodson share their personal insights on the debate. THIS MONTH ONLY – $5 for Charity = 30 days of SongTown Membership! We are offering a 30-day all access membership to SongTown for just $5, with every penny…

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Songwriting: The Starting Is The Hardest Part

That first awkward creative step… I’ve always heard that the first step is the hardest. That is particularly true in creative endeavors such as songwriting. Getting over the hurdle of “I can’t do this!” or “What if I fail?” is sometimes so daunting that we give up before we have tried. The paralysis brought on by our fears…

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Songwriters: Relax and Create Better Songs

Last month was a busy month of mentoring. I believe I mentored 6 people in just one week. One theme that kept coming up is that people are really stressed out over getting their songs to “the right people“. So my message today is to relax and create. To begin with, I’m still not sure…

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Oh No! Co-writer Signs Away Our Publishing Rights!

Hit writers Clay Mills & Marty Dodson answer a shocking email from the SongTown Mailbag. Know your rights as a songwriter and find out if your collaborator can sign away your publishing! Then, learn what to do to fix it. Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series: This video series will help you level-up your songs…

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Why Do You Write Songs? And Why Is It Important To Know?

Almost all of the people I write with are trying to get their songs recorded and make a living by doing so. It is easy to get so caught up in the pursuit of something commercial that I lose sight of the reasons one started writing songs in the first place. Those reasons, if lost…

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5 Lyric Pitfalls For Songwriters

These are the 5 most common lyric mistakes I see songwriters making over and over… 1. Saying the same thing in the second verse that you said in the first verse. Don’t just re-word the first verse to make verse two. Give me something new. Take the idea to another place. 2. Letting pro-nouns get…

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Put Yourself In Position To Succeed In Songwriting

Many writers that I mentor struggle with the idea of getting themselves in position to succeed. In fact, I see two extremes play out. Sometimes writers adopt the idea that “all I have to do is write a great song”. Others go to the extreme of trying desperately to “meet the right people” while ignoring…

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