Posts by Marty Dodson
Writing with Artists vs. Writing to Pitch
Marty & Clay drop some bomb tips on writing a song with a recording artist vs. writing to pitch a song to many artists. Pros have two different approaches and here’s how you can be successful at both. Write For Recording Artists CrashCourse ***REGISTRATION NOW OPEN for one of our most popular CrashCourses! 👉 SIGN…
Read MorePros Reveal Top Secrets To Songwriting Success
Pay no attention to the cheesy AI driven title 😂. Clay and Marty have a little fun and drop real pro tips on creating songwriting Success. Write For Recording Artists CrashCourse ***REGISTRATION NOW OPEN for one of our most popular CrashCourses! 👉 SIGN UP HERE! Want to write directly for recording artists?! This is your…
Read MoreSongwriting: 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…
Read MoreSongwriters: Say What You Want To Say
As a songwriting mentor, I find myself critiquing 1000’s of songs for other writers. In most of those sessions, I find myself asking “What were you trying to say?” and then, upon hearing the answer, responding “Why don’t you say that?” I’m firmly convinced that many of us make songwriting harder than it has to…
Read MoreWrite A Song That Excites You – Always Write Inspired
Learning to write inspired… One ordinary Tuesday, I drove to a co-write with really low expectations. My co-writer, Jason Matthews, and I were going to try to finish a song that I wasn’t really in love with. We weren’t writing inspired, but we had decided we would finish it, so I drove to his house.…
Read MoreSongwriters: Learning To See The Big Songwriting Picture
Often, I see songwriters who are caught up in the trees that they can’t see the forest. They spend their time looking at the minutiae (I’ve always wanted to say that word) that they lose sight of the big picture. For instance, in my SongTown Lyric MasterClass, I spend six weeks teaching students a framework…
Read MoreSongwriters: Learn To Speak Music Business
Lots of songwriters in SongTown just want to become better writers for their own pleasure – and that’s awesome! We love helping people get more out of their writing just because it makes them feel good. Another significant group in “Town” is trying to write commercially and break into the music business. If that’s your…
Read MoreSongwriters: Are You Still Writing Mostly Ballads?
One of the biggest “ailments” I see when I mentor songwriters is that they are writing WAY too many ballads. It seems like many of us default to slow songs. While a well written ballad can be very successful and meaningful, there are also many reasons it is NOT a great idea to write…
Read MoreClay and Marty React to Viewer Comments
SongTown co-founders and multi #1 songwriters, Clay Mills & Marty Dodson, give their reactions to viewer comments. Heartfelt, funny, and always real. Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series: This video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books: Mastering Melody Writing : Check It Out The Songwriter’s Guide…
Read MoreSongwriters: You’ve Got This!
One of the most common questions people ask me is “Do you think I have what it takes to do this?” They are usually referring to their music. In reality, the current quality of their music is not the primary factor in answering that question. When I got my first writing deal, I didn’t have…
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