There are many ways that a song can start to go wrong in the second verse. Don't let these "song-killers" crop up in YOUR second verses! Here are 5 ways second verse lyrics can destroy your songs. 1) Say the same thing as the first verse in different words. You have...
Songwriters are wonderfully creative people with the ability to dream big with their hearts and minds. But often, understanding how we get paid is not our forte. So, here’s an overview of how songwriters get paid. Publishing Draws for songwriters. This is a monthly amount a publisher pays to a writer that...
In a VERY unscientific poll, I’ve concluded that co-writing relationships are falling apart at a similar rate to marriages. I come in contact with so many people who are struggling with co-writing relationships which is unfortunate because co-writing is THE biggest contributor to most songwriter’s success. If you look...
I believe that "perspective" may be one of the most powerful concepts in our lives. Your perspective can totally change your experience of an event. Siblings can have dramatically different takes on a traumatic home situation because they take different perspectives on what occurred. When I was in high school, Nelson...
I believe that one of the most overlooked, yet most important lines in a song is the very first line. Yes, your title is super important and a great setup line before your title lands is crucial. But, the opening line of your song often determines whether or not...
My biggest hits have been romantic ballads or mid-tempo songs. So, I’m not the stereotypical writer who writes 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 love ballads and...
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...
Something that has changed my songwriting in a radical way is a technique I call blueprinting your song. With this technique, I've developed into a much better communicator with my lyrics and it has cut my writing time in half (writing fast is not a goal, but it doesn’t hurt...
When I was a rookie songwriter, I don’t know how many times I had someone tell me “you have to write FROM your title”. Looking back, I think that advice contributed to some weak songs. At the time, I didn’t need any help writing a weak song. After gaining more...
I have been primarily a lyricist for almost 25 years. To survive that long in the music business, I have had to stretch my boundaries to come up with ways to evolve my lyric writing along with changing music landscapes. Over those years, I've developed what I like to...