Author: Marty Dodson

Most of us tend to gravitate toward the same kinds of things when we write.  We write grooves and feels that we like.  And we tend to write topics we like as well. Use these exercises to stretch your writing boundaries. 1) Write...

I had a conversation this week with one of my song pluggers. I have worked with this guy for more than 20 years. I consider him my best friend in the music business. Why? He tells me the truth. Always. At one time, I turned in a song I wrote with a...

Here are some fun songwriting exercises I do when I want to sharpen my songwriting skills and just have a good time with it, putting no pressure on myself.  Hope you enjoy! Thumb through a magazine looking for song ideas. Sometimes when I'm on an airplane, I pick up the inflight...

  I believe that the scariest 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.  ...

  No matter what your definition of Songwriting Success is, one of the most overlooked aspect of a songwriter's journey is community. I run into many writers who are writing pretty good songs, but they are doing it in a vacuum. In reality, it's nearly impossible to succeed as a songwriter...

    One of the reasons Clay and I started SongTown was to help people learn how the songwriting business works and immunize themselves from being ripped off. So, I want to give you some advice that can help save you hundreds and maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you heed...

  Co-Writing songs is a lot like dating. It takes work to find and develop good co-writing relationships. And, not every date is going to work out. So, you keep kissing frogs until you find a prince, metaphorically speaking. If you treat songwriting relationships like REAL relationships, you can avoid...

  One of our standard pro songwriter jokes goes something like this... Bill - What are you up to today, Bob? Bob - Oh, just trying to find another rhyme for love. We joke about it because many hours in the life of a pro songwriter are spent trying to find a new way...

  The heart of SongTown is helping you write YOUR best song. At the end of the day, that's all any mentor or guide can do for you. I can connect you with many of the top people in the business, but if you don't have a GREAT song, it's not...

  My biggest hit so far (by far) has been Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Something’ Right”.  The song also has an interesting story.  My co-writer, Jason Matthews, and I had been working for two days on another song idea.  By lunchtime on the second day, we still hadn’t made any...