Fake It Till You Make It: A Pro Songwriter Shares Why It Isn’t A Smart Strategy
How many times have you heard it said that one must “Fake it to make it” or “Act as if you’ve already achieved your goal.” Nice comforting quotes but not a smart strategy for chasing your songwriting goals. I remember starting out years ago, landing my first publishing deal as a staff writer in Nashville,…
Read MoreCJ Solar Unplugged: Revealing His Path to Becoming a Hit Writer
Hit songwriter/artist CJ Solar stops by the SongTown Studios to share his songwriting expertise and sing a couple tunes. CJ is not only a multi-hit songwriter but he’s also a performed on the road for years. Did the artist HARDY once play bass in CJ’s band? Find out all the details! Clay & Marty’s 10-day…
Read MoreHow To Find Great Song Ideas
Ever wonder where your favorite artists or songwriters consistently find those great song ideas? I like to think of ideas as a creative river—constantly flowing by. It may sound simplistic, but maybe it’s purely a matter of learning how to catch them. Once you learn how to find great song ideas, it really is that easy.…
Read MoreWriting To Your Song Title
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 experience and writing hundred of…
Read MoreFeeling Uninspired? How To Get Your Songwriting Groove Back
Do you feel like your melodies are dated? Are you in a creative rut? It happens to us all. One day we wake up and everything starts sounding the same. Every new idea we create seems familiar. And worse, those ideas may sound like melodies we heard years before! So, how do we stop banging…
Read MoreSongwriter Write-Up-Itis: Do You Suffer From This Common Illness?
Clay and I continually run into people throughout SongTown territories that have songwriter “write-up-itis”. We can spot the affliction immediately because we have both battled this dreadful and potentially fatal disease in the past. The symptoms generally start after you write the first song that you think is really commercially viable. A slight fever starts…
Read More5 Ways To Break Out Of Your Writing Rut And Spark New Songs
One of the hardest things a songwriter has to learn to level-up their writing is learning how to avoid or pull themselves out of a songwriting rut. Here are 5 things I’ve learned over my 25+ year career that have me avoid songwriting ruts and stay inspired… Switch instruments to spark new song ideas… If…
Read MoreHow Much Furniture Does Your Song Need?
One of the most common questions I get is “How much furniture does my song need?” What the writer means, is “How many nouns and adjectives should my song have?” For instance, if I talk about my rusty blue Ford truck, I have painted you a picture. If I just mention my truck with no…
Read MoreThe Erin Enderlin Interview: “Last Call”
Find out what Sir Elton John thinks about singer-songwriter Erin Enderlin’s music and soak in some writing wisdom as she stops by the SongTown Podcast set. Host Clay Mills chats with her about her amazing career as a hit songwriter and alt-country singer. It’s truly a don’t-miss episode as she sings a gorgeous raw version…
Read MoreDoes Your Song Need A Bridge?
So you’ve reached that point in the song; you’ve written two verses and a chorus, and that little voice in your head is asking “Does your song need a bridge?” When do you know if a song truly needs a bridge? I’ve heard publishers say things to their writers like, “You must write bridges because…
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