Songwriters: 5 Ways You Can Inspire Your Co-Writers
I’m a firm believer that inspiration can fall down upon us like a gift from heaven. But I’m also a big believer in the ideas that hard work and preparation can create inspiration. The best songs I’ve ever written were born from some combination of those 3 factors. I can’t control inspiration that comes down…
Read MoreSongwriting Hack – “Lyrical Opposites”
In this episode, Hit Songwriter Clay Mills talks about lyrical opposites and how you can use them in your songwriting to create hookier and more powerful songs. Chapters: Chapter 1: Titles Chapter 2: Implied Opposites Chapter 3: Setup Lines 1. Titles Check out these titles: “I Hate Myself for Loving You”, “Beautiful Mess”, “Nobody In…
Read MoreBlueprinting Your Songs: How To Write Better Songs Faster
Something that has changed my songwriting in a radical way is a technique I call blueprinting your song. When you’re building a house, you hope that the builder is working from a good blueprint. That’s really the only way to make sure that the house you wind up with is the house you intended to…
Read MoreBad Music And Songwriting
“I want more than anything to get one of my songs recorded by a major artist on the radio.” “Today’s music sucks. The stuff artist are putting out is bad music and it all sounds the same!!” (Two sentences spoken by an aspiring songwriter during a coffee conversation.) The other day at Bongo Java Coffee…
Read MoreDid I Wait Too Long To Start Writing Songs?
Many of our SongTown members put songwriting aside for years while they raised a family. The dreams from their 20’s only really started to get a chance in their 40’s or 50’s or beyond because life got in the way. So, they come to us and ask “Did I wait too long to start writing…
Read MoreFake 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 More