Podcast

Marty and Clay take on the rookie trap of writing one melody and then being unable to hear anything else — and hand over seven working tricks for shaking it loose, from moving your starting note, to singing outside the chord, to flipping the whole line upside down. Along the way Clay tells the story…

Marty and Clay take on the question they get asked constantly: how do you know when a song is actually finished? They walk through five signals — The through line: you never have to do everything perfect, you just have to do enough things right. Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting…

Marty and Clay walk through six things every songwriter hits on the way up — starting with the one nobody warns you about: a first taste of success can knock you sideways just as hard as a failure can. Along the way there’s the guaranteed Carrie Underwood single that never came out, the week Marty…

Marty and Clay count down five toxic habits that quietly stall a songwriter’s growth — including a couple they were guilty of themselves early on. There’s a Nile Rodgers story in here that changed how he heard music for good, and a song that sat 15 years before it got cut. Write on. Get your…

A comment on the “10,000 songs” episode claimed nobody songwriting at that volume could possibly write anything good — so Marty and Clay take it head on. They make the case for volume as a songwriting craft habit: it forces you past your three obvious ideas, it keeps your skills and creative flow sharp, and…

Marty and Clay take on the question they get asked more than any other in SongTown: “Am I a good songwriter?” They walk through the Dunning-Kruger arc every writer goes through — the early overconfidence, the crash, and the long climb — then lay out five real ways to gauge where your craft actually is,…

After more than 10,000 songs between them, Marty and Clay break down the three lessons that shaped their careers most: trading reactive listening for inspired listening, taking ownership instead of blaming co-writers and publishers, and why no song you ever write is wasted. Plus, details on spending a day with them in Nashville at the…

A broken piano, an ugly font, a wandering mind, and an awkward co-write — Marty and Clay dig into four ways frustration and limitations can actually make you a better songwriter. From Keith Jarrett turning a rehearsal piano into the best-selling piano solo album of all time, to Michael McDonald writing a classic on a…

Clay Mills and Marty Dodson break down four habits that separate pro songwriters from everybody else — starting with the big one: pros don’t wait on inspiration. Along the way they get into Jack Tempchin and Glenn Frey lighting a candle to “invite the muse,” Chris Wallin on replacing an incredible line with the right…