Songwriting

One of the first things I did when I decided to seriously pursue writing as a career was to attend an NSAI Song Camp. I submitted my application and nervously awaited a response to let me know if I was accepted or not. Finally, the day came. There in the stack of mail was a…

Today, being a successful songwriter is not just about sitting down with your instrument and pouring out your heart and soul. Now it resembles more a juggler in a circus act. It takes songwriting balls! Once a song is completed, you can pat yourself on the back. But then you must throw the next balls…

“He got lucky. That will never happen again.” After celebrating my first number one song, “Beautiful Mess,” a friend of mine told me that a big successful songwriter spoke these words about me. I can’t blame him, he had been writing big songs for years and he’d seen a lot of young writers come and…

I remember announcing to all my friends one day that I was moving to Nashville, TN to follow my music career dream. It never occurred to me that it might sound crazy to all of them. In fact it sounded so crazy that they staged a small intervention laying out very rational points. 1. I…

Stage Acting, Improv, and Songwriting… Recently I went to see my friend and talented actress Becky Wahlstrom doing improv night at Bongo Java’s in Nashville. The group she performed with, the Nashville Improv Company, were amazingly witty, intelligent, and lightning quick in making stuff up. I was struck at the similarities between actors, improv, and…

Are your songs not getting results? Is that latest greatest song you’ve written not having the impact on your audience that you were so sure it would? Often the difference in a good song and one that moves the listener is a simple quick fix. Here are 4 fast fixes for 4 common songwriting mistakes.…

Are you a REAL songwriter? I can’t count the number of times someone has said to me “I’m a songwriter – well not a really, because I haven’t had any cuts.” Believe me; I felt the same way early in my career. Have you felt like you needed to somehow qualify or justify yourself in…

I’ve been a professional songwriter for more than 20 years.  In that time, I’ve learned a lot by making lots of mistakes.  Here are some tips that can help you learn to write better songs WITHOUT making the same mistakes I made. Write From Your Heart – Edit With Your Head If you try to…

There’s a number of common songwriting errors that complicate the lyric and confuse the listener. If you want to leave your audience scratching their heads (not recommended), try these techniques for songwriting confusion. Switch your pronouns around. Include several female characters in your song and then use the pronouns “she” or “her”. This gets them…