Don’t mix up the “creative” and “critiquing” phases of writing songs. When you do this, you stifle your best ideas.

One way to avoid verse-chorus sameness in your songs is to use a technique known as “octave displacement.” By moving a chorus melody into a higher octave, you can can help differentiate it from a verse melody that sounds similar.

Being economic with your words can help in writing undeniable song hooks to reel in your audience

Looking for creative ideas for your songs? Stop listening to music that sounds like yours — your natural tendencies will ALREADY take you that direction. Let those tendencies flow while absorbing other influences.

Work hard at your songwriting, but enjoy it too! Don’t let composing songs become a chore, or your creative juices are sure to disappear.

Possible places to find cool song titles include everyday speech, familiar phrases, interesting turns of phrase, intense emotions, deeply felt convictions, a pleasant place or thing, or maybe even a friend’s insight into a problem or feeling.

Map the chain of thoughts flowing from your initial idea. They can take your songs in unexpected directions.

Don’t feel that every time you sit down to write, you have to compose a full song. Composing short fragments is a great way to sharpen your songwriting technique.

Many of the best songs have some basis in personal experience. Leverage your own life to bring out the best in your songwriting.

Try starting with just a few notes of your melody and make a couple variations. This will help you to better understand where you can take your song.

The same virtues that make a good poem — effective imagery, compelling themes, emotionality and originality — also make a good song lyric.

Switching up your songwriting process can help ensure your songs don’t all sound alike, and it can combat writer’s block too.

Even if you don’t play an instrument, learning basic chords can help you to capture the essence of a song idea until you can work out the details later!

We often talk about the “Hub & Spokes” method to drive traffic to your website using your social media profiles…

The days of the reclusive rock star hiding backstage are long gone. Indie musicians often have to do the work of promotion and fan communication.

Bad Gimmicks = Empty Audience

Today’s Songwriting Tip: Learn to recognize the difference between a good theme and a blatant gimmick when composing your lyrics. It could mean the difference between a packed house and an empty audience.