how to write a song, song structure, songwriting tips, how to write a hit song, song lyrics, vocal techniques, singing tips, lyric writing, song intro tips and a lot more.

NEW - IDEAS for the BRIDGE of a SONG

The Bridge of a song, which is also referred to as the "Middle Eight" section of the song, can serve as a break

in the momentum or direction of the song. The Bridge usually happens after the second Chorus in a Song.

The Bridge can be instrumental only or with vocals.

Here are some ideas for the Bridge of your song.

1] Use a different chord progession than the rest of the song. If you used the the standard I,IV,V [1,4,5] chord

progression, you could incorporate some of the II,III,VI, [2,3 or 6] chords, [ eg. in the key of C, if you were

using the C,F and G chords in your song change to, or add some of, the other chords Dm, Em, Am.

2] Drop the Tempo down or go halftime to make it appear that the song has slowed right down. This usually

works best with a softer insrumentation and softer Vocals that are in a higher range than the rest of the song.

3] Organ or Synth pad. If it is a rock song with guitar, bass, drums standing out for the verse and chorus,

change to a swelling organ or synth pad for the bridge, following the basic riff or melody of the song.

4] A lead guitar break is probably the most popular on rock songs especially in the harder rock and metal genres.

5] A Synthesizer or Keyboard solo, or combined with a counterpointing guitar solo. Deep Purple is probably the

 most famous for this.

6] A Complete Change to the Rhythm and melody of the song. Black Sabbath are big on this. It sounds like

they are playing a completely different song but they make the transition into it and back perfectly.

7] Singing the words of the Chorus but in a different manner. If the music or the melody of the Chorus goes up,

you go down, and vice versa, or change the speed, or change the lyrics slightly or sing it higher or lower,

louder or softer.

8] Make the bridge harder, louder, faster than the rest of the song. Make it more powerful than what has

transpired musically so far in the song.

9] Use the bridge to make a summary of all that has been presented in the words of the song.

10] A Realization. If your lyrics in the verse and chorus talked about a problem, the Bridge could reveal

the solution to the problem.

11] Make a Statement around the topic of the song, a point that has not been brought up yet. Or

something that ties down the story of the song.

12] Music and Vocals straight upward. The guitarwork goes straight up the neck, the keyboard

straight to the right up the keypad, the singer follows the music upward to a climatical plateau,

a powerful peak then drop back in to the chorus.

by Art Rock / MyCd.ca

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NEW- SONG OUTRO IDEAS / SONG ENDING IDEAS

How do you end a song you ask. Here are some popular styles of endings or Outros as they are called.

1] The Fade Out ending has been around since the beginning of recording. The volume level at end of the song

slowly falls down to zero. There is a fade out ending option on many recorders and recording software. If you

don't have that you can easily pull the master fader down on the final mixdown to your wave file or CD or whatever

you are mixing down to.

 A variation is to pull down the music faster than the vocals while the Vocalist holds the last note.

2] A sudden stop style ending. Usually on a chord with all instruments hitting the final beat. If it is the last

strike of the chord, a large pause before hitting that last chord can give some anticpation to an ending and

finalization.

3] The one or two bar and hard end is another variation on the sudden stop ending. One way is to hit the last

chord, then pause, then hit it three more times. On some songs you will hear them hitting it many more times

 than that.

Another variation is to pause then play the the next chord above or below, one to three times, then end back

on the same chord the chorus would normally end on.

4] An all out instrumental free for all style ending is a very popular style of ending. The drummer doing lots of

rolls and pounding on the cymbals, the other instruments playing solo lead style fast and crazy. Lots of fast

riffs and trills, lots of power chords. All the instruments playing full blast.

5] A double Chorus ending, or even a triple Chorus. If you sang the lyrics in the Chorus four times on each

Chorus throughout the song you do it eight times at the end, maybe even twelve if the chorus lines were

short enough that you won't sound like you are over doing it . Then end it sudden stop or with a fade away

ending may sound better.

That gives you quite a few ways to end your song.

                                                 by Art Rock / MyCD.ca

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1] SONG STRUCTURE- in layman's terms      by Art Rock MyCD.ca

There are several different styles of song forms or song structures that are the most popular used in Songwriting

 today. The majority of  songs written today, especially Pop  and Rock songs follow a song structure that evolved

 from the Rondo form, which has been around for hundreds of years. They revolve around  three different basic

ideas or variations on a theme. They are the Verse, the Chorus and the Bridge. There are also other parts to the

 song structure such as the  Intro, the Ending (Outro, Coda), the Pre-Chorus, Lead Break  (instrumental solo) and

then there are other less used components.

The Verse, Chorus, Bridge is the meat of the song. The Verse and Chorus are the most  prominent as they are

 repeated the most.

The Verse is where the story  unfolds, the narrative, the basic topic or idea of the song is introduced. It could be

 a description of a  problem, a feeling, an observation or it could be a  question about any topic or something in

 life. The Verse lays the groundwork for  your story. The Chorus is usually the memorable part of the song that

 most  people would sing along to. It normally has fewer words  than the verse, that often repeat. If the Verse

 was the question, the Chorus  would be the answer.

 Often the Chorus would have back up singers or use a vocal harmonizer to make it stand out. The Bridge,

sometimes called the middle  eight, is a sort of  musical interlude in the song, to break it up, and to keep it

 moving. Usually there will be a change in the chords used  or the tempo or the rhythmic beat.

 Some times the bridge will be an instrumental or lead break. It will usually lead into the third Chorus or a third

 Verse. Now lets get to  the actual song  structures. The Verse is normally labeled as "A", The Chorus "B" and the

 Bridge "C". The three most popular song forms used now a days would probably  be:

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 A B A C A B, (which is Verse, Chorus, Verse, Bridge , Verse, Chorus) (Yes this is the famous ABACAB that Genesis named a song after.)

A B A B C A B, (which is Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge , Verse, Chorus)

A B A B C B, (which is Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge , Chorus)

The Intro is where the song starts. It could be an instrumental riff, a lyric line, humming, chord comping or just the

 music of the verse  with no singing.

The Ending or Outro or Coda is where you end the song. It could be a fade out ending or abrupt end on a different

 chord, a little closing riff, a held vocal  note or whatever fits.

The Pre-Chorus is optional. It is a tie between the Verse and Chorus. It could be a build up to make the Chorus sound

 bigger, or perhaps  the music of the Verse and Chorus seem too far apart that you feel you need a transitional piece

 leading into the Chorus, to tie the two together.

If you are writing a Progressive Rock song you may want to use the Pre-Chorus as a way to extend the song, to make

 it more intricate.

The Lead Break or Instrumental Break is also optional. It could be in place of the Bridge or in addition to the Bridge.

 Sometimes it is  played in front of the  Bridge, sometimes after the Bridge, sometimes after the Chorus as a lead into

 the final verse. It could be a guitar  solo or any instrument solo, could be  multiple instruments playing an alternate

 or extended version of the Verse riff or Chorus riff.

 Sometimes it is a completely different instrument or sound that  has not been used anywhere else in the song.

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Putting it all together Here is an example utilizing all of the components: Using "I" for Intro, "O" for Outro,

 "P" for Pre-Chorus and "S"  for Solo. This  time we will mark the Verses.

 I A P B A P B C S A B O (which is Intro, Verse 1, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse 2, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Bridge , Solo,

 Verse 3, Chorus, Outro

As you can see, by utilizing Pre-Choruses and Lead Breaks will make the song a lot longer. Sometimes that could

 be a disadvantage if it  takes the song over the four minute mark, which is generally where you want to be to get

 more plays on the streaming services. The  Streaming services prefer songs to be less  than four minutes long.

If you are writing a Prog Rock song it is expected to be longer, and they usually get less air play anyways.

 Remember that these song writing methods are just guide lines, and rules were made to be  broken, especially

 in Music. However you adjust the formula make sure that it sounds like it fits. You don't have to worry, the

Song  Nazi's were all slayed by the Progressive Rock Bands in the late 1960's, early 1970's. 

 by Art Rock MyCD.ca

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2] Song Topic Ideas

Are you having a hard time coming up with a topic for your song?

Try starting off by picking a subject and think if you would want to praise, criticize or condemn it?

Here are some examples:

Love- falling in love, breaking up, love is a waste of time

Work- want a job, don't need a job, I quit

Life- life is good, life sucks, life goes on no matter what

War- this fight is right, this war is wrong, this war has to stop

Happiness- I'm so happy, I'm so sad, who needs happiness

Anger- I'm so angry, I shouldn't be so angry, anger is a waste of time

Determination - I am going to do it, I just can't do, trying is a waste of time

Moving on - I will go on, I can't go on, Who cares if I go on

Things are changing- I will change, I won't change, Nobody should have to change

Growing old- I will be young forever, my days are almost over, Who cares how old you are

Suspicion- I am watching you, I'm not watching you, Who cares what you do

Money- If I had money, I don't need money, Money doesn't bring you happiness

Family- My family is there for me, my family turned their back on me, who needs family

Religion- I am a believer, I don't believe, who needs religion

Sinner - you're a sinner, I forgive your sins, everybody is a sinner

Acceptance- I want to belong, I don't belong, you don't need to be accepted

Revenge- I will get even, I forgive what you did, revenge is a waste of time

Partying- we're going to party, the party is over, this party sucks

Regret- I wish that I did that, why don't I regret that, regret is overated

Obsession- You belong to me, I don't own you, stop obsessing what you can't have

Hopefully at least one of these ideas will work for you.

by Art Rock/ MyCD

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3] SINGLE NOTE BASS LINES  

   The term single note bassline, can have various connotations, here we are referring to the one in which the same

 single bass note is played throughout most, if not all of the song. Normally you would play the tonic note, which is

 the first note of the scale or key, or you would play the root note of the chord, which may be the same. Some players

 will change to the dominant note , which is the 5th note of the key, scale or chord. It is a good idea to listen to the

 bassline on some of your favourite songs, in the style of music that you will be writing your songs in.

Usually you will hear when they use a single note bassline, it is played on every quarter note, although you will hear

 it sometimes played on the half, eighth or sixteenth notes as well. Some times you will hear quarter notes on the

 verse, changing to eighth notes on the chorus and vice-versa. Sometimes you will hear the same note played but an

 octave higher or lower. The alternating octaves can give you a little more a colourfull sound. Single note basslines

can be very powerfull sounding as they give the song a very solid groove and it gives lots of room for the guitar,

 keyboard or other instruments to improvise. They will have a larger pallet of notes they can use as there will be less

 of a chance of playiong a dissonant sounding note.

You can also make it more active by leaving notes out. For instance, if you don't play every fourth note, you will hear

 a definite change in the groove. You can do the same with one of the other notes as well. Usually you wouldn't want

 to leave out first note. It always sounds best to have the downbeat, first note, play on the bass and drums together

 on every first beat of a measure or bar. This gives a tighter and more solid sounding groove.

by Art Rock / MyCd.ca
  

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4] Walking Bass Lines 

     Walking Bass Lines are very similar to the single note bassline but with extra notes. Many times it will be just the

 first and fifth note of the key or scale.  Sometimes the first, third and fifth notes and sometimes the seventh note.

A simple and good sounding technique is to play the root note on every quarter  beat, then when the chord changes,

 play the note, just below the root note of the next chord, on the beat right before the change and then play the root

 note of  the chord in sync with the guitar on the first beat of the chord change. This leads the momentum of the

 music in the direction of the chord change, which gives  a nice flowing motion to the song.

Another approach would be to take a more rhythmically active role and play a melodically sounding riff on the

bass, that would sound like the part a guitar should be playing. It always sounds the best to start on the tonic

or root note. You could do a melodic riff ending on a note. Then repeat it but this time end on the next note

 just above or below the  note you used to end on the last time. You could alternate every other line.

 A variation of this would be to play the riff three times, ending on the same note, then change the last note

 on the fourth time. Another variation is to end the riff on the same note, the first two times, end on a different

 note the third time, then on the fourth time you end it back  on the note used on the first two bars. Try

experimenting different ways and see what sounds the best to you, for the current song you are working on.

It's always good to listen to music in the same genre to hear how they are  approaching  the bass part.

by Art Rock / MyCd.ca

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5] Sing it like you mean it       by Art Rock MyCD.ca

One thing that makes a good song stand out from the rest is emotion in the vocals. If you want your song to shine,

sing it like you mean it.  Put some  emotion in your vocals. Try to avoid singing the entire song in one vocal level.

Change it up. Try starting the song off with a  softer vocal, then gradually build it up to the chorus. At the chorus

 try letting go. Experiment. Try going up or down in pitch with your  voice on different words. Try holding the end of

 different words in each vocal line, or try cutting them off short. Try different mixes of  both on different words.

Try to substitute some emotional type words  or phrases like crying, dying, lying, hurting, yearning, killing,  missing

you, wanting you, loving you, seeing you. Then emphasize those words. Try holding the  note in the middle of the

 word.  Cry-yyyyyy-ing. Raise the pitch of your voice in the middle of a word like crying, to a border line whine like

 you are  crying while you sing it. Try going overboard, over the edge. Don't hold back. Push it way too far, record it,

 then listen to the demo.

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 Too many times as artists we feel uncomfortable even embarrassed when we push the vocals too far. If you take

 a  look at many of the  top hit songs over the years, you will find a lot of them had odd, even goofy sounding

parts in the vocals. Many times that goofy part is  what sticks in the listeners minds. Have you  ever seen a friend

 or someone  singing along to a song being played, and then when they get  to the goofy part, they really

 emphasize it as though  they were waiting just to sing that word or part? Their face lights up, it seems to lift  their

 spirits, to arouse an  emotional reaction in them. You will never see someone  emphasize a word in the center of

 a verse that is the  same  volume or pitch as everything else. Sometimes it is good to go over the edge of your

 comfort level, to get your song  to stand out  from the rest in people's minds. You will be considered to be a

 better  singer for it. A home studio, with  nobody else at home, is  the  ideal environment to experiment and let

 it go, loud and over the top. That could be your  answer to the question, how to write a hit song,

 Try listening to  some of your favourite songs and pay close attention to how they end each verse. Do they go

 down  in pitch at the end  of the first and third verse, and up in  pitch at the end of the second and fourth verse?

 Are the  first, second and fourth verses the same, and every third verse changes? Does every verse have a little

  different twist  at the end or near the end of it? Are the first two verses  sung the same, and the last two sung

 harder and  or higher? These are all techniques and singing tips used on many hit songs and top  album songs,

 by top singers over the  years.

Now listen to your song again. Is it changing or is it pretty well  all the same? Try varying it  to some of the

 different  ways, or all of the different ways listed above. See what fits. Try putting a new spin of your own on it.

 There is no reason in the world that you, YES YOU, could set a new trend in vocal delivery. One that others will

 follow  and talk about  many years from now.

 Always remember the golden rule in singing vocals on a recording. SING IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT !

                                by  Art Rock / MyCD

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6] Song Intro Ideas      by Art Rock MyCD.ca

 One of the easiest and simplest intros is to play the same music as the verse. Sometimes artists will start with just

 one of the instruments,  such as the drums.  Then the bass guitar starts, then the guitar and then any other

 instruments in the band. Then they break into the first  verse. Easy to do and sets the song up  nice. It flows right

in smooth and easy. Over the years artists from many different styles of music  have used a spacey synthesizer

sound for the intro. Songs  like "Fly Like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band, "Lunatic Fringe" by Tom  Cochrane and

 Red Rider to "In The Light" by Led Zeppelin. Another method, the one chord intro, is a very effective way to get your

 song  remembered in the minds of the listener. As soon as you hear that opening chord on the piano  you instantly

 recognize it as "Benny and  the Jets" by Elton John. To pull this off try going through a chord book and try different

 chords, especially the less common ones, that  people do not usually hear. Try slow strumming it, then try playing it

 fast and hard. On a piano or keyboard try playing the chord one  note at a time, then try comping it. Try playing them

 different ways, and experiment to find something that is unique sounding and fits  in to your song.

 Another method for an intro to a song is to start with a solo vocal line. A perfect example is the Who's "The Real Me" .

 "Can you see the  real me can you, can you" followed by a powerful instrumentation that blows people away. They go

 from a vocal only to the full power of  the band. This sudden change from  soft to hard makes listeners jump out of

 their chairs onto their feet. Another method of intros that  is frequently used is to start the song with the chorus. This

  is very effective if you are a new unknown artist or band, with a very strong  chorus. It will keep the listeners from

 changing the channel on the radio or  get up  and leave when you start playing live. Many listeners  unfairly label an

 unknown act as garbage. This is a stigma every new band has to accept and get over. In this situation a strong

 chorus  will pull them in as soon as you start your song. Another approach to an intro is to use some type of

 gimmicky sound   effect. When you  hear the guitar string bending you know it's "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath.

 When you hear the harmonica playing you know it's "The  Wizard" by Black Sabbath. When you hear the

helicopter you know that is "The Happiest Days of our Lives" by Pink Floyd. The above  methods will give you lots

 of ideas on different types of song intros. Try to come up with something unique, different that hasn't been

 done before.

 Think outside the box.  Be a trend setter, not a follower. You are the only one who is limiting yourself.

            article by Art Rock / MyCD.ca 

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7] Every Song Tells A Story ...But Does It Need To Be An Abstract Novel?   by Sheena Metal

For a musician, your songs are your art. They are the physical embodiment of your creative gifts. Every bit of 

 happiness, anger, angst, joy, pain, elation,  knowledge or humour goes into your story known as your song.

 You write and re-write your song, scouring over every note and word...perfecting it for  recording and live

 performance. But when you play it for others, you're not getting the reaction you expected. Your friends,

fans and family seem less than enthusiastic as  they dully respond, "Yeah. That was...um...good." How could

 this be? You poured your soul into this piece. This was your "Stairway To  Heaven"! This was  your "Smells

like Team Spirit"! It's a lyrically amazing ode about the persecution of pagan midwives in grass hut tribes!

 It flows, it  breathes, and it's seven and a half minutes of pure musical perfection!

Whoa. Stop right there, Mozart. You wrote a seven and a half minute song about the persecution of pagan

 midwives in grass hut tribes and you're wondering  why you're thirteen year-old cousin fell asleep in the

 middle of the fourth verse? You wrote a seven and a half minute song about the persecution of pagan 

 midwives in grass hut tribes and you're confused as to why your drummer's girlfriend began calling her

 friends on her cell phone before the song had reached  its bridge? It may be hard to believe when you are

 penning an opus such as this, but the normal human brain is wired a little differently than an  accomplished

 musician's, like yourself, and although music is art, it is also popular culture and the goal of that should be

 for others to enjoy your creative efforts as much as you  do. So, how can you make sure that your writing

 experience is as positive as your audience's listening experience? What can you, as musicians do, to   

eliminate aspects of your songs that may alienate, confuse or just plain bore your fans? The following are a

 few tips that may add some  success to your songwriting  experience:

1.) After Four Minutes, It Becomes Background Music---Music aficionado's aside, the average person has

roughly the attention span of a young adult  hummingbird. As a songwriter, you need to grab your audience's

attention and hold it until the end of the song before they flit off to something else more  interesting to them.  

Although four minutes (or less) may seem like the blink of an eye when a song-writer is storytelling, it's a very

 long time to expect your  run-of-the-mill club-goer or web-surfer to stay fixated on your music.

2.) Tell Your Story As Directly As Possible We all love allusions, allegories, vague references, and subtle

metaphors but use them sparingly or become a beat  poet. A little abstractness goes a long way when writing a

 popular song. Song lyrics fly into people's minds as quickly as the bassist plucks out quarter notes.

 If you make your lyrics too complicated, then your audience may still be trying to figure out the verse when

 you're already playing the chorus. This could  prompt the average listener to tune out your masterpiece, order

 another beer and switch on their I pod.

3.) If English Is Your First Language, Use It In Your Song---It's great that you're an educated, cultured,

artistic intellectual sponge. But remember that most people who hear your music are not book worms or 

 art nuts. Big, involved words make for memorable song lyrics but use them occasionally. It's good for your fans

 to ponder the meaning of a particular lyrical word  but give them too many to ponder and they will get so caught

 up in the words that they may forget your  song.

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4.) Obscure Musicality Can Be Confusing Too --- Lyrics aren't the only way to confuse the average listener. Obscure

 time signatures, discordant  instrumentation and avant-garde drum lines may seem like  genius to your fellow

musicians, but if your listeners can't tap and/or hum along, you may find  yourself only invited to perform in

underground opium bars where the audience members have all had one too many hash brownie. If you're not sure where

to begin, start simple. Write a short, but sweet, song that packs an emotional punch in a universal way. Write about

something everyone is familiar with: love, politics, lifestyle issues or the sociology of being a human being on the planet.

Once people have fallen in love with your music, it will be easier to get  them to give the extra listen to your more

complicated, artistic pieces. Remember that just because a song is popular or easily understood, doesn't mean that

 it's not good creativity. Art is subjective, and truly in the eye of the beholder. Your least favourite song could be

someone else's favourite. You never have to stop being creative or artistic, just acknowledge that there's an audience

 out there that wants to hear what you have to say... but they'll need to be able to  comprehend it first.

About the Author Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians' assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info sheena-metal.com

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 8] Write Songs the Music Industry Wants to Hear    by Alex Forbes

Sure,  art for art's sake is cool, but what if you are pursuing a career as a songwriter? This article is full of

 suggestions on how you can tailor your songs to  suit the requirements of music business professionals.

Many of us bemoan the state of commercial music today, but what are you doing to improve things in

 your own micro-cosmic corner of the universe? Are you working to create the next wave of great material --

songs that have a lifespan of more than a few  weeks or months? How can you use your talents to actually

make a powerful contribution and make a living while you're at it? The first step is to take a  good look

inside and explore what you as a unique individual have to say, lyrically and musically. What do you think

 about, believe in, stand for? What makes you tick? These precious truths that bubble up from the soul

provide the driving force behind great songwriting. These sparks of inspiration, these  "aha! moments," 

are what listeners crave when they play a song. They're also what People Behind Desks are desperate to find.

Do you have the courage to lay bare your personal truth in public? I firmly believe that's what it takes to

achieve success with your songs. The cynical among us will say, "no, you just need the right equipment, a  

catchy hook and a whole lot of money behind you." Sure, those things help, but if you're trying to break

into the business, your  song has to simultaneously grab people by the guts, tickle their ears, and slam them

 over the head like a 2-by-4. Strive to write songs that take risks, tap into  the universal via the personal, and

 motivate people to laugh, cry, feel, dance or take action. Make an effort to innovate, not imitate what's

 already out there  In other words, write your passion. Songs miraculously translate to listeners the exact

emotion you felt while you were writing them. Do your best to work that magic! Another quality that

professionals look for in a song is strong dynamic flow. Skilful use of the many conventions of songwriting

 can manipulate listeners in the most enjoyable way. Don't be afraid to push those emotional buttons!

Here are some ways to go about it:

1] Suck listeners in with lyrical, melodic and chordal tension.

2] Create a question in their minds: how will this turn out in the end?

3] Throw their bodies off balance with chords or melodies  that are unexpected or quirky. * Take a strong

point of view that's boldly provocative, unique or intensely felt.

4] Paint a vivid picture in the mind's eye.

5] Set a palpable mood.

6] Construct an entire sonic and/or lyrical environment

Once you have piqued people's interest, crank up their involvement using all of the techniques in your lyrical

 toolbox, i.e. rhyme, meter, imagery, metaphor,  alliteration, etc, you name it. Avoid clichés like the plague, or

 turn them on their heads somehow. Experiment until you find the melody lines that best show off  your lyrics,

and vice versa. Salt your song with enough repetition to make it memorable, but not so much that it becomes

predictable. Use chord progressions  that are fresh and stimulating to the ear rather than lulling it into

complacency. When it comes time for the ultimate payoff, your Hook, don't  settle! This is your Money Shot,  

and most music biz pros will hit the "eject" button if they don't hear a strong hook in one listen. One listen!

Here are a few  ways to enhance  your hook:

1] Construct your song so that all roads, lyrically and melodically, lead to your hook.

2] Remember that famous music business adage: "Don't  bore us, get to the chorus."

3] More hooks is merrier! Instrumental riffs, backups, rhythmical chord movement, and verse melodies can

provide secondary  hooks.

4] Fear not repetition (up to a point, of course).

5] Throw in memorable "monkey wrench" words that stand out.

6] Make sure the world can sing along.

7]Play with the language: use slang, twists of phrase, even invent a new word!

Finally, People Behind Desks really appreciate it if you know your marketplace. Don't submit a country ballad 

 when their artist is a heavy metal guitar- shredder. And if you're the performer, have at least 3 crowd-pleasing,

 radio-ready songs in hand before you shop a deal. Make a detailed study of the hits in  your chosen genres, and

 incorporate those lessons into your work. The Internet has made it incredibly easy to educate yourself about

what's selling these days, so there's no excuse for ignorance. Look at the world for a moment from the perspective

 of a music industry pro: They'll respond positively if they think your song will save their job. By bringing them

 dynamic, single-worthy, heartfelt material you'll be well on your way to doing just that, and creating a  career

for yourself as well. Happy songwriting!

© 2006 by Alex Forbes -About the Author -Hit songwriter and songwriting coach Alex Forbes creativesongwriter .com has seen over 65 of her songs released, many of them landing on the Billboard charts, on TV and in feature films. Her chart hits include "Don't Rush Me," (#2 Pop), "Too Turned On," (#6) and "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix" (#19). Her song, "You Are Water" is featured on the hit album by Hayley Westenra.

 9] How to Get the Right Balance of Innovation  and Predictability in Your  Songs    by Gary Ewer

Everyone's looking for innovation when it comes to writing songs. Obviously, you don't want your songs to just

sound like every other song out there. You want your song to stand out. Making a song stand out from the rest

 requires innovation and  a new approach. But here's the danger: if your songs are  too  innovative, you will find 

 that the listeners can get confused, or even bored. Songs need to have something predictable about them. In

other words, if  your song is  too innovative, it can drive your audience away. Through my websites

secretsofsongwriting .com and easymusictheory .com, I deal with this  issue of  innovation versus predictability

 a lot. Many of my online and "real life" students are songwriters. And getting the balance right is very important.

 Innovation is not a bad thing, and many great bands and singers have spent years building up an audience for

their material by being innovative. But for the  most innovative performers out there, the building of that audience

 will require a long time, and lots of patience. This article is for those of you who want to build audiences quickly.

It's one thing to be satisfied with taking years to build a listenership. But I know that many of you are wanting to

 get a loyal  following sooner than that. You can do that by concentrating more on predictability at first rather than

 innovation. So if you want to build an audience for your music quickly, you will need to think about presenting your

 material in a fresh, innovative way that does not abandon tradition. The Beatles are  probably  the greatest example

of this. Their early music was modeled after some very successful singers: Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry

and others.  Presented in a fresh way, their early music relied on standard song format, with rather traditional chord

 changes and melodic structures. "All My Lovin'", "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You," etc. were all

great songs that were strongly steeped in tradition, with a hint of innovation. Once the Beatles  got that  audience,

they began to experiment more with innovative compositional and recording techniques. So having built up a loyal

 audience, they were  able to  present songs like "I Am the Walrus," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and so on. And

that loyal audience, generally speaking, hung in there with them. So here are some tips to consider for balancing

 innovation with tradition:

1] Be sure that at least one element of your songs - either the chord progression,  melody, lyrics or basic form,

is traditional and somewhat predictable. This  will help those looking for something safe and will give you a solid

 basis to  present something innovative.

2] For the element of your song that you might consider innovative, remember that the further out there it is, the

 stronger the possibility that you will scare  away the listeners. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because you may

 pick up listeners that you wouldn't have otherwise had.  Just remember that the more innovation you use, the

slower you will build that audience.

3] Don't be afraid to clothe complex lyrics or melody with a  traditional ABABCB type of form. Simple forms are

 great ways to make sure that a listener  doesn't feel lost. And always remember to be yourself. Being  innovative

 simply because you want to try to sound different will not succeed. You need to always be presenting your material

 in a way that is true to the musician inside of you. Being weird for jfor ust weird's sake will come across as pretentious.

Gary Ewer is the author of The Essential Secrets of Songwriting and Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory. He is currently

 an instructor in the Dept. of Music, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

What do we mean when we say that someone "has a good ear?" Actually, the term can mean several things.

When someone has a good ear, they can accomplish at least one of the following:


1] they can identify a musical note, usually by note name, the various pitches that they hear, and sing those

 pitches in tune;


2] they can identify chords by name, and/or


3\ they can identify instruments or combinations of instruments within a musical work.

Having a good ear is something that most musicians strive for. Having a bad ear means that you can't

recognize or label the music you are hearing which is an  important skill for performers and composers.

 I run a songwriting website secretsofsongwriting .com, and I know how important a good ear is. If you

are a  songwriter, having a good ear is vital, because the best way to improve your songwriting craft is

to listen to the music of the professionals. But if you can't  really identify what you are hearing, you're

missing out on opportunities to improve. Throughout my years as a music teacher, I have observed

something  interesting and very important. The marks that my students make in music theory studies

are usually very close to the marks they receive in ear training.
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And more than that, I can usually gauge how a student is going to do in one course by looking at their

 progress in the other. For example, students who do  well in theory but poorly in ear training will usually

 see their ear training marks rise over time. And students who have great ears but weak theory skills will

 generally experience better marks in theory over time. In other words, music theory and ear training do

go hand in hand. The first and most important thing  you can do to improve your ear is to improve your

theory skills. Why? When you understand how music is structured, your ears have a reason for what they

 are hearing. Here's one good example. In any key, there are three or four certain chords that work well

to reinforce that key, and are more likely to occur  than any other chords. Knowledge of theory helps

you know and identify those chords. So when you are listening to music and trying to identify the chords

 you are hearing, you can focus in the most likely choices. Besides improving your theory skills, here are

 some other pieces of advice for you:


1] Try some of the ear training websites that are out there. Just do a search for "online ear training" and

 you'll find lots of resources that can help you.


2] Try purchasing some ear training software. These days, most university aural perception programs

incorporate computerized training into their curriculum.


3] Try writing down the melodies that you hear being played. Transcribing music in this manner actually

 does not require strong music reading skills, and you will find that what skills you do possess will improve

 greatly and quickly. Take a simple song, and play it on your CD player a bit at a time, writing down

whatever notes you hear. Even if you aren't sure of the rhythms, write whatever pitches you can. If you're

 stuck on a note, find it on your guitar or piano, and then write it down. This is the best ear training exercise

 there is!  Practicing your instrument is crucial to becoming a better musician. But be certain that you don't

neglect your ear!

Gary Ewer is the author of The Essential Secrets of Songwriting and Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory.
He is currently an instructor in the Dept. of Music, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.