Category: WHAT’S ON THE SITE

POLL: What’s the Hardest Part of Songwriting?

Are there songwriting tasks you find frustrating? Do you dread doing lyrics? Are melodies a miserable muddle? You’re not alone. Everyone has their songwriting trouble spots. I certainly have mine. So, I decided to take a poll on my Facebook page to find the biggest bugaboos. I got 180 responses which, I think, gives a fairly good idea of what songwriters are thinking.

The question was “What do you think is the hardest part of songwriting?” I started out with just four categories —Lyrics, Melody, Chords, and Song Structure—the usual suspects. I asked people to vote for the ones that were hardest for them and I invited them to add their own categories which they promptly did! They added challenges like getting started, writing contemporary songs, writing in a genre, and more. They’ll get no argument from me. These are all difficult aspects of songwriting and I’m always looking for ways to make them easier. So here are the results of my unofficial poll.

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Which Genre Is the Right One?

Q & A

I got a question recently from a songwriter who is torn between two very different song genres —Pop and Contemporary Folk. He loves both and sees the strengths in both. But because he can’t decide which to focus on, he’s having trouble getting started and working on a song. Which style is it going to be?

Which genre am I writing in?

The whole question of choosing a song genre can be frustrating, especially if you’re drawn to a couple of the big ones – like Pop and Folk. Every style—from Pop, Country, and Rock to R&B, Folk, and Blues—has a different approach to melody, lyrics, and production. Veering between two styles within a single song can be a disaster. And working on a Pop song while wondering if maybe it should be a Folk song can distract you from the things you should be focusing on.

Targeting a song genre helps you build an audience and gives you an edge when it comes time to market your song to the music industry. It’s an important issue and one that every serious songwriter has to confront sooner or later. So, what do you do? How do you choose? Here are some ideas that might help.

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New Hit Songwriting eBooks!

Robin's ebooks on Amazon.

Here it is… in three eBooks! The new edition of Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting is finally a reality. All the Shortcuts from the first edition are expanded and updated with the latest hit song examples, plus new Shortcuts covering today’s must-have songwriting tools.

There’s so much information, I needed three e-books to cover all 178 song crafting techniques. Read a book from beginning to end or bounce around looking for just the tool you need to turn your new chorus into a hit. You can put every Shortcut to use the minute you start working on a song. Check out all three books on Amazon where you can see the complete Table of Contents and download a free sample.

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No More Writer’s Block

At one point in my career, I had to write three to four songs a week for a television series. Writer’s block was simply not an option. If I failed to turn in my songs on time, the show came to a swift and expensive stop! Early on, I learned an important lesson: Writer’s block is not about a lack of creativity; it’s about identifying and solving a problem so you can get on with things.

Problem 1: TROUBLE GETTING STARTED

There are few things more intimidating than starting a song. Maybe all you have is an idea or a theme. Every time you think about getting to work on it, you feel overwhelmed. next thing you know, you’ve got writer’s block. Solution : Break down the initial process into a series of steps and do them one at a time.

1. Begin by finding a title you’re interested in.

Look for short phrases that resonate emotionally for you. You don’t have to make it up out of thin air. Watch TV shows and films, listen to people talking, take down phrases from news shows or the Internet. (Try the “Title Generator” in the links section at the end of this newsletter!) A short one-to-five-word phrase that grabs your attention should do it for you.

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Make Your Melodies Memorable and Original

Today’s melodies and many of the great melodies of past rely on a handful of tricks to create that special something that makes them insanely catchy and memorable.

Here are three tips that will help you make sure your melody has everything it needs before you launch it into the world.

1.Use your melody to create unforgettable song structure.

If your song has a VERSE / CHORUS structure, make sure listeners know where they are by creating plenty of contrast in the melody between these two sections. Melodic contrast grabs attention and keeps your melody from sounding like it’s wandering aimlessly. Listeners like to have a sense of “place” in a song. They want to know where they are. 

  • Try a big leap up (or down) in the melody to launch your chorus. Then stay up there for a couple of lines before gradually dropping down to the verse note range. You can hear this is big hit songs like Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Roar” by Katy Perry.
  • Use a choppy melody in your verse with plenty of fast-paced notes. Then change to a smoother melody style in the chorus. Check out “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz or “Vertigo” by U2 to hear this type of melody structure.  
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