Study the Hits eBook on Amazon & iBooks

I’ve been working hard to bring you a brand new book and it’s finally out. Study the Hits is DONE! There are 30 new songwriting shortcuts and 21 song guides to recent hits in the Pop, Country, Singer-songwriter, and Folk genres. If you’re looking for something to spark your Pop hits, inspire your Film & TV songs, spur your Country creativity, check it out. It’s 278 pages of songwriter LOVE for just $9.99. Click here to buy it on Amazon.com. Or click on the Study the Hits book image.

You don’t even need a Kindle or e-reader to read the book. Just download the free Kindle app to your PC or Mac computer and open the book.  There’s a link to the app right on my eBook page at Amazon. You can listen to the songs, read the lyrics, and study the Shortcuts all right there on your computer or tablet.

This book will show you how to get your hands on the latest songwriting tools and techniques straight from today’s biggest hit songs. Read about a technique, listen to hit songs that use it, then try these cutting-edge songwriting tools in your own songs.

You’ll find Songwriting Shortcuts that take you inside today’s hottest markets and latest song craft skills:
• 6 Hit Songwriting Shortcuts
• 6 Lyric Shortcuts
• 6 Film & TV Songwriting Shortcuts
• 5 Music Shortcuts
• 7 “Ears-On” Kickstarter Shortcuts show you how to study any hit song and learn from it.

PLUS “Ears-On” song guides to 21 of today’s top hits. We’ll explore…
• 5 Pop and Pop/Rock Hits
• 6 Contemporary Country Hits
• 5 Singer-Songwriter Hits
• 5 Folk & Folk/Rock Hits
… to see what makes each one so successful.

You’ll find “Try It Now” exercises in every Shortcut and Song Guide so you’ll hear and apply contemporary hit songwriting techniques right away.

NOTE: This eBook contains active links to online videos and lyrics. An Internet connection and audio output are recommended.

Available soon for Apple iBooks.

Advice from Wendy Levy, Music Supervisor

I just read an excellent interview with music supervisor Wendy Levy. If you’re thinking about writing and pitching your songs to the Film & TV market (and you should be) here’s some information from a music supe who has used A LOT of songs in shows like The Fosters, Beauty and the Beast, Ravenswood, 90210, The Client List, Life Unexpected, and many more.

One thing in particular struck me as especially good advice. Levy says: “My job as a music supervisor is to identify the unique voice of each show – like a sonic paint box – with the tone and voice of the production. I present material to the producers to find out what they like. As characters evolve each season, the music changes to fit into that world.”

As a songwriter, you should be aware of the “unique voice” of a show. Watch a few episodes of a show like The Fosters, Gossip Girl, Parenthood, or Nashville. You’ll notice that the songs are quite different on each show. Keep a record of the songs being used, or look them up on Tunefind.com. Then study those songs to get a feel for the type of lyric, melody, production, and vocal style that works for the show. When you get a chance to pitch to the music supervisor – or to a music library that will do the pitching for you – be sure you’re on target and nail the signature sound.

Here’s the rest of the interview. (Interview with Wendy Levy by Shantell Ogden for Berklee Blogs.)

Interview with Ryan Tedder

Check out this excellent interview with Ryan Tedder, lead singer and songwriter of OneRepublic and an hugely successful record producer. It’s straightforward, useful information on everything from songwriting to producing to arranging. If you got my recent newsletter and tried the top-line writing exercise, you were writing to a track by Ryan Tedder.

Here are a few short excerpts from the excellent interview by Tom Cole for NPR. (A link to the complete interview below.)

On the importance of melody: “Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don’t care what anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that’s my opinion but because I think it’s actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It’s that simple.”

I love this quote on the difference between Indie and Commercial artists: “I think the best songs are being written by the very under-stated, under-appreciated indie artists. The thing that separates them from mainstream success is they either consciously or unknowingly refuse to deliver on a big chorus.”

On instrumental hooks: “I think a riff can be complementary but when you go from complimentary to primary, then it becomes the hook to me.”

Don’t miss this. It’s worth your time. Here’s the complete interview by Tom Cole on NPR’s “The Record”: Ryan Tedder Interview: A Fan of Music Talks About the Craft of Songwriting

Break Through to Songwriting Success

frustrated-songwriter

Seems I’ve heard from a lot of songwriters and composers lately who are feeling frustrated.  Their careers haven’t gotten off the ground or they’re stalled at a level that isn’t really satisfying.

Over and over, I hear things like…

  • I’m not getting the kind of response from the music industry I deserve.
  • I spend hours on my music but I’m not making any money.
  • They keep telling me my music is dated.
  • I’m doing the best I can. I guess I just don’t have enough talent.

I know how awful it feels to be in that place. But there’s really a very straightforward process for getting beyond these problems and finding success in the music industry. Know what the industry needs and give it to them! It takes focus and determination. But If you’re willing to do that then you can get where you want to go.

So let’s cut to the chase…

Everything you need to know to be a successful songwriter is right in front of you.

Continue reading Break Through to Songwriting Success

A Message to a Distant Shore

I was just watching a news story about a girl whose father was Chief Steward on Malaysian Flight 370, the plane that has disappeared over the Indian Ocean. Not knowing whether her father is alive or dead, not know how to reach him but needing to connect, needing to believe he can hear her, she turned to Twitter.

She lets her father know he’s missing his favorite football game, the one they always watch together. She tweets raw feelings: “Daddy, come home. I miss you.”  She sends the tweets out into the vague, everywhere-ness of the Internet. Isn’t it just possible that somewhere, she thinks, somehow, in this vast, airy endless space, he might hear her?

We often make fun of Twitter as 144 characters of trivia. But a few words in the hands of strong emotion can be so much more. 

Continue reading A Message to a Distant Shore