I was in a cowriting session the other day with a friend. She and I both presented some song ideas. We dissected each and looked at what was interesting, their strengths and weaknesses. The first one could go in this direction. It could be about this topic or that topic. The subtext would be about […]
Commitment Issues Read More »
Hi Keeth, Great questions! I wasn’t sure how many songs I’ve written—I’ve referenced 800 before—but I checked my PRO (ASCAP) today, December 3, 2024. It looks like I’ve written 1,024 songs (registered), which is more than I thought. There are likely 50 to 100 that I haven’t submitted because I was probably ashamed of them.
When was the last time you got bummed because it started raining? Maybe you had planned on mowing the yard or going swimming. You’d even gone so far as to start cutting the grass or drape your towel over the back of a pool chair. Then the clouds darkened and grew heavier, and pretty soon
Know the Weather Forecast Read More »
I was on my way to meet my friend Claire for our cowriting session one day when I drove past a billboard for Grey Goose vodka. The sign said, “Fly beyond.” Before I go any further, did you know titles are not copyrighted? Copyright law sees titles as too short and vague to be copyrighted.
A Lesson in Copyright Law from Grey Goose Vodka Read More »
“Do you ever worry about burnout?” Theo S. Hi, Theo. That’s a great question. Burnout is something I think about a lot because I’ve had to deal with it over the course of my career, especially during my early days here in Nashville. In 2012, when I signed my first publishing deal, my calendar began
AMA: “Do you ever worry about burnout?” Read More »
In this week’s issue I share…
1) “Sheltering Oaks”: How One Song Led to an Album
2) My Wife Heidi’s 3 Tips for Getting into Gardening
3) On Songwriting: Being Scared Is Normal
3 on Thursday – 3/9/23 Read More »
In this week’s issue I…
1) answer a FAQ “How’s your hand? Can you play guitar again?
2) share a story about how I think the Court Report became a section of the newspaper, and
3) talk to my fellow songwriters about avoiding the awkward cowriting start.
3 on Thursday – 12/22/22 Read More »
Cowriting is a strange activity if you’ve never done it before. Especially with someone new. But here’s something that helps me ease into the write without it feeling too awkward. As you’re getting to know each other, keep track of words and phrases that stick out. Keep track of interesting topics. You don’t have to
Avoiding The Awkward Cowrite Start Read More »
Hi Aaron, When you have nothing to write about, where do you look for inspiration? Do you read true stories that have happened to other people and write about their story? Do you read books, watch movies, or cowrite with someone who actually has something to write about, etc.? Nathanael Such a good question, Nathanael.
Songwriting isn’t about theory. Many professional songwriters don’t even read music. I’m one of them. We often don’t know the names of the chords we’re playing on guitar or piano. What many of us do know, however, are numbers. Numbers are based on the shape or position you’re in rather than the key. They give
On Songwriting: Instead of Theory Learn This Read More »