Songwriter's Toolbox

How does a great writer layer meanings in their lyrics?  In "Into the Fire", Bruce Springsteen gives us a fantastic example.  Also, today is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC.  I'm sharing this amazing song (and the story behind it) as a remembrance of those who died that day - from office workers to passengers to police and fire fighters - and in the spirit of giving comfort to those who lost loved ones in those attacks. SongToolbox_Fire_Springsteen.mp3

The concept of "modes" perplexes many folks who love writing or listening to music. But the concept is actually very accessible. By examining a Persian mode used by Iranian-American songwriter Ali Eskandarian, I'll give you a quick and, hopefully, very understandable explanation (and demonstration) of what modes are.Will this be useful for your own songwriting? While it might be too much to assume that a songwriter steeped in one musical tradition can quickly sound authentic in a new style, you might at the very least find elements of another form of music that could give you a new palette to work with in your songwriting. Music has a long tradition of mixing, sharing and remixing - in ports, international cities and, these days, by radio, TV and the Internet. And it's definitely a way that people from different cultures can find a common ground.

Who wants an easy way to get new ideas for their songs? Who wants a good way to add power to their songs? Every songwriter I know, including me! Today we're going to talk about a tool called Chord Power Progressions that's used in the Kelly Clarkson Top 20 hit "Already Gone", co-written with Ryan Tedder. The books I mention in this podcast are by Jimmy Kachulis. They're called Songwriter's Workshop: Harmony and Berklee In the Pocket: Essential Songwriter(co-written with Jonathan Feist). FYI: you can take courses in songwriting with Jimmy at BerkleeMusic.com (where I teach, too).

I always knew that a song title was important. I just didn't realize how massively important! In this podcast, I share one of the most astonishing things I've learned about songwriting ever.If you're interested in checking out the title categories (and maybe suggesting some of your own), I've posted this list on our website, artofthesong.org on the "Forum" page.

Here's a great tool to streamline the process of writing a powerful chorus. Bruce Springsteen uses it and so can you.

What makes a song emotionally powerful? Most often, the impact comes from a special combination of melody, chords, groove and lyrics. With Dolly Parton's song "Coat of Many Colors", one element seems to stand out most: the lyrics.By the way, thanks so much to all you podcast listeners who've emailed me to let me know how much you're enjoying this podcast. I'm so psyched it's valuable to you. It's truly inspiring to me and actually helps encourage me not only to keep writing the Song Toolbox but also to keep writing songs myself!

What makes a compelling song? Sometimes, it's the same thing that makes a compelling story: clearly defined characters who face obstacles that block their goals and the journey to overcome that opposition. Invariably, there's some lessons learned, too. It's a classic model for a story and a great way to write a song, too.

One of the most effective ways to make your songs stay fresh, keep listeners interested and really build drama is contrast. One of my favorite songwriting teachers, Jai Josefs, makes this point all the time.Contrast is a fundamental tool great songwriters use. They make sure that the sections of their songs - verse, chorus, bridge, etc. - each sound different. How do you create in your songs? This is where a deep understanding of lyrics and music theory really pays off. As Pat Pattison, at Berklee, likes to say, just ask "What do you got?" and then ask "What's different?" The more you know about lyric writing and music theory, the more you'll understand what you've got and what would be different. But we all have lots of experience listening to music - and we know intuitively when things sound different. So, whether by ear or by training, you can play around with making your song sections sound different from one another.To illustrate this point with melodies, let's check out the Eagles' song "Take it Easy."Happy songwriting!BTW: If you'd like to hear some of the music I've written, you can go to my music website: www.ChocolateStrawberryStudios.comPlease comment if you'd like to. I look forward to hearing what you think!

Where do songwriters find things to write songs about? For Janis Ian, a great source was the newspaper.You can check out Janis Ian's music and more at www.janisian.com. Janis is a legendary and extraordinary songwriter. She's also written a lot of great articles about songwriting and being a singer-songwriter including a column in Performing Songwriter magazine. (You can read many of these article on her website - click on "Prose".) In fact, she's written about lots of things - she's very smart, compassionate and interested in almost everything. (She'd probably say that these are qualities that help in her songwriting too.)And you can hear some of the music I've written at my music website: www.ChocolateStrawberryStudios.comThanks again for listening. And please comment - I look forward to hearing what you think!

Ever get discouraged in your songwriting? Today's tool helps me get inspired again. It comes from singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-teacher-philosopher Don Richmond. It's called "The Water and The Conduit" and I hope you find it as helpful as I do.You can check out Don's music and more on http://donrichmond.com/dons.htm. Plus, Don's written an extraordinary book called "Getting Your Music Past the Fear." You can order a copy through his website.By the way, you can hear some of the music I've written at my biz website: www.ChocolateStrawberryStudios.comThanks again for listening. And please comment - I look forward to hearing what you think!