How to Topline as a Traditional Singer Songwriter

If you’re a traditional songwriter, you will probably have more traditional habits of writing. Toplining can seem like an entirely new world that is intimidating, especially if you are writing in a new genre, but it’s a great form of songwriting that stretches writing muscles in an interesting way. It is also nice to not have to focus on every aspect of the song and the choices you need to make (if you write melody/lyrics/harmony all together, like many songwriters do). Here are some great steps to help you topline for the first time, as well as things to keep in mind.

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DRIVERS LICENSE: A case study on hit song narrative structure

In any hit, a strategically structured narrative is paramount to leading the listener through the song in a highly engaging, satisfying, and ultimately memorable manner. This video case study uses the Hit Songs Deconstructed methodology to take a deep dive into Drivers License’s the narrative flow.

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New approach to lyric writing: Telling sensory stories via song

Guest post by Carla Malrowe. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Lyrics are very personal; no one can, or should, tell you what to write. However, how you write comes down to skill. And lyric writing as a skill, just like any other, can be improved through open-minded exploration and growth-minded practice.

Today, I want to talk about a new way of approaching lyric writing. It entails using sensory and cinematic stories to relay your core song message. It’s a process of deep exploration to achieve a unique expression.

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Discover How To Write A Song From The Best In The Biz

1. WHERE TO START WRITING YOUR SONG 

Beginning is regularly the hardest piece of the songwriting procedure. Building up your tune’s fundamental song or focal ensemble is considered by some to be the best place to start composing your next track. Once you have your snare or key harmony movement, you can manufacture whatever remains of your melody around it. In any case, don’t stress in case you’re attempting to locate the ideal tune straight away, this technique isn’t for everybody.

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7 Laws For Smart Songwriting

Music surrounds us every day – we hear it while driving the car, shopping in the mall, or eating in a restaurant. It has become a part of our everyday routine, and some of us can’t imagine an hour of our lifetime without a favorite song.

Music is something we aspire to. It’s something that communicates emotions rather than words. It motivates us to work, rest, cook, exercise. There’s a song for everything we do. It awakes right emotions, so that we can get more motivated.

And if you belong to that type of people, who like to sing about their emotions, you’re probably a potential songwriter. It may seem that if you have an ear for music and a poetic talent, it would be super easy for you to right a hit song.

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How To Write A Hit: 5 Psychological Tricks

When you’re sitting down at the piano or the guitar and getting ready to write a new song, it’s often difficult to know where to start. If you watch interviews with well-known songwriters, you start to notice that half of them have no idea how they do it. They just sit down at their instrument and see what happens.

It’s true that there’s an art to songwriting, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no room for science. In fact, people are constantly carrying out research to try to identify what makes a song successful, with the idea being that if they can identify what works and what doesn’t, they can do more of the former and less of the latter.

With that in mind, we’ve put in the research for you and compiled five of the most effective psychological tricks to help you to write a crazy hit song. Let’s go.

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Q2 Hit Songwriting Trends

Hit Songs Deconstructed recently released its Top 10 Hit Songwriting Trend Report, which details the compositional trends of the songs that chart in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 during a specific quarter across 28+ categories, including song length, genres and influences, instruments, first chorus occurrence, tempo, key and more.

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5 Out-Of-The-Box Ways To Hone Your Songwriting Craft

By Rorie Kelly, Co-Executive Director of GoGirlsMusic.com

It can be tough to find time to sit down and write songs with all the career-building tasks musicians have these days. On top of that, switching gears is hard and writers’ block is real. What do we do when we’re no longer beginners but we still want to grow, or need to rekindle that love affair with musicmaking? For those who are sick of the usual advice, here are five out-of-the-box ways to hone your songwriting craft.

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The Top Five Things Every Singer/Songwriter Is Doing That Need To Be Fixed

There are at least a hundred ways for every singer/songwriter to improve his or her chances of success, but these are the five I already know that need to be addressed without even seeing your show. They are inherent the performance of virtually all aspiring (and sadly many seasoned) singer/songwriters.

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4 Ways to Spark Inspiration And Break Through Writer’s Block

When you write for a living, every now and then you will fall into that infuriating slump known as writer’s block. Writer’s block isn’t only for authors or bloggers; musicians can also find themselves lacking words and inspiration.

Inspiration doesn’t always easily fall into your lap, and sometimes you have to seek it or recognize it in different ways. Next time you find yourself lacking the words you’re looking for, try one of these solutions to spark that next song.

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Why It Is Important To Keep Your Songwriting Clean And Basic For Your Listeners

In creating songs, one of the best things you can do is to keep your songwriting as simple as possible. Keeping it simple does not mean lightweight or nonsensical or adding a lot of fluff, it simply means maintaining clarity so that your listeners don’t have to be doing mental gymnastics to keep up.

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3 Memorable Tips For Writing A Chorus

In any song, the chorus is often the part most anticipated by the listener. However, it is also one of the most difficult parts of a song to compose for many songwriters, as it has to sound just right to complement the rest of the song, while at the same time leave a lasting effect on the listener.

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Six Steps To Successful Songwriting: 45 Tips From 45 Famous Songwriters (And One Not So Famous)

My ongoing music blog has carried the overarching moniker of IT ALL STARTS WITH THE MUSIC for some time now. It’s a lofty notion, touched with just the right amount of vagueness to seem proverbial.

 Recently, however, I’ve had to take that notion off the shelf and boil it down to its granular form. The result? It actually all starts with the song. Music is a wonderful thing, granted, but what really brings the emotional reaction home to us all is THE SONG. Music is way too general a term and it’s incredibly subjective; but a great song is a great song. There are thousands of talented musicians and composers in Santa Monica alone making great (OK, maybe just good) music, but only a handful of great songwriters.

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Five Things To Consider When Launching A New Single

Ready for the world to hear to hear your brand new track after spending hours in the studio recording it? Not sure exactly how to go about it? You’re not alone! Understanding the moving parts behind a release is half of the battle, and we’re here to help. Let’s honour the time you spent toiling over the tracking process and do this right. This checklist is meant to be used as a resource as you plan your next single release.

So how can you successfully launch your new single into the ether and ensure maximum impact?

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