Songwriting in a Capitalist Environment

If you have ever worked as a songwriter in a city like Nashville or Los Angeles, then you are familiar with how typical capitalist structures have impacted the creative experience. Daily sessions are customary. Songwriters churn out hundreds of songs that are thrown into the waste bin each year. Nashville writers in particular often work until 5pm, a sharp cutoff. Christmas vacation extends from December into the first week of January or later until everyone comes back to do it all again. A 9 to 5 worker mentality is just as common in songwriting as it is in other industries.

This type of routine can be beneficial to a songwriter or artist, especially when they’re just starting to sharpen their craft. But, over time, this type of work schedule can drain us of inspiration. Like most workers in Western Capitalist society, songwriters are prone to burnout and work-based exhaustion. These feelings can induce writer’s block and make us feel negatively about our output. We might even question our capabilities if we can not able to churn out songs like a machine.

After years of reflection, I can confidently say that these norms need to be reevaluated. An American work ethic and the act of creation are not always good bedfellows. The creative process requires rest, relaxation, time to explore, time to think and reflect. Often times, a spark of inspiration is the culmination of many hours spent doing literally anything besides being actively creative. Those things are hard for us to square away in a culture where we are constantly bombarded with messages about productivity.

I’m hopeful that this mentality will change. Songwriters and artists deserve the proper time and space to meditate on the messages that they want to put out into the world. I encourage you all to go easy on yourselves as you set up schedules to write. Remember that, even when you are struggling to write, you are still a writer.

Spotify Bios

I’ve been reading a lot of Spotify bios as of late. Mostly, I find them entertaining, but I also wanted to see what artists are writing about themselves. Of course, there’s plenty of legacy acts and pop superstars whose marketing teams are using the Spotify Bio space to document all the achievements of an artist up to this point. The Bios for Nina Simone and Etta James read like eulogies or obituary announcements. That said, artist bios from up and coming acts have a bit more excitement.

The Spotify Bio for newcomers is an amazing space for a future fan to make initial contact with an artist. Some fans will migrate to us from TikTok, some fans discover us through a friendly recommendation, and some fans will latch onto us after learning a bit about our personal history or vibe. Think of your Spotify bio as another place on the internet where fans can be actively captured.

The bio for artist Remi Wolf stands out in a sea of lackluster bio writing. Whether it was written by her or a label suit (more likely) is unclear, but it does ring through with her voice. Her music is ecstatic and eclectic making use of funky guitar and belted vocals. The bio’s lang verbiage - “Remi Wolf is a crazy bih” - and outright lies - “Remi also occasionally hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show” - impart a sense of chaotic humor that runs through her songs. The bio reinforces the character of the artist and makes for a rip roaring good read.

Joy Oladokun’s bio manages to accomplish a similar feat. From a 1st person perspective, Oladokun narrates highlights from her life: “I’m currently trying to amass a pretty impressive arsenal of pokemon” and “I live in Nashville with my girlfriend and my dog.” Whereas Wolf opts for chaotic untruths, Oladokun’s bio pulls us into a space of intimacy with disparate details about her life. Again, the bio reflects the nature of the art we are actively consuming. Oladokun’s songs provide a space where her audience feels deeply connected to the artist’s personal story just like the bio.

My big takeaway from these artist bios is that the tone matters. When you’re reading a long five paragraph summation of someone’s career, you kind of lose interest. When you’re reading something that feels direct from the artist that reflects the music you’re hearing, you really feel like the bio increases your intimacy with the artist in question. I think these are things worth thinking about as you go and pen your own artist bio.

Modern Marvels: Voice Memos

Songwriters have never been able to stockpile ideas like they have in the past 10 years. iPhone voice memos let us record fleeting melodies and chord progressions in spurts and starts. Notes apps on smart phones permit songwriters to make lists and lists of titles and concepts and stories. The creative process for so many of us has been forever changed by this development. We can both record with a sense of immediacy and then access those ideas just as quickly.

It can be overwhelming to imagine the creative process of musicians hundreds of years ago. Relying on sheet music by candle light in order to document work must have been exhausting. Lacking any way to immediately record an idea that came to you on a walk away from the piano must have been an anxiety inducing experience. Who knows, maybe the ephemerality of inspiration - its appearance and sudden disappearance - didn’t bother centuries old creators. Still, when I think of the past, I’m thankful for how easy we have it.

Sessions can run so smoothly because of the ways in which writers are able to prepare. In the absence of immediate inspiration, we can all reach into our backlogs of quips and phrases to try to get the ball rolling. We might pull something from years ago in order to write a good song today. The immediate accessibility of our creative archives, resting in our pockets, can stymie the forces of writer’s block and set loose our creative spirits. Indeed, every recorded note and an idea is an act of preparation for a future moment of creativity.

The efficiency of it all is exhilarating. The writing process has never been as efficacious. These technological developments serve us, especially when we’re in sessions on a regular basis. These are things that most of us take for granted everyday. I just wanted to remind you of how wonderful these modern marvels really are.

Verbal Agreements

At the dawn of our careers, we often don’t have easily accessible legal counsel. In the absence of lawyers to make hard wired contracts, we might fall back on verbal agreements with peers: “I’ll do production in exchange for half of the master” or something of that ilk. Verbal agreements feel mutually binding and, more often than not, we can expect our peers to adhere to the ethical constraints of these loose contracts.

That said, without a signed agreement you risk the introduction of sticky situations. If a song pops off, one of your collaborators may refute claims of a verbal agreement and fight for a higher percentage. New team members may attempt to sideline an artist’s former creative partners and renegotiate deals made prior to an artists success. A successful song may cause an artist to dispense with master agreements entirely if they were made verbally. All that to say, you are doing yourself a disservice if you rely on verbal agreements to protect you in your career.

While I reject cynicism in favor of optimism, we cannot always rely on our collaborators to act in accordance with the verbal agreements we have set. Sometimes, they may misunderstand the terms we set out verbally. Other times, they may act more maliciously to undermine deals. Its been said to one million artists and songwriters before but I’ll repeat it here: get it in writing.

Obviously, I’d recommend getting a good music lawyer who can help you with the legalese. But, if you are not in a position where you can afford these services you still have options. Agree to publishing splits over e-mail. Draw up a rudimentary contract explaining terms. Record the verbal agreement on an iPhone notes app. Literally do anything you can to have a recorded version of events. Doing so will ensure a certain degree of safety and hopefully stave on sticky situations that could interfere with your creative relationships.

A Meditation on Storytelling

Cave paintings of ancient megafauna, pictorial hieroglyphics in Egyptian tombs, scholarly epiphanies on a paper scroll, and whispered recordings into a 21st century smart phone all reveal the same truth: humans are compelled to tell their own stories. 

I’ve recently been mystified by this reality. That we are all apart of the cacophonous chorus of human voices reaching out across space and time to pronounce our existence is a humbling experience. We are, at once, a unique voice cutting through the noise and a quiet note amidst the chaos. 

Like generations and generations that have come before us we are called to meditate on the way we live, the way we love, the way we laugh, the way we grieve, the way we experience this gut-wrenching, heartwarming, thing we call life. Each time we put pen to paper or breath to microphone we are taking part in a great tradition. 

The connections we form can be small or many, known and unknown. That a Greek bard would have his words written onto paper and read by students a continent away is miraculous. That a song you shared with your friends made them burst into tears is miraculous too. We are all bleeding hearts desperate for stories that make us say “How did you know exactly what I was feeling?”

When you get discouraged - unable to continue your artistic pursuits - remember this: there is no telling how far your song and your story might travel. You may live to experience the impact or the impact may be generations away. It is not your job to decide. It is simply your duty to keep telling your story. 

Content Creation

Look, I know that most artists and songwriters do not want to be “content creators.” I have heard scores of wordsmiths and melody junkies decry the hold that social media giants have on us. I too lambast Silicon Valley’s contributions to our collective obsession with being chronically online. I get it. Trust me. 

No really, trust me. 

That said, I’m going to join the chorus of music industry professionals and say this: suck it up. Whether we like it or not, content creation and audience acquisition go hand-in-hand these days. For the indie artist or songwriter trying to build a reputation, your social media profiles are your calling card. Partially, that’s due to the ways in which social media now allow us to build out our niche audience. The other part is that music business execs of today either don’t have the funding, skill, or expertise to build an artist from the ground up - you wouldn’t believe how many signed artists have reported that their marketing teams strategy is just to post to TikTok. 

That said, when your tools and a signed artist’s tools are the same, you’re at a bit of an advantage. So, here’s some easy habits you can form to be a better “content creator” in addition to being a great songwriter or artist. 

1. Post a TikTok once a day that uses a trending hashtag or sound. You want to high engagement and this is an easy way to get it.

2. Repost those TikTok’s to YouTube and/or Instagram Reels. Luckily, you can recycle the same content for different feeds.

3. Prioritize Instagram stories. This is an easy way to remind your audience that you exist and stories often have a high engagement rate.

4. Schedule in times to post to Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. If you can make content creation a routine then it won’t feel so burdensome.

5. Remind yourself that content creation is a part of your job. It can be discouraging to watch post regularly when all you want to do is make music. But, just remember that everyone has parts of their jobs that they hate and, maybe, this is one of yours.

Artists! Songwriters! I’m sorry that you have to spend so much time on the internet. And, I’m sorry that so many music execs have abdicated the responsibility of growing an artist from the floor up. Don’t get discouraged. I know that you can be a prolific content creator in addition to being an exceptional songwriter.

Learning to Hear

As songwriters, our two most important gifts are our voices and our ears. I’ve spoken often about the need for songwriters to get singing teacher in order to refine their technique and learn to communicate effectively across a recording. Today, I’d like to focus in on how we can all learn to hear a bit more precisely. The benefits of learning to hear are as follows: identification of instruments in a track, better ability to communicate with your producer when they have not executed your vision properly, and a greater knowledge about what makes your favorite songs tick. 

In order to identify what analog instruments are used in a track, I advise you to watch YouTube videos of live jazz bands performing. As the these performances unfold, you’ll watch as clarinetists, saxophonists, and piano players perform solos. While watching, take note of the timbre of the instruments and the octaves that various instruments are able to reach. This practice will help you develop a visual representation of what analog instruments sound like. 

If you are not already a producer, I highly recommend watching production tutorial videos next. YouTube “production experts” will elucidate matters of EQ, compression, torment shifts, reverb and other plug-ins. These tutorials can help you identify when high frequencies are getting erased from a track or whether a vocal has been given a “dry” or “wet” treatment. Learning the jargon will help you be a better communicator with your producers. 

Once you develop a better sense of analog instruments and production jargon, I want you to go back to your favorite records and listen with the intention of pinpointing what specifically is making the record tic. Is there panning? Are there real strings or fake strings? Is there an overly compressed vocal? Identifying what makes your favorite records work will allow you to use similar strategies in your own work. 

Listening is a practice. It is one that can give you a greater vocabulary and a better understanding of how to produce records that you will love and cherish in the years to come. Make listening a priority. 

Plosive Alliteration

Let’s kick off the year with this challenge: Write a song that utilizes plosive alliteration. 

Plosive alliteration is a fancy compound word that’s pretty easy to understand if you’re familiar with the parts of its sum. A “plosive” is a consonant formed by stopping the airflow in your mouth; think of the letters “b” or “p” - they are plosive consonants. Alliteration is the stringing together of words that begin with the same sound - “what a wonderful world” for instance. Plosive alliteration then is the stringing together of words that begin with plosive consonants.

Pop music is littered with examples of plosive alliteration.  You can hear it in Cardi B’s “Up” in the following lyric: “Big Bag Bussin Out The Bentley Bentayga/ Man Balenciaga Bardi Back And All These Bitches ****Ed.” You can hear it in Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”: “Paved paradise/Put in a parking lot.” Millennial songwriting queen Taylor Swift employs plosive alliteration in her 2014 smash “Bad Blood” when she annunciates the titular lyric: “Baby now we got bad blood.” 

I want you to practice saying those lines. Feel the way that your lips curls when forming the consonants. Take note of the air pressing against your closed lips as you try to force out b’s and p’s. What else do you notice? 

When I recite these lines I feel the driving force of the b and p consonant. There’s intention and urgency to a plosive that other consonants don’t possess. You can inscribe them with consternation and anger or project cocky bravado onto them. They chop up lyrics and cut through a well-produced song with the precision of a chef’s blade. All hail the plain and perfect plosive. 

This week I’d like you to add lines of plosive alliteration into the chorus of one of your songs. Discover the way in which this very specific concept can heighten the emotional intensity of your song craft. Let this be another tool in your songwriting tool kit and let it be one that you revisit often.

A Note about 2022

New Year. New Me. That colloquialism has been repeated over and over again such that its turned into a cliché. And, as songwriters, we know that a cliché can be an extremely powerful device - a universally understood turn of phrase is one of Earth’s many wonders. 

That said, this year is not about reinvention for me. Instead, I’d like to offer a riff on the old adage: New Year. More Of the Me I’ve Been Making. 

I feel established in my many pursuits and I simply want to continue growing in the direction that I’ve been growing. I want to continue hosting retreats with sublime songwriters. Waking up early to exercise and set my body in motion will remain a cornerstone of my daily schedule. I wish to see an increase in outlets for the music industry community I’ve gotten so much joy from building. I will not become a new me but a further crystalized version of the self I’ve bee becoming. 

Indeed, the power of the New Year is that it allows us to establish our intention for the oncoming 365 days. Though I admit that you can shift direction at anytime, the collective imagination set resolutions in the pursuit of new goals  at the beginning of the year making it a particularly potent time for reassessment and redirection. If this is something you need, I hope you’ve taken time to pause, reflect, and write down some goals to guide you in the year 2022.

I know that the last two years have been tough on all of us: an unwavering global pandemic and a staggering amount of loss have made sure of that. Still, I choose optimism this year. That we can overcome it remains a certainty in mind. I am hopeful that communal ties that may have been damaged over the past two years can be repaired and that we, as a community, will get to come together once more. Selfishly, I hope to see you soon.

Judy Stakee

Goal Setting in the New Year

In a frequently cited study from psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews, those who wrote down their goals on a daily basis were 42% more likely to achieve them. The achievement gap here speaks for itself. That’s why I believe that, before walking into the New Year, you should write down your goals.

More specifically, SMART goals are the type of goals you need to be setting. “SMART” here works as both an adjective and, more importantly, as an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. The goals you set should fall within these parameters.

Specific goals answer the question “What do I want to accomplish.” Measurable goals answer the questions “How much” or “How many?” Achievable goals answer the question “How will i achieve this goal?” Relevant goals answer the question “Does this seem worthwhile” or “Will this help propel my career forward?” Timely goals answer the questions “How quickly can I get this done?”

I encourage you to think deeply about what you want to achieve. Then, use these questions to help you craft a plan around pursuing that goal relentlessly. These clarifying questions will help you write down the SMARTest goals possible.

Reader, I believe in the power of manifestation. Writing down SMART goals is part of that practice. As you walk into the New Year, I am hopeful that you can write out a list of clear-eyed goals that will guide you throughout the following 365 days.

Happy New Year,

Judy Stakee

All I Want For Christmas Is You

Happy Holidays! At this point in the season, you have probably listened to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” no less than 10,000 times. Even still, the song feels as fresh as the first time you listened to it! Because Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic has dominated our ear space every December for the past 25 years, it has amassed quite a bit of scholarly writing about. I’d love to pass the mic today to those who have studied this song and let you all read what they have to say! Enjoy.

Firstly, listen as Mariah Carey tells the story of her classic song for Amazon Music: Watch here.

For People Magazine, Alex Heigel recorded the origin story of the song from the perspective of Walter Afanasieff, Carey’s co-writer on the song: Read Here.

Despite being initially released in 1994, the song reached number 1 for the first time in 2019. Joe Coscarelli of the New York Times documents that long journey: Read Here.

Vox did a music theory analysis of the song in 2016, dissecting what gives the song that “Christmas-y” feeling and considering it in the context of the American Christmas music oeuvre: Watch Here.

For more analysis, you can listen to Rob Harvilla and Kyla Marshall consider the song within the context of 90’s music. Listen Here.

I hope that these videos, interviews, and podcasts can help you better understand the history and theory around one of the biggest songs to ever exist. And I hope that you have an incredible holiday season!

Wishing you well,

Judy Stakee

Songwriting Theory II: Hooks

Hooks! Hooks! Hooks! The people love their hooks. A hook is any element of a song that grabs people’s attention. Usually, a quick melodic motif that repeats throughout the song. In an attention economy like ours, it can be a great idea to incorporate a litany of hooks. Let’s look at Ariana Grande’s Thank U Next to understand the value of a variety of hooks.

One of my favorite hook tricks from Thank U, Next is the book-ended instrumental hook. Within in the first second of the song, you get an engaging synthesizer hook. It sets the tone of bittersweet melancholia that runs throughout the song. The hook repeats and repeats under the lead line but this initial exposure does a lot to capture attention. The exposed repetition of the hook with a different synthesizer in a higher register at the end of the song suggests that the narrator has moved to a different place. It is through this change in octave and book-ended placement that we get a sense of resolution.

The chorus itself is stacked with vocal hooks. Ariana’s first hook is a repetitive chanting. The lyrics “thank you next” are delivered with layered vocals giving us the impression that she is both communicating the idea for herself while being uplifted by others around her. It is immediately identifiable, in other words, you can sing this back on the first listen. We are then hooked by the 4th line of the chorus which hooks us in again with a descending melody and a curse word, “i’m so fucking greatful for my ex.” The rejection of a scorned lover break-up narrative into one of bittersweet understanding helps give this song its signature edge.

The second pre-chorus shows us the ways in which background vocals can provide us with layered hooks. Tiny chants of “yeah yeahs” are interspersed between Ariana’s lines. You can make out that the voices here are not her own. The hooks work to fill space and suggest that Ariana is, once again, being supported by a bigger crowd.

In the 2nd chorus and 3rd chorus we have quick post-choruses which repeat the title of the song. Once again “thank u next” makes an appearance, but this time with a different melody. We are captured yet again by a sticky melodic line without having to digest new lyrical information. This is an excellent strategy in a song with verses that demand a lot of engagement from the listener. These hooks create space between sections that, while equally pleasing, require more effort.

I’m amazed by this song every time I listen to it. It is truly A+ song craft. Ariana’s entire discography is a lesson in a hook writing but this song stands apart from the rest. I highly recommend listening to it. There’s one or two hooks I might not have mentioned! See if you can find out what they are.

Songwriting Theory I: RPM

The basic theoretical underpinnings of songwriting are quite easy to learn. Because we have all been exposed to pop music from an early age, there’s a lot we inherently understand even if we don’t have the jargon to describe what we hear. I want to change that with a series of blogs about Songwriting Theory. My hope is that you can walk away from these blogs with the language to describe how songs are written.

Today, we’ll be talking about RPM, which is an acronym for Rhythm, Phrasing, and Melody. The theory is quite simple: each section of your song should have its own distinct rhythmic cadence, melodic arc, and vocal phrasing. If your verse is a staccato, one point melody with breathy phrasing that uses quarter notes, then your chorus should act as a counterpoint, perhaps with lagotto, multi-note melodies, delivered in a belt. The idea here is to create differentiation within a single song in order to maintain a listener’s attention.

Let’s look at Taylor Swift’s Blank Space for reference. In Taylor’s verse we have an AB + C melodic structure, the A end of the melody pulses in staccato on a single note while the B melody is a multi-note glide. The juxtaposition of the rhythms and melodies are designed for intrigue. The C part of Taylor’s verse repeats a single rhythmic cadence 6 times in quick succession with an ascending melody. It works in concert with the AB parts, acting almost like a pre-chorus. Before the chorus lands, Taylor makes a quick departure with a spoken word, rap-like lyric “I can make the bad guys good for a weekend.”

As we can tell, there’s a lot of variation within the verse itself. Departures in rhythmic and melodic choice are doing a lot of heavy lifting. But, by the end of the verse, it is the phrasing choice that draws us back in. Taylor masterfully uses RPM here to keep us captivated.

The chorus melody returning to a one note, punchy melody and rhythmic choice. In order to decisively differentiate the verse from the chorus, Swift connects her phrasing. The notes are not so accented, but rather blend into each other. Mid-chorus, the shouted phrasing “and you love the game,” resets our ears as we enter the B chorus which essentially mirrors the A part of the chorus melodically and rhythmically. You can hear that, at this point, the producer has wisely chosen to layer in harmonies. This choice keeps us engaged.

Our bridge rejects the strategies of the song’s former section. Instead of variety, Swift chooses repetition. She uses the same descending melody and lyric twice. The listener has already been required to engage with so much variety, that the bridge is almost a reprieve. Layered harmonies once again create a sense of evolution throughout the bridge.

As you can probably guess, all songwriters apply the theory of RPM differently in their work. But, the principles are essential for anyone hoping to make a three minute experience captivating for their listening. As you go into this week’s sessions, I hope that you’ll think deeply about the sections of your songs are working in concert with each other to create a sense of intrigue.

5 Writing Prompts

1) Write a song with a one word chorus. As songwriters, we often want to squeeze in as many words as possible to get our stories across. Sometimes, this works and other times our songs may come across as overwrought. Try on the other extreme: simplicity. Pick a single word and make it the focal point of your chorus. What happens to your song when you limit yourself so intensely?

2) Superimpose your lyrics on someone else’s melody. This can be a powerful exercise especially if you’re struggling with writer’s block because half the song is already written! Take a song you love and write new words for the melody that you love. How do your words change the song? Are the melodies still as potent with new words? Did you improve the song?

3) Write an argument. Persuasive writing is typically reserved for essayists. Let’s rebuff that trend. Use your song to make a cohesive argument. Try to convince your audience to side with you on an issue that you feel passionately about. In a world of love songs, stretch the boundaries of what a song can accomplish.

4) Re-write one of your old songs. This prompt should be a breeze since some version of your song already exists! Take a song you wrote in the past and ditch either the verse sections or the chorus section. Once one of these sections is cast out, try writing a better verse or better chorus. Is the song better after editing? Or was it better before you retouched it?

5) Use AAAA rhyme. Restriction can give us a strange sense of freedom in the creative process. See if this holds true when you use a single rhyme scheme. End each line with the same rhyming syllable and see if you can make something satisfying. Will this restriction give you a great song? Or will you just be able to flex on your ability to create a cohesive story with intense limitation?

Should You Get a Voice Teacher?

The short answer is yes: every songwriter and artist should have a vocal coach. Your voice is your most essential instrument and learning how to use it properly can change your game.

The number one reason you should work with a trained professional is to maintain a longevous career. Our job requires a lot of vocal usage; songwriting sessions can span hours and touring is notoriously difficult on the vocal cords. Constant use of the vocal cords with poor technique can lead to polyps and tears and, in a worst case scenario, permanent damage to the vocal cords. A vocal teacher can help you learn how to support your natural instrument with healthy technique. This will help you maintain pristine vocal cords throughout your career.

A vocal teacher can also help you refine your style. Someone with deep knowledge of diction, breath technique, and tonal placement will help you pinpoint how to deliver your songs. Singing teachers who focus on textual analysis will help you understand your own lyrics better as you identify how you want to perform them. It one thing to write a song and whole other thing to perform it. There is intimate work involved in refining a performance that is better done with the help of a skilled vocal coach.

For songwriters who have de-prioritized their vocal chops, I urge you to get a vocal coach. The health benefits are multitudinous, but a refined instrument can come in handy. If you’re writing a song to pitch to an artist, you may need to use your own voice on the demo. In that event, a better sounding voice will increase your chances of landing a cut. If your co-writer’s voice is hoarse, you may need to step in to put the melody down on the demo. Those of you with a better understanding of your own voice will find the process of cutting your vocal to be easier.

I know that a singing teacher can be quite an investment, both from a financial and time perspective. But, I firmly believe that a good vocal coach is an essential team member of any songwriter or artist.

A Writer’s Routine

A routine can transform a good writer into a great writer. Yes, fleeting moments of inspiration can lead us to some incredible song, but structure can mean the difference between a paltry few good songs and a bounty of smashes. After decades of working with writers at all skill levels, I’ve seen the way that routine can truly shift a writer’s life. So, what’re some essential activities to include in your routine? Let’s discuss!

1) Journaling. A 10 minute journaling free write at any point in the day is an excellent addition to your creative regiment. This activity demands a short burst of active participation. Grab a diary and a pen or your laptop computer and write without hesitation for a 10 minute period. This will teach you to let your creativity flow without your inner critic getting in the way. In addition, journaling will give you material from which to draw lines or ideas for future songs.

2) Exercise. Whether it’s taking a brisk walk, doing yoga in your apartment, or hitting the gym for a weight lifting session, exercise will help you center your mind. Increased circulation is always good for the brain. The healthier we are the more opportunities we will have to songwrite.

3) Set a weekly output goal. Some writers seek to write 1 song a week while others set out to write 10. Either way, it’s a smart idea to a set goal for how many songs you want to write each week. Make sure that the number is realistic and won’t induce burnout. It’s okay to not write a song everyday. However, reaching a weekly goal for total songs will help inspire confidence while allowing you to build out your catalogue.

4) Rest. Burnout is real. Stress and the feeling of being overworked act as excellent creative inhibitors. Make space in your day to recenter yourself. A pause. A walk. A nap. A single moment of reprieve can be so healing. Creativity is as much about quiet moments of introspection as it is about doing the work.

5) Writing calendar. Make time each week that is specifically dedicated to writing. Ideally, you’d be doing solo writes or co-writing three to four times a week. I’ve noticed that this level of output really helps writers build their catalogue, establish important creative partnerships, and hone their crafts. Not everyone has time in their week to do this many sessions, but don’t let that deter you from your dreams. Scheduling even one or two writing sessions a week will help you on your path.

Synch Writer Tips

There are many routes to the monetization of music. Of course, streaming and radio play can generate a substantial portion of your yearly profits, but some writers choose to focus more specifically on obtaining synchronization licenses. Sync writers craft songs that can be used by for advertisements, background music in television, or trailers for movies. The payoffs can be massive, but the rules for writing this type of music are different.

If you’re going to tackle the world of sync, you need to change your lyrical approach. Most sync hits address big themes in a vague way. Ideas about family, togetherness, money, travel, or betterment permeate the sync industry and the songs that win more syncs often tackle these themes without specificity. Sync songs avoid timestamps, names of cities, or overwrought detail. You wouldn’t write “I want three dollars in Kentucky to buy a cotton coat,” instead you might say “I want money.” The distillation of lyrical concepts to their most rudimentary version often wins the day.

Melodically, there are two approaches that can ensure success. One is to create a track that is incredibly dense with instrumental and vocal hooks. When you blanket a single song with catchy moments, a music supervisor has more options to use for a potential commercial placement. The other option is to replicate popular songs that have recently entered the cultural zeitgeist. Often times, hit songs are too expensive for advertisers to use. Instead of coughing up the big bucks, they look for cheaper imitations of the song they want to use. If your goal is to land syncs, a strong strategy is to have an ample catalogue of material that mimics that hit songs of today. That way, you can be prepared when a music supervisor asks you for a song that sounds like another song.

There are more circuitous routes to obtaining syncs. If you’re an artist putting out music and playing shows consistently, you might be approached by an advertiser who wants to commission a piece. Other times, a music supervisor might come across one of your tracks on a social media platform or playlist and reach out to inquire about using it. These are less surefire ways to obtain syncs, but they do happen.

In the past two decades as publishing money from radio has diminished, more and more writers are pursuing the sync route. Ten years ago there was little competition, now the market is more competitive. If you want to land syncs, I definitely recommend spending a few sessions a month writing intentionally for that space.

How To Find Co-Writers in the 21st Century

Songwriting - for most of us - is a team sport. Nearly all of the charting songs on Billboard are co-written and have been for decades. Heavy hitters like Adele, Katy Perry, and Drake all invest in the practice. How do you go about finding a set of co-writers that can help take you to the next level.

Well, the old avenues to finding co-writers are still available to those willing to hustle. Open mics can provide spaces for nubile writers to meet up and scope each other out before setting a co-writing date. Songwriter representatives at PROs like BMI and ASCAP still connect writers with each other. Fostering relationships with publishers can also open the door for you to meet with other more established writers if you live in a music industry town. The old ways die hard. 

That said, the new ways that have proliferated are many. Many artists and songwriters are meeting through a DM. After someone’s music online - whether its posted on Soundcloud, Spotify, or TikTok, you can easily slide into someone’s DMs and strike up a conversation. In a virtual world, you can write with anywhere in the world at any time. This type of collaboration has paved the way for new artists, songwriters, and genres to emerge. 

Another great way to find your cohort to join one of my songwriting retreats. There, you’ll be sequestered for a few days with 15-20 likeminded songwriters who are all itching to join a community of talented individuals like yourself. Writing retreats are a great place for for concentrated periods of networking and collaboration. 

Meeting your people is essential to your growth in the industry. Professionals often talk about “classes” graduating through the industry together. Katy Perry and Bonnie McKee achieved their zenith together. Billie Eillish and her brother Finneas have achieved a similar feat. Do your best to establish the songwriting connections that will inform the rest of your career. 

Songwriter Training

If you’ve arrived at this page then you are likely already on your way to becoming a refined songwriter. You have likely penned songs, co-written others, and are working towards a career in the music industry. At the end of the day, your success rests on your ability to craft a great song. To do so, YOU must be a great songwriter. Let’s discuss a few ways that you can train yourself into greatness. 

Firstly, you need to make writing songs a priority. Though everyone’s artistic output is different, most great songwriters make the act of writing a song a practice for at least a part of their artistic lives. You’ve heard the theory that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something - that same thing can said of songwriting. Prioritize the practice of writing songs. Carve out time in your schedule each week in order to do so. As you add more songs under your belt, you’ll notice your craft get better. 

In order to be a great songwriter, you need a deep understanding of how songs tick. One great way to do that is to rewrite songs you already love. Take one song and re-write a lyric for the melody that already exists. Take another song and re-write a melody for the lyrics that already exist. As you do that, try to analyze what the lyrics, melodies, and song structure are doing. Understand the ins and outs of the mechanics of your favorite songs so that you can take what you learn back into your own writing.

Once you have a few dozen songs under your belt, seek out critique from someone better than you. I offer critiquing sessions that you can book on this very website! You can also talk to other songwriters, music publishers, or representatives at your PRO. Ask them to listen to your songs and critique the penmanship. What did they like? What could be better? Do they think you’ve improved? Take everyone’s advice with a grain of salt and reapply it to your work when you write again. See what works for you and what doesn’t. 

These are just a few things that you can do to train yourself into greatness: write regularly, rewrite your favorite songs, and seek advice from a trusted guide. As you repeat these tasks you’ll feel your skills sharpen and end up writing more good songs than bad ones. Don’t be discouraged as you progress on your path. Remember that it takes work to get better and that everyone, especially you, is capable of it.  

Chorus Tips and Tricks

The chorus. The word is both the songwriting jargon we use to identify a certain part of a song and the crowd we hope will sing it back to us. In order for us to amass a crowd singing us back the songs we write, we must first master the art of writing the chorus. It is nearly always the most important part of the song so we want to make sure that we are doing it write….I mean right!

Have you ever heard the phrase “melody is king”? Well that phrase is particularly true when we’ve discussing the chorus. Your chorus melody should be something catchy that a non-singer could easily sing back to you. You want to engage the audience listening through their car speakers or headphones with something they can remember after the first time they hear the song. Crafting a melody that sits at the highest notes of the songs can help differentiate a chorus from a verse and signal to the listener that they are in chorus land. Repetition can play a huge part in making a compelling chorus as well. I’m not talking about the repetition of the chorus itself - which will inevitably reoccur within a song. I’m instead talking about repeating short melodies within a single chorus in order to drive home a strong melodic motif. Using any of these little melody writing tips will help you craft a grate chorus. 

Lyrically, the chorus is the part of the song that should feel the most general. You’re attempting to drive at some sort of universal truth. Verses are where you can tackle the specifics of the story you’re trying to tell - date, time, place, sequence of events. The chorus should be where you try and communicate an overall lyrical theme - I love you, I hate you, I look amazing, this party sucks. Stick to words that honestly communicate the emotion of a song or feel like a tag line that someone could add to an instagram post and you might just hit the nail on the head. 

Overall, your chorus should be simple and catchy, both melodically and lyrically. Remember that the chorus has multiple functions: hook your listener, communicate the main theme of the song, and create a catchy moment that the listener can remember immediately after a first listen. The success of your song hinges on the chorus - especially if you want a chorus to sing it back at you.