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#38 - The Fire Inside

I rarely write a lot of words before I've got a melody, but this week's piece is an exception.  So, here are my words so far (I guarantee they will be changing as a melody solidifies,) and I'm tossing around…

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#29 - Finding the Gem

Alas, I missed last week’s post.  I was up to my neck in writing a song, with a deadline, and hitting wall after wall.  The walls were my own creations — rebuttals, critiques, mountains of rejection.  Nothing I could come…

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#11 - Word Patterns in Songwriting

Just as music can be seen as a series of patterns, so can songwriting.  In fact, pre-conceived patterns are a great way to shape lyrics, and give you a template to ease the challenge of creative writing. They also lend…

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#8 - Show vs. Tell in Songwriting + Poems

For songwriting, poetry, and really for all creative writers, it's a good habit to ask yourself if you could "show" rather than "tell."  

Here are some examples:

Basic: It was hot outside. 
Descriptive: My shoe soles melted into the blacktop.

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#5 - 5 Minute Song Start

I don’t read music, and I know hardly anything about music theory.  But, I understand music, and I bet you do, too. 

So, if you’re wondering if or how you can write a song, I invite you first to just…

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#3 - Songwriting Background

How to commence a series of articles on songwriting and performing? I think I’ll start it out with a little background. 

     I grew up in the mountains of eastern Shasta County CA — a remote community where neighbors were spread…

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#2 - Quarantine

Here's a new song, Quarantine. I think it's not quite done, so maybe after I do more work on it, like sort out my singing, arranging, and a possible bridge, I'll repost an improved version.  For now, here you go…

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