Songwriting Tip: Spicing Up Chords

There are a limited number of notes available in the Western musical scale. Twelve tones, repeated in octaves in a finitely audible spectrum; below and above a certain range, the human ear can no longer perceive them. What this means for us, as songwriters, is that we only have a certain number of colors on […]

Songwriting Tip: Rhyme Worksheet

You’ve gotten to the point now where your songs are starting to take shape; now it’s time to start writing the lyrics. If you’re writing any type of popular music- rock, folk, rap, etc.- you’re probably going to want the words to rhyme, right? Okay, cool. There are some people who actually prefer to start […]

Songwriting Tip: Stream of Consciousness Album Writing

Just like any other creative skill, a lot of songwriting is just about keeping the gears greased. With the way modern music is made, this can be a difficult practice to enforce. There are few tried and true methods that have worked for me, and one of them is Stream of Consciousness Album writing. The […]

Understanding The Circle of Fifths

Fifths are your friend. You’ve probably heard by now that there are 12 tones in the Western musical scale. It’s the kind of stuff we musicians talk about when civilians are out of earshot, so as not to divulge our secrets. I kid; but at some point, you’ve probably become accustomed to the way that the notes […]

Pro Tools Lesson: Setting Up a Great Vocal Chain

It’s time to talk about how to get a professional vocal sound, using plug-ins in Pro Tools. With so many options, it’s hard to know what’s necessary, and what’s excess. It’s important to experiment and try new things when you’re recording a song, but there are a few basic tools you’ll want to get familiar with, […]