Just about all of the books on songwriting out there today will tell you that they key to becoming a better songwriter is to write more.  While I do agree that the more you write, the more comfortable you will be with it, writing is only 50% of songwriting.  That's right, one of the biggest myths about songwriting is that people always tend to think they need to focus on writing more than anything else.  And that is where they ignore the other 50%.

So what is the other 50%?  To become a better songwriter, you need to concentrate on two things: Writing and Listening.  What many people don't realize is that listening is just as important as writing because it helps you understand how music works.  And that understanding is the real key to writing better songs.

Let me show you what I mean.  First, think of your favorite song.  Now think of why you like that song so much.  Is it so catchy that you can't stop singing it?  Does it remind you of a personal experience or time period in your life?  Does it motivate you to feel strong and inspired, does it make you feel like crying, or does it just make you want to dance until your feet fall off?  No matter what the reason, there is something in that song that causes you to feel some kind of an  emotion.  And in order to write songs that generate that level of emotion in others, you must first understand why music moves us.

Here's an example:  One of my all time favorite songs is "Livin' On a Prayer" by Bon Jovi (written by J. Bon Jovi/R. Sambora/D. Child).  When that song first came out, I wanted to hear it over and over again, even though at that point, I really didn't understand why yet.  I just knew there was something about it that triggered something in me.  It made me feel energized and psyched up.  I wanted to sing along with it, tap my foot, run around the living room pretending I was a rock star, etc.

When I eventually started writing, I went back to take a closer look at it.  I wanted to figure out exactly what it was about the song that made me feel that way and why.   So I asked myself which part of the song drew me in the most.  The answer- the pre chorus.  When they started singing "hold on to what we've got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not...", it was as if someone turned on a light switch and it took me to a totally different place.   After figuring that much out, I looked closer at what was happening there.  They went to a C chord from an E minor (which is what the verse is primarily made up of).  That didn't seem so unusual so it had to be something more.  Then I listened, this time more carefully to all of the instruments.  What I discovered was that as soon as it went to the pre chorus, the keyboard started playing quarter notes of 'G'.   If you have that song, play it, and you'll hear what I'm talking about, just listen for the keyboard part.  Those notes were the ones that caused my emotional response and thus I started to slowly understand how music really worked.

I used my newfound discovery to break it down even further so that I could incorporate that emotion in my songs, in a slightly different way of course.  Looking at it closely, the note that was played over and over again on the keyboards was a 'G'.  That 'G' was the fifth of the chord that started the pre chorus (the C chord).  So, I always remembered that, and years later, I used a similar technique in one of my songs, "Just Tell the Truth". Now obviously "Livin' On a Prayer" is a completely different song, but I was able to use a technique that I learned by listening carefully.

And the best part is that you can do that with any song.  Go ahead, try it.  Think of a song that moves you, then concentrate on what specifically it is about that song that evokes your strongest emotional response.  Then break it down so you can figure out what's going on with every instrument in the song during that part.   Focusing on each part individually will reveal to you what technique is being used.

That's one of the biggest secrets of songwriting and if you ask me, not enough writers today pay close enough attention to what makes music work by listening, really listening.

The reason why I stress listening to other songs so much is because understanding how they work will make writing so much easier for you.   Songwriting is an art.  It's like painting a picture except we use words and music instead of colors.  And just like with painting, the more colors you have to work with, the more effective you will be.

Songs are like different colors and each time you can learn something from one of them, you pick up a new color.  So the more songs you expose yourself to, the more techniques you will know, and the more colors you'll have in your "paint palette."  Now when you go to write your songs, instead of trying to come up with ideas out of nowhere, you'll have a variety of colors to work with and that will make writing a lot easier and much more fun.

So to recap- the more songs you listen to, the more techniques you will , the easier it will be for you to write because you will have many more options as you create your "masterpiece"!

Everyone's palette will be different based on their influences and inspirations.  So it's up to you to create your own uniques palette of songs that will work best for you.  On the left, you'll see a list of songs that I'll use as examples.  Just click on each song and you'll see how I break it down to reveal to you what techniques they use.

I'll be adding new songs to the list each week based on your requests.  So just let me know which ones you want to see and I'll include them!

And as always, I'm here to help you, so if you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime.  Thanks!

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