Graham English
Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
TextMate is my second favorite app right behind Logic Studio. I’ve written about my TextMate love affair a lot. In this tutorial, I wanted to share how I use TextMate to write and analyze lyrics, including tips for finding the perfect rhyme and spotlighting important ideas.
Here’s some recent podcasts from around the web that I’ve been inspired by musically. Read on…
Loading ...Make 2008 the year you master songwriting like a Samurai masters his sword! Download Samurai Songwriting issues 1 and 2 PLUS the John Lennon Hit Songwriting two-part telesminar for one super low price. Read on…
In preparation for my 2008 song-a-week project, I wanted some numbers to give me an idea of how much writing I would need to do. Using the 80/20 rule, here is what I came up with.
2007 was the year of social networking. Twitter occupied most of time which led to much less blogging. But 2007 was not without its controversies and celebrations. Read on…
Here’s an exercise I love to do when I need inspiration for song titles. If nothing’s coming naturally, this trick can really get the creative juices flowing. Even if I end up using nothing that I come up with, I find that within a day or two, one of my ideas will trigger something completely different, usable, and inspiring.
Along the same lines as the Thom Yorke interview, David Byrne lays out the “Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars.”
If you don’t already write songs regularly, then it’s safe to say that you don’t yet have a songwriting habit. Because if you did, you would feel compelled to write songs every day and perhaps all day long.
If you’re a writer, of course you know what the word metaphor means. But you might not know that the word was first introduced in the year 1447 with the book The Ordinal of Alchemy by Thomas Norton. Alchemists, because of the forbidden tradition of writing down spells and secrets of their art, had to be obscure when transmitting their esoteric knowledge to prime pupils. Thus, the term metaphor was born.
Andrea Stolpe, an award-winning songwriter who has penned songs for top artists like Faith Hill. Andrea graciously shares some of her new and original songwriting techniques from her new book, Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling
Andrea Stolpe, an award winning songwriter with writing credits for top artists like Faith Hill, shares some powerful and unique songwriting tips from her new book, Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling.
It’s time to dig into the second issue of Samurai Songwriting. If you’re not a subscriber, join now. If you want to purchase just this issue, you can do that here:
1. Select your country
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Here’s what we cover in this issue:
The Samurai Songwriter Code. How [...]
If you’re interested in subscribing to Samurai Songwriting, today is the best day to do it. Tomorrow, Issue 2 will be released and if you subscribe now, you’ll have access to both Issue 1 and Issue 2. After tomorrow, Issue 1 will cost extra.
So if you want great songwriting advice from Academy award winning songwriter, [...]
Topics covered: Advice to developing songwriters, the art and craft of songwriting, strategies for writing hooks and melodies, a 7-step process to writing hit songs, and much more.
At this moment, you’re just a $20 click away from discovering the Hit Songwriting Secrets of John Lennon… even if you’re starting from scratch.
I’m finding more and more that what stops songwriters from finishing songs isn’t a lack of good ideas but a misdirection of songwriting focus. Based on the comments I receive, musicians are spending more time on tasks that do little to move the song closer to completion.
For example, if you just spent 15 minutes on [...]
One of the most common challenges I hear about songwriting is not knowing where to begin. With the lyrics? With the music? Or something completely different? It’s a rather simple challenge to find a solution to, really.
Start with a single note or single word
Play a single random note and just listen to your imagination. Does [...]
If you plan on being a great lyricist, you need to spend considerable time studying the master songwriters who came before you. Think about it. Who’s going to make a better Chef? Someone who has only tasted his own cooking or someone who has eaten at many different 5-star restaurants?
There’s a quick and easy way [...]
I’m not surprised the Dixie Chicks dominated the 49th Annual Grammys. Just take a look at the lyrics to their hit, Not Ready To Make Nice, vivified by a climbing melody and chord progression:
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that [...]
I’m celebrating quite a few good songs written in the past year. And I’m reflecting on how I can make 2007 an even better year for songwriting. Look for some fresh songwriting ideas in the new year and enjoy the best songwriting articles of 2006.
The Perfect Song Title – 5 Things To Remember
4 Things That [...]
about grahamI'm a songwriter and recording artist who sings, plays keyboards, and explores the vast world of sound hoping to find some magical moments along the way. I'm also a Mac geek.
The ultimate NSFW http://ff.im/-4MnOe 2 hrs ago
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