Archive for September, 2006

Group Project: Songwriting Tips

By Don • Sep 30th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration, Site News, Songwriting Advice, Songwriting Resources, Songwriting Tips, Songwriting Tools

Who’s up for a group songwriting project?
Some readers have emailed me songwriting tips, but don’t really want to contribute a whole article to Blogging Muses. So, more than one reader has suggested putting together a repository of songwriting tips from the Blogging Muses readers.
Great idea! So I spent last night putting together a little […]



Songwriting Newsletter

By Don • Sep 28th, 2006 • Category: Site News

A couple of weeks ago I quietly added a newsletter subscription box on the right hand side of this page. Several readers have asked if I would provide a newsletter to let them know when new articles are posted on the site because they aren’t really RSS people. Others wanted more specifics on just how […]



The best of your songwriting comments on Blogging Muses in September

By Don • Sep 28th, 2006 • Category: Site News, Songwriting News

XTernal2006 thinks more people prefer complex songs to simple ones:
I don’t really agree with the fact that it’s stated that listeners would (all?)prefer simple songs they can remember easily. I personaly prefer more complex melodies and chord progressions.
The more music you hear, the more complexity I like. Music is like math…simple songs get too predictable […]



Two “cultural icon” songwriters pass

By Don • Sep 27th, 2006 • Category: Songwriting News

There is some great background on the following songwriters who passed away over the last week or so in these articles:

Songwriter Paul Vance, who earned pop culture immortality with the 1960 smash about a bashful bather, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” has died. He was 68.
Did he make a lot of […]



Songwriters, Get Out Of Town (Part II)

By Ryan Galloway • Sep 27th, 2006 • Category: Songwriting Advice, Songwriting Articles

(From contributing blogger Ryan Galloway)
I recently read a blog by Don Mak about setting up an “open mike tour.”
“Great idea!” I thought. But being constantly on the road as a management consultant, I believed I would never have a chance to try it.
Then I started poking around on www.OpenMikes.org, the site that Don […]



Capturing Song Ideas Roundup

By Don • Sep 26th, 2006 • Category: Songwriting Tips

Here you go - every article on how to capture songwriting ideas:



Songwriting News: Mason Jennings, Badly Drawn Boy, Toby Keith, and more.

By Don • Sep 25th, 2006 • Category: Songwriting News

I don’t usually post back-to-back collections of news links, but this weekend had a lot of songwriting news. Figured I would share. Enjoy!
Mason Jennings. BlogCritics review Mason Jennings latest album Boneclouds:
In his sixth release, Boneclouds, Jennings’ words have a way of wrapping themselves around your nerves and stifling them in each of the ten slow, […]



Weekend Songwriting News: M. Ward, Kaki King, Charlotte Martin, Finding Your Voice, and more …

By Don • Sep 22nd, 2006 • Category: Songwriting News

Associated Content has published an article called Finding Your Voice As A Songwriter. While nothing new, it does emphasize some important points.
Charlotte Martin on her new singer-songwriter angle:
This collection finds Martin taking a decidedly different musical path than on her past albums and EPs, and she is wondering aloud this morning how her audience will […]



Session 1 of John Lennon Songwriting Contest Winners Announced

By Don • Sep 22nd, 2006 • Category: Songwriting Contests

On September 1st, the finalists of Session 1 were announced. You can see the complete list here.
According to the site:
Winners will receive EMI Publishing Contracts, Studio Equipment from Brian Moore Guitars, Roland/Edirol and Audio-Technica, 1,000 CDs in full color with premium 6-panel Digipaks courtesy of Disc Makers, and gift certificates from . One entrant wil […]



Songwriter John Barlow Jarvis on NashvilleHype!

By Paul • Sep 21st, 2006 • Category: Site News

Our sister site NashvilleHype! has an excellent and Exclusive Interview with John Barlow Jarvis - back to back Grammy Song of the Year Award winner. John offers some excellent advice on songwriting and pitching (and if there’s anyone able to give great advice on the subject, it’s John):
As for pitching songs, let me say […]