New Year's Resolutions for Songwriters

Here is a list of New Year's Resolutions you might wanna consider in connection with songwriting:


1. Read all songwriting books (that are worth reading) on the market (There are about 40 of them in my opinion)
2. Learn to play an instrument (especially piano or guitar)
3. Learn to record demos of your songs
4. Enrich your vocabulary to be able to write even better lyrics
5. Learn music theory
6. Listen to a couple of songs by an artist you didn't know before every day
7. Read an article in connection with songwriting and songwriters every day
8. Socialize more with songwriters on songwriting forums, Facebook, Twitter
9. Enter songwriting contests
10. Learn everything you can about the music business


These are just some of the things you can do to take your songwriting to a higher level.

What's your New Year's Resolution?

What Does Writing Music A Cappella Mean?

Question by Holly:

Answer:

Hello Holly,

Sometimes songwriters start songs with a title or lyrics. Other times they write music first.

You can write music one of two main ways:

1. By using some kind of instrument and come up with some chords or melody by playing it.

2. By writing music a cappella.

Writing music a cappella means that you compose melodies in your head or by singing some melodies without the help of a musical instrument. There are a lot of songwriters who think this is absolutely the best way to write music. If you don't rely on an instrument, you might be more creative, free and flexible.

Great songwriters write in several ways and writing music a cappella is one of them. It's definitely worth trying!

How Do I Find Ideas For Songs?

Question by Pierce:

I've read about songwriters who have the ability to come up with songwriting ideas anywhere and everywhere. Is this a talent that your either have or you don't?


Answer:

Hello Pierce,

Finding songwriting ideas is a piece of cake. Just look around a little.

• Are there any books near you? Check their titles or even their contents and see if you can come up with a good song title.
• Or check your DVD collection and film titles.
• Go and see a movie and pay attention to phrases you might use.
• Check magazine titles and articles.
• Or a website, especially one about celebrities and their love life :)
• Or just open a dictionary and look for some interesting phrases.
• Or you can "accidentally" overhear strangers talking and saying something that could be a great title.

There are unlimited sources of songwriting ideas around us. Songwriters you read about have LEARNED the condition that they find ideas for hits everywhere. If you do it consciously for a couple of days or a week, and you think about songwriting a lot (because you love it), soon you'll see song ideas everywhere you go. Just remember to bring a notebook to put them down right away.

You might also visit the Songwriting Ideas page for instant inspiration :)

What Is the Right Way of Networking in The Music Business?

Question by Patrick:

I've just read your article "Is Networking Important In the Music Business?". I get that it's really important. And I wanna do it. But think I'd feel like I'm trying to take advantage of people if I started going out and networking intentionally.


Answer:

Hi Patrick,

I understand your concern. When people hear the word "networking" they usually think of trying to get close to important people and exploiting them in some way. Some people do that. But it's not the smartest way to go about it. In fact, you'll probably fail if you do networking that way.

Successful networkers have one thing in common. They all understand the main principle: "Make other people more successful, give more than you get and be generous". It doesn't mean that you have to do grand gestures to everybody all the time. Helping someone succeed can be a little thing such as sharing your expertise about proper mike placement in the studio or an efficient workout routine. And this way it's not "taking advantage of people" because you give AND get valuable things. It's good for you but good for them too!

If you follow the above mentioned principle, sooner or later, in some way, it will all come back to you tenfold. Maybe not today. But if you help a lot of people, after a while, when you are in need, you'll have plenty of people who'll be happy to return the favor. When the time comes, however, don't hesitate to pick up the phone and ask for help.

For more music industry specific networking advice I recommend Dan Kimpel's book Networking Strategies for the New Music Business.

Songwriting Scams

Avoiding songwriting scams can save a lot of time, money and spare you from unnecessary disappointments. Most publishing companies are legitimate but not all of them. Here is how to recognize the ones that want to rip you off (i.e. the song sharks):


• You receive an email or letter from a "publishing company" or a "record label".

• In the letter they claim that they are looking for songs for major recording artists.

• It's okay for them if you have lyrics only or send them unfinished songs.

• They promise to review your song(s) for free.

• Soon you receive another letter or email from them saying that they found your songs to be exceptional and they would like to pitch it to major record companies or recording artists.

• Of course, to cover their administrative, demo or some other kinds of costs, you need to pay $250 or thousands more. And this little money is the only thing that's between you and fame right now so you shouldn't think twice about it.

• Or they might tell you that your song is going to be on a compilation CD which they will send to stars, their managers or other industry professionals so your songs can get chosen and recorded. Demo and administrative fees apply here too, of course. However, even if this alleged CD is compiled and sent to the proper people (anybody's free to send anything to them by post), the CD ends up in the trash.

Some of these letters are utter songwriting scams, others come from desperate demo services.

How To Recognize Songwriting Scams

▪ They say it's okay if you have lyrics only, they can set it to original music for free. Don't pay for someone to write music to your lyrics, it'll be a basic melody written in a couple of minutes. In addition, they'll own the copyright to the music, which means even if the song makes any money, they take half the royalties.

▪ They say they'll review your song for free or for a small fee. There are legitimate songwriters and professionals who offer this service for a reasonable fee. Check their credentials and exactly what they give you for your money in advance.

▪ They want you to pay for your song to be published. Legitimate publishers don't ask for money. You get paid if your songs gets recorded and used in some way. Then the publishing company makes money and pays you too. Also, publishers don't ask you to cover demo costs, they will recoup it from your royalties. However, you might have pay for demo costs if your goal is to pitch your songs to publishers. But only if you cannot make a good quality home recording.

▪ They don't care if your songs are not finished, they claim they'll make it sound like master-quality recordings. Well, if you're told such things, a red flag should come up. People in the music business are not charitable. They want a demo of finished, potential hit songs, ready to be pitched or released.

▪ They ask for money to include your song on a CD. It's not money that will decide such a thing. It's the quality of the song. Money doesn't change the quality of a song.


What To Check To Avoid Songwriting Scams


You might get the following information from the internet, friends or you can even get in touch with the publishing or recording company and ask them directly. If they are legitimate, they'll be happy to brag about the following things to you:


⁃ if the company has had any success with other artists and songs
⁃ how much money they've paid to songwriters/artists
⁃ how many albums they have sold
⁃ if these were quality albums
⁃ where songs coming from the artists/songwriters of that company have been played
⁃ look for any references on the internet, ask music industry professionals and/or musician friends.


So make sure you avoid songwriting scams, there are plenty of them. It's partly because the music business is so competitive that even professional songwriters have a hard time getting their songs recorded and released. It doesn't mean that you should stop pursuing this profession but be aware that miracles and overnight successes don't happen. Paying some money won't get you there. Just like in any other field, you'll need to work hard to make it. So beware, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.

How Do You Avoid Regretting Your Decisions?

Question by Bobby:

I've made some stupid quick decisions in connection with songwriting this year. I missed some great opportunities because of this. How can I prevent this from happening again in the future?


Answer:

You've probably heard the saying "I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done" (a Lucille Ball quote).

So I usually rather take opportunities because I don't want to miss anything. And I can think of several things I HAVE done and I regret doing. (Is it really a better feeling? I don't know.)

Your question was if there's something you can do to prevent this situation. I guess I've found a way. It's not revolutionary but it helps me make better, and more mature decisions.

What I usually do now is sleep on a decision. Sometimes I'm totally convinced of something being right in the heat of the moment. But next morning, when my head is clear(er), I often see things 100% differently. And so far, I've been making much better decisions in that state of mind.

I Want To Do Songwriting Full Time

Question by Michael:

I hate my day job. I'm a songwriter at heart. I shouldn't be sitting in an office all day doing a job that makes no sense. If only I could do songwriting full time… if only. Sometimes I think I should just give up my job and have a go at making a living from songwriting. With more free time, I think I'd be able to accomplish more and sooner in songwriting. Do you think I should quit my job?



Answer:

Having a day job can be a drag. Many hobby songwriters daydream a lot about being able to write songs full time. But would it really be THAT great?


Your present situation probably looks something like this:

▪ You work 8-9 hours a day.


▪ By the time you get home you're exhausted but you still find a couple of minutes for songwriting on most days and at weekends.


▪ Once you start writing, you just can't stop and you're surprised how much you've accomplished in such short time. You're wondering: where would I be now if I'd had all day for writing in the last couple of years?



Let's imagine that you have one year off work for some reason. What would happen in that case?

▪ You're euphoric because you have all the time in the world.


▪ You spend a couple of days with songwriting, resting every couple of hours by watching TV, or chatting on the internet and Facebook. You feel you're doing a little too much songwriting and draining your creativity. You think maybe you should go out and collect new experiences and re-energize yourself before you go on.


▪ And now that you have so much free time, there are some things besides songwriting you've always wanted to do or stuff you need to catch up with: go to the gym daily, meet old friends, make a cool website/blog, learn a language, practice playing the piano daily, visit all the galleries in the city…


▪ After a couple of weeks you notice that you end up having very little time for songwriting.


There is a saying by Lucille Ball: "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do." I've found it to be totally true. So don't give up your job because you won't do more songwriting. And you won't be able to concentrate on being creative if you worry about financial security all the time. 

Keep on songwriting, collaborating and slowly but surely you'll get to a point when you make so much from songwriting that can quit your job and tell your boss all the things you couldn't earlier… :)

Should I Give Up Songwriting?

Question by Van:


I love writing songs. My favorite part of every day is always when I sit down with my guitar and come up with some interesting chords then start humming along and soon finish the song. It's so fulfilling.

But I'm getting more and more discouraged these days. I've been trying to have my songs cut by artists for two years with zero success. Should I just give up now?


Answer:

Hello Van,

Most songwriters consider giving up at one point or another. Or maybe every day :) But please, don't do it!

You write songs because you love it. If you're like most songwriters, you'd do it even if nobody paid for it (which is the case sometimes anyway).

If you do something for your songwriting career every day, you'll get better at the craft, you'll have better connections and you'll get closer and closer to getting your songs cut. It's a fact of life. But nobody can predict when it will happen. It's different for all songwriters. It might be your 15th or 157th pitch that will bring you success. But if you're persistent, you'll get there!

It looks like becoming a songwriter is your dream. And you should never give up on your dreams!

Is Networking Important in the Music Business?

Question by Ashton:


Sometimes it feels like it's not the talented ones who make it. What do you think?


Answer:

Hello Ashton,

We've all heard the saying: "it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know". It's true in all businesses. And it's even more so in the music business.

You might be the greatest, brightest, most talented songwriter or musician but if you have no connections in the music business, your chances to make it are definitely lower.

The concept of business sounds cold and impersonal. But every business is made up of people. Every decision is made by people. And when people make a decision, they use their gut feelings much more than pure logic. That's why they probably won't care about your talents as much as their relationship with you. People do business and work with people they like. If they don't know you, they don't know if they like you.

If you take a look at any successful person's road to success, you'll definitely see how their network of connections helped them get to where they are today.

So I suggest that you should start networking with other songwriters and musicians. And it's not a hard or gruesome job to make new friends, is it? :) But networking is something you should do wisely. If you do the wrong thing, you might burn bridges. There is a book I like about this topic: Networking Strategies for the New Music Business by Dan Kimpel. I highly recommend that you read it first then start your journey...

What are the right piano chords to go with each other?

Question by Jamie:

Where do I go after an F minor chord, for example?


Answer:

Hello Jamie,

Chord theory, i.e. the answer to the question "What are the chords that go well together?" is really simple, fortunately. Although this is a question that has been bugging songwriters for a long time, there are a few rules that can guide you. To find out what they are, go to theChords That Sound Good Together page.

How can I find a songwriting partner?

Question by Mariah:

I want to write a song about life, love and being saved from my past. Kinda to inspire others and let them know that they are not alone.


Answer:

Hi Mariah,

It's really nice of you that you would like to inspire and help others!

If you would like to find a collaborator, fortunately, you have several options. But first you should decide what kind of co-writer you would like to find. What are your strengths? What are you weaknesses in songwriting? You should find someone who can complement your skills so you can write a great song together. For example, if you're good at composing melodies and singing, you could look for someone who is a great lyricist and can play the guitar or piano. You might also want to decide in advance how you are going to make a demo or where you'll pitch your song.


These are some of the methods collaborators use to find each other:

1. Try looking around on songwriting forums (scroll down for a list of the best message boards). There is usually a thread on these forums with a title that says something like "Co-writer wanted". There you'll find some people looking for co-writers usually with some specific characteristics, e.g. a talented lyricist who can play the guitar a little and likes R&B music. You can either choose to write a message to one of them or start a new thread describing the co-writer YOU are looking for.

2. If you have some musician friends, ask them if they know someone who might want to co-write with you.

3. Visit songwriters' seminars and lectures. You're sure to find some like-minded songwriters at these events.

These are the most common methods of finding songwriting partners. Good luck with your song!

How can I complete my lyrics?

Question by Christina:

Hello,

I am trying to write a song. I already have one line that could be perfect as part of the chorus or the hook. But now I have a writer's block. What should I do now? How can I continue and finish my lyrics? I feel stuck! Help me!

Thanks!



Answer:


Hi Christina,

I understand that you're frustrated. Well, I can't write the song for you but I can give you some advice on how to go about it.

Decide what single idea you would like the song to be about. Then to make the song comprehensible for a larger audience, ask the following questions: who? what? why? where? how?
You should answer all of these in your song.

The best thing you can start with is to make a sketch of your song. Decide what each section should be about and then start working on the details, here is a little help for that: Writing Song Lyrics

How often should I write songs?

Question by Drew:


I'm busy. I work almost 10 hours a day. Sometimes it seems impossible for me to find the time. Although songwriting is the most important thing in my life, the only time when I can be alone to work on my songs is at the weekend. And not the whole weekend (that would be a dream come true...) but only 1-2 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

So I'd need a little songwriting help! How could I schedule my time better so I can become more productive?

Thanks for the advice in advance!


Answer:

Hello Drew, 

First of all, thanks for choosing HitJerker-Songwriting.com to ask for songwriting help. 

About your question: 

There are few people who feel that they have all the time in the world. Doing songwriting 1 or 2 hours a week isn't much, I know. However, it's still better than doing nothing. Most songwriters procrastinate for as much as a year (or years) before sitting down to write. You're already ahead of 90% of the other songwriters! 

I know that you're frustrated because you'd like to write as much as you can. I suggest that you get up one hour earlier every morning or a couple of days a week so that you can work. Or if you feel that it is the evening when you're the most creative and productive, set aside an hour then. (In my experience, writing is easier to do when everybody else is asleep therefore there is no-one to disturb you.) It's difficult to get yourself to get up earlier but in a week or two you'll get used to it. You can also try to go to bed earlier. You might miss some TV shows but that's the price you have to pay for the songwriting career. 

Most songwriters think that if only they didn't have a day-job, they could work so much more on their songs! It usually isn't the case though. If you have too much free time, you'll find plenty of other things to do and rarely sit down to work. Believe me. By the way, having a day job has one more benefit. If all you have to do is write all day, what's gonna inspire you? What are you going to write about? 

Well, these are my thoughts, I hope it helps. Let me know if you have other questions or comments. 


PS. A quotation by Lucille Ball: "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more things you can do." So true!

Songwriting News

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Free Guitar Chord Charts

In these free guitar chord charts you will find the most common chords. If you learn these, you'll be able to play about 90% of the famous pop and rock songs out there. And the more successful songs you learn to play, the better songwriter you become. That was one of the Beatles's secrets. They learned to play hundreds of songs (written by other artists). The band had to perform some of these every night so they not only had a "chance" to practice these but also added their own flavor to make the job even more interesting. Learning to play songs written by others is a never-ending process, just like any other kind of serious learning. And it's so worth it!

In these free guitar chord charts below you'll find the most common chords. However, if you've just started to learn how to play the guitar, it's best to master some of the simpler chords first. There are some beginners' guitar chords that you should learn first.

If you're an absolute beginner, you'll need to learn how to read and play guitar chords. Fortunately, it is a very easy thing to learn, so you'll be able to read and play any chord in no time.

If you like playing rock & roll, you might need a guitar power chords chart. What are power chords? They are key elements of many styles of rock music. They are usually played on electric guitar, most often through an amplification process that imparts distortion. They sound so cool!

Sometimes you have the chords to a song but the key they are in is too high or too low to sing in. In that case, you might want to find out how to transpose guitar chords. Luckily, it's quick and easy to do.

Free Guitar Chord Charts

A-Chords: Ab, G#m, Ab6, Ab9, G#m6, G#m7, Abmaj7, Absus, A, Am, A6, A9, Am6, am7, Amaj7, Asus

B-Chords: Bb, Bbm, Bb6, Bb7, Bb9, Bbm6, Bbm7, B, Bm, B6, B9, Bm6, Bm7, Bmaj7

C-Chords: C, Cm, C6, C9, Cm6, Cm7, Cmaj7, Cdim

D-Chords: Db, C#m, Db6, Db9, C#m7, Dbmaj7, Dbsus, D, Dm, D6, D9, Dm6, Dm7, Dmaj7, Dsus

E-Chords: Eb, Ebm, Eb7, Eb9, Ebm6, Ebm7, Ebmaj7, Ebsus, E, Em, E6, E9, Em6, Em7, Emaj7, Edim

F-Chords: F, Fm, F6, Fm6, Fm7, Fmaj7, Fdim, F#, F#m, Gb6, F#9, F#m6, F#m7, Gbmaj7, Gbsus

G-Chords: G, Gm, G6, G9, Gm6, Gm7, Gmaj7, Gsus

I hope this piece of music theory helped you. If you'd like to learn music theory thoroughly and master it like a music major graduate (but for much less money and in much less time of course…), I recommend Getting It Down Cold Music Theory Course. If you are familiar with music theory, you improve everything you do with music!

Related pages:


Learn how to read chords quickly 

Guitar Chords for Beginners

There are some guitar chords for beginners that are easy to learn and master. These are the chords that you should start practicing as soon as you can put your hands on a guitar. If you can play these basic chords, you'll be able to play many songs right away.

Examples for basic, well-known songs you'll be able to play:

✓ Ode to Joy, Jingle Bells (using C and G7 only)
✓ When The Saints Go Marchin' In (using G, D7, C, D)
✓ America The Beautiful (G, D7, E7, A7, D, Am, C)
✓ Home On The Range (C, F, G7, G, Am, D7, Fm)

There will be two types of guitar chords for beginners below:

• Basic open chords: open chords are the kind of chords that are not fingered or fretted. They are the opposite of a barre chord.

• Barre chords: barre chords are chords for which you use one or more fingers to press two or more strings on the fretboard. In some cases you might encounter the expression "movable chords". They are just another name for barre chords. They are sometimes called movable because it's easy to move your hand up and down the guitar neck in only one movement.

Basic Open Chords

Open A Chords

Open B Chord

Open C Chords

Open D Chords

Open E Chords

Open G Chords

Barre Chords on the 5th String

Barre Chords on the 6th String

I borrowed the images of the chords from the Learn and Master Guitar lesson book. It's an awesome DVD/CD/lesson book course that has helped many beginners and more advanced players become really good. The way the instructor, Steve Krenz explains theory and practice is clear and easy to understand. Since I'm a pianist, I haven't tried the guitar course but I've heard it's amazing. But I can easily believe it because I have the Learn and Master Piano course and it has done wonders for my piano playing. It's also great for beginners or more experienced players who would like to deepen their knowledge with the help of a Grammy winner pianist, Will Barrow.

When you are ready to move beyond basic chord shapes into more sophisticated harmony (drop2 and drop3 chords) check out these guitar chord charts at www.guitar-theory-in-depth.com




Related pages:


What chords are made up of 


Learn thousands of chords in minutes! 


More on Guitar Chords 


How to read and play guitar chords 


About Guitar Power Chords 

How To Play Guitar Chords

Learning how to play guitar chords is easy. You just need to know how to interpret chord blocks. If you do that, you can play any chord you want on your precious instrument. You'll find them in sheet music above the stuff.

Chords blocks look like diagrams and they show you how a chord is played. If your learn to read guitar chord blocks, you'll immediately know which frets are to be played by which fingers and which strings you'll need to play.

This is what chord blocks/diagrams in sheet music usually look like:

So here is how to play guitar chords reading chord diagrams:

• Chord blocks always contain 5 horizontal and 6 vertical lines.

• The thickest horizontal line at the top represents the "nut". It's the thickest horizontal line on the neck of your guitar at the top. It's made of some kind of medium-hard material.

• The horizontal lines represent the frets. They are metal strips that are fixed into the fingerboard. What string you press will decide what pitch you play.

• We already know that the first, thickest horizontal line represents the nut. The next line represents the first fret, the next one the second and so on.

• The six vertical lines stand for the strings/notes. They are not in the same order as on the piano. Their order from left to right is always: E, A, D, G, B, E.

• The chord name is always above the chord block. Therefore if you've already learned how to play a chord, you might not need to "read" the chord block. If you'd like to read it, however, it's easy to do, fortunately. (On HitJerker-Songwriting.com you'll also find a great chord chart and information on how to learn thousands chords literally in minutes.)

• There can be two types of symbols under the chord name and above the chord block. If there is an "X" above a note, it means that you shouldn't play that string. If there is an open circle above a string, it means, that you should "play this string open".

• We can talk about open strings when you don't press any of the frets when playing the guitar. Also, if (in the chord diagram) there is a circle that's filled, it means that you have to play the note on that specific string and fret shown in the diagram.

• So the last thing to know about reading chord blocks is what the numbers in circles mean on the vertical lines. First you must consider in which fret it is on then on which string. In the image above, for example, there is the number 1 in a circle on the right. It means that you have to put your 1st finger on the 2nd string at the 1st fret. Oh yes, and there is sometimes a note with a diamond in the chord diagrams and it means the root of the chord and the note that you will start from to move the chord into different keys.


I sincerely hope this explanation of how to play guitar chords was clear enough. If not, I guess if you just look at the image above it'll be easy to understand. I borrowed the chord block explanation image above from the Learn and Master Guitar lesson book. There is even more information on how to play guitar chords in it. However, I'm not a guitar player rather a pianist so I haven't tried this course of theirs but I've heard it's amazing. But I have the Learn and Master Piano course and I love it! Courses by this company always come with DVD instruction by someone who's really one of the best at what they do. They also include a lesson book, workshop book, audio CD's to practice with, etc. These courses are great for beginners and more advanced players alike. I know I've learned a lot from them!




Related pages:


More on Guitar Chords and Free Guitar Chord Charts 


What chords are made up of 


Learn thousands of chords in minutes!

Guitar Power Chords Chart

This guitar power chords chart includes the most important power chords you need to know if you'd like to play rock and roll or heavy metal music.

But what are power chords?

They are very important parts of most styles of rock and heavy metal music. Usually electric guitarists use them. They are usually made by amplifying the sound and this way also distorting it.

They are quite easy to learn for beginners because they are not really chords from a theoretical point of view. They are simpler. Chords consist of at least 3 notes but power chords use only the root and the 5th steps of the major scale (a perfect 5th). That's why in guitar power chords charts, they are abbreviated as the root and the number 5, like E5, A5, etc.

In other words, these chords don't contain the 3rd (i.e. the note from which we could find out if it's a major chord or a minor chord). So we don't know if a power chord is major or minor. So you can consider them to be either.

Guitar players usually use only one octave when performing power chords. It just sounds better and stronger that way. However, some of them like giving it more "depth" and do octave doubling.Rock and heavy metal guitarists normally play power chords in the middle register because they sound noisier and heavier there. And because if power chords are played in a rather low or high register, they sound a little uncertain and shallow. Power chords are easy to play basically anywhere on the neck of your guitar but they don't contribute much to the harmonic texture of songs.

Power chords are usually played using two strings. Normally, you use the index finger and the ring finger to play a power chord. Your index finger presses on the root note and the ring finger on the 5th.

A lot of people consider power chords to be amateurish, too easy and artistic. But in my opinion, whatever sounds good is good and often the most amazing songs are the simplest and easiest to play!

So here is the Chart:

Related pages:

Learn thousands of chords in minutes!

More Music Theory