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Music / songwriting competition tips to help you stand out from the pack

I’ve been asked to be a juror for an “artist of the year” type of competition. In the past, I’ve submitted entries into many competitions with varying amounts of success, but being on the other side of the process has been quite the eye-opener. That part of my career is over, but I figured I’d …

Anatomy of a Song: book review and tips for songwriters and producers

by Neel Modi

I recently finished reading a great book by Marc Myers entitled Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits that Changed Rock, R&B, and Pop. Myers interviewed the people involved in historically significant songs from the 1940s to the 1990s. He ended his examination in 1991 because, as he explains it, you …

Learning an Instrument for Songwriting: What You Need To Know

by Donna Maurer

There are many benefits to your musicianship when you learn and master playing an instrument. You increase coordination, cognitive skills that include better memory, and create a higher level of social awareness. The piano works as a wonderful starting point for most musicians, as it provides a good base in music theory, and it helps …

How I get past songwriter’s block

by Neel Modi

Sometimes, the hardest part of the songwriting process is getting started. Once I’ve got an idea, I can hash out lyrics and music fairly easily. Getting past songwriter’s block usually involves coming up with a title and a hook to the song (Thank you, Nashville). More often than not, I’ll get blocked by wanting to …

The Perfection of the Perfect Fifth

by Neel Modi

The question of the perfect fifth has been simmering in my mind for some time now. It started when we started investigating chord substitutions on Song Talk Radio in 2016. For that show, I looked at the Circle of Fifths as a great tool for making chord choices when writing a song. The Circle of …

Notes From A Non-Songwriter or “The Stuff You Need To Know”

by Vanessa Vreeland

When I joined Song Talk Radio as social media maven over a year ago, I knew nothing about songwriting. In the past, I learned to read music and play a few instruments including flute, bass clarinet, French horn and the drums. But I had never entertained the thought of writing a song. In my first …

How to use the Circle of Fifths to write songs

by Neel Modi

I know many of you don’t care for music theory. It’s clinical, it’s boring, and it sucks the soul out of songwriting. Well, news flash: you’re using music theory whether or not you intend to. For myself, I know my theory pretty well, as I learned it at young age. I couldn’t tell you if …

7 ways to bring variety to your collection of songs

by Neel Modi

When writing a collection of songs, whether for a album release or in general, we sometimes end up playing it safe and resorting to tried and true motifs and ideas for every song. For myself, when I become a fan of an artist or band, I like to hear a variety of songs. Sometimes the differences …

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