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How To Register Your Songs Online at BMI.com

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The Pros & Cons of Clichés

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From MusicWorld, posted 4.20.23. As a lyricist, I’m always on the lookout in my own writing for what I would call “lazy language.” What I mean by this is a part of a lyric that feels clichéd. The problem, specifically, is that we’re only given a certain number of lines of lyric to convey the… Read more...


How to Get Your Music on Playlists: Demystifying the Process

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From MusicWorld, posted 4.20.23. When I started teaching workshops for aspiring recording artists and songwriters more than 30 years ago, signing with a major record label was the only way for artists to reach a wide audience. Without a major label to provide distribution to record stores, radio promotion, and financing for videos, most unsigned… Read more...


Ideas for Arranging Your Demo

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From The Weekly, posted 4.10.23. You’ve written a new song that’s sturdy enough to be performed with just a guitar or keyboard for accompaniment. Which raises the age-old question: how much extra stuff should go into the making of the multitrack? While the style of the song might dictate the approach to arranging, often it’s a… Read more...


Tips for Writing a Great Story Song

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From The Weekly, posted 2.13.23. Story songs are essentially short stories set to music. Like short stories, effective story songs are tasked with conveying a great deal of information with a relatively small number of words. While many songs include elements of a story, the following components are almost always included in strong story songs: … Read more...


Which Point of View Is Best For Your Song

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From The Weekly, posted 2.06.23. I’m often asked which point of view is the strongest for songs. Point of view, which is sometimes referred to as the narrative perspective, determines whether the singer is sharing his or her own story and feelings; telling someone else’s story and feelings; or acting as an impartial narrator. Let’s look… Read more...


Are Your Songs Hitting the Right Target?

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From MusicWorld, posted 1.26.23. When I critique songs at my workshops, I always begin by asking the writers to share their intention for their song. For example, a song might be intended solely for self-expression or catharsis. Another song might be written by a performing songwriter to include on their own recording project, while another… Read more...


5 Common Lyric Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them

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From The Weekly, posted 1.17.23. At the BMI Songwriter Workshops that I’ve been teaching for thirty years, I hear some amazing songs written by exceptionally talented writers. But there are five lyric problems I frequently identify. Let’s examine these pitfalls—and the easy prescriptions that can fix them. Avoid Lyrics That Ask Questions That Don’t Get Answered Read more...


Top Songwriting Tips For 2023

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From The Weekly, posted 1.10.23. As we begin a new year, it’s a good time to revisit some of the advice shared in the year that has passed. I hope these tips will help you achieve your songwriting goals! Excerpt from “How to Stretch Yourself Melodically” A common pitfall for non-performing songwriters is writing… Read more...


A Mic for All Sessions

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From MusicWorld, posted 11.30.22. Like most of my engineering peers, early on I endeavored to fill my home studio with as many different types of microphones as my budget would allow, from lovely old Sennheisers to the more workmanlike family of Shure dynamics. Eventually my insatiable appetite for guitars meant selling off many of these… Read more...


How to Stretch Yourself Melodically

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From MusicWorld, posted 11.30.22. When I critique songs in my BMI Songwriting Workshops, I often hear melodies with a range (the interval between its lowest and the highest notes) limited to one octave or less. When I ask the writers to share their intentions for these songs, they sometimes respond, “My goal is to have… Read more...


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