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What John Mayer taught me, personally.
10 October 2022
In 2008, I had the unbelievably good fortune to spend a whole week with John Mayer, talking about…
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The most unusual thing about the Sam Smith song ‘Unholy’
6 October 2022
What is it about this song UNHOLY from Sam Smith and Kim Petras? Is it the melody, the…
Music Theory for Songwriters
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Music Theory Fundamentals–Major, Minor, and Diminished Chords
24 August 2022
A little bit of music theory goes a long way – in this video, I explain the difference…
Generating Ideas for Lyrics
Language
Lyric Writing
Metaphor
Songs I Love
Writing better lyrics with metaphor magic
12 August 2022
In this video, I show you how to write songs—and specifically lyrics—like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and John…
Creative Practice
Language
Lyric Writing
Melody Writing
Wisdom from Songwriters
Mastering the Elements of Lyric Writing
3 August 2022
Studying and understanding the tools that go into making a song can help anyone learn how to write…
Music Theory for Songwriters
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How to Write Great Bridges
5 July 2022
Three chord strategies for creating satisfying contrast and variation in the bridge section of your songs. We first…
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4 Reasons Why You Must Finish Your Songs
23 June 2022
One of the biggest challenges for any songwriter is the mountain of half-finished songs on their desk –…
Music Theory for Songwriters
Major 7 Vs. Dominant 7
21 June 2022
In this video, we examine the differences between Major 7 vs Dominant 7 chords – specifically focusing on…
Chorus Writing
Creative Practice
Generating Ideas for Lyrics
Music
My writing
Song Starters
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14 June 2022
Starting with loops is one of the most enjoyable and effective ways to spark new ideas and breathe…
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“Rules” in Songwriting
16 May 2022
I recently had Australian songwriter Michael Paynter in to guest teach a class, and he was expertly giving…
Creative Practice
Songwriting Group Info and Registration
5 May 2022
The idea to offer access to a songwriting group to others comes directly from my own experience in my songwriting group, which I…
Music Theory for Songwriters
Recommendations
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The Best Songwriting Books, Websites, and Channels
3 April 2022
I’m compiling here a list of my favourite books, websites, blogs, and other resources for those pursuing study,…
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Taking requests! What tutorials would you like to see?
27 March 2022
We’d love to hear from you! If you have requests for videos, tutorials, or topics on songwriting, please…
Chorus Writing
Music
Music Theory for Songwriters
Creating the Perfect Pre-Chorus – Part 1
11 March 2022
The pre-chorus is NOT just the bit before the chorus – it is the bit before the chorus…
Music
Music Theory for Songwriters
How to Use Chromatics to Write Killer Chord Progressions
8 March 2022
Break out of predictable patterns and inject some colour into your craft with this chromatic approach to writing…