The submediant (or minor vi) chord is the most utilized minor chord in major keys. It's a part of the over-used I-V-vi-IV chord progression and, if there's only one minor chord in a song, this is...

It's all too easy to continue to gravitate to the same basic chords in our songs. So, in this video, we're taking a look at several different ways we can spice up our subdominant chords. 

IV...

It seems to me that songwriters default to starting their song off with a chord progression. Often, they will sit with a guitar and come up with a chord progression before even beginning to...

It's hard to figure out if you have a good verse, chorus, guitar hook, bass line, or piano riff if you don't have some goals you want them to achieve. 

So, in this video, I break...

Dominant chords are arguably the most common chord of all- yes, even over the tonic. 

So, if there's any chord that might need some spicing up once in a while, it's likely our V chord. 

The tonic chord plays a very important role in your songs. The tonic chord is the most powerful and resolved sounding chord in the context of any song, making it ideal to open and close your song,...

I've always thought that Artists can learn a lot from artists of different art forms. And yet, usually songwriters just hang out and learn from songwriters, painters with painters, and...

Ultimately, the single most important part of your song is the chorus. If your chorus isn't interesting, your song is likely toast. 

So, ultimately, how can we write more interesting...

What is a Coda? And, is it a true song section or more of a sheet music concept? What about a Finale? Do I mean a grand finale? Do I mean Finale in the operatic sense? Nope, it's...

It can be a good idea to write your song's chorus first.

So many times, creators just assume the way to go is to write something in the order it ends up being consumed. 

But, just like films...

We don't talk in poetry. We speak utilizing prose - largely basic and non-poetic language. 

So sometimes the transition to writing poetic lyrics can be a non-trivial one. 

So, if we...

Often, the terms Chorus and Refrain are used interchangeably. 

But are a Chorus and a Refrain really the same thing?

And, if not, how can we utilize a Refrain in our...