Songwriter's Toolbox

The concept of "modes" perplexes many folks who love writing or listening to music. But the concept is actually very accessible. By examining a Persian mode used by Iranian-American songwriter Ali Eskandarian, I'll give you a quick and, hopefully, very understandable explanation (and demonstration) of what modes are.
Will this be useful for your own songwriting? While it might be too much to assume that a songwriter steeped in one musical tradition can quickly sound authentic in a new style, you might at the very least find elements of another form of music that could give you a new palette to work with in your songwriting. Music has a long tradition of mixing, sharing and remixing - in ports, international cities and, these days, by radio, TV and the Internet. And it's definitely a way that people from different cultures can find a common ground.

What makes a song emotionally powerful? Most often, the impact comes from a special combination of melody, chords, groove and lyrics. With Dolly Parton's song "Coat of Many Colors", one element seems to stand out most: the lyrics.
By the way, thanks so much to all you podcast listeners who've emailed me to let me know how much you're enjoying this podcast. I'm so psyched it's valuable to you. It's truly inspiring to me and actually helps encourage me not only to keep writing the Song Toolbox but also to keep writing songs myself!

Ever get discouraged in your songwriting? Today's tool helps me get inspired again. It comes from singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-teacher-philosopher Don Richmond. It's called "The Water and The Conduit" and I hope you find it as helpful as I do.
You can check out Don's music and more on http://donrichmond.com/dons.htm. Plus, Don's written an extraordinary book called "Getting Your Music Past the Fear." You can order a copy through his website.
By the way, you can hear some of the music I've written at my biz website: www.ChocolateStrawberryStudios.com
Thanks again for listening. And please comment - I look forward to hearing what you think!

What makes a compelling song? Sometimes, it's the same thing that makes a compelling story: clearly defined characters who face obstacles that block their goals and the journey to overcome that opposition. Invariably, there's some lessons learned, too. It's a classic model for a story and a great way to write a song, too.

One of the most effective ways to make your songs stay fresh, keep listeners interested and really build drama is contrast. One of my favorite songwriting teachers, Jai Josefs, makes this point all the time.
Contrast is a fundamental tool great songwriters use. They make sure that the sections of their songs - verse, chorus, bridge, etc. - each sound different. How do you create in your songs? This is where a deep understanding of lyrics and music theory really pays off. As Pat Pattison, at Berklee, likes to say, just ask "What do you got?" and then ask "What's different?" The more you know about lyric writing and music theory, the more you'll understand what you've got and what would be different. But we all have lots of experience listening to music - and we know intuitively when things sound different. So, whether by ear or by training, you can play around with making your song sections sound different from one another.
To illustrate this point with melodies, let's check out the Eagles' song "Take it Easy."
Happy songwriting!
BTW: If you'd like to hear some of the music I've written, you can go to my music website: www.ChocolateStrawberryStudios.com
Please comment if you'd like to. I look forward to hearing what you think!