Skill is a big part of the difference between an amateur and a professional. Just because you use water pipes and electricity in your apartment or house, it doesn’t mean you can fix them yourself if you have a problem. You need a professional – a plumber or an electrician. Someone with skill. Though writing a song isn’t the […] The post Songwriting: Why Does Skill Matter? appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

“If I play this song in public and it’s not copyrighted, isn’t there a good chance someone will steal it”? When working with less experienced songwriters. this is one of the most common questions I hear. I encourage writers to register their copyright (which, by the way, already exists as soon as your creation is fixed […] The post Getting Your Song Stolen… Do You Need To Worry? appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

Some years back I heard songwriter/music publisher Eric Beall talk about the value of uptempo songs, particularly in live performance. He pointed out (I’m paraphrasing) that an artist can have a lot of slow- or mid-tempo songs on a recording but that even artists who are known for ballads can in their live set only do […] The post Why You Need More Uptempo Songs appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

A big part of my preparation and education, if you want to call it that, for being songwriter was (and is) playing thousands of songs – on gigs, in recording sessions, in Broadway shows. A lot of covers, a lot of originals. For many years I was primarily a bass player – a sideman – […] The post Why Your Musicians Don’t Know Your Lyrics appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

It’s more useful and important than ever for songwriters to be fluent with recording and producing our songs; to do it competently for ourselves or to find a partner who can help. Even going the latter route, if and when partnerships break up you’re back to the same dilemma: Our ‘demos’ are supposed to sound […] The post The Temptation: Produce & Record instead of Writing a Song appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

There are probably two main ways songs start. One is having an idea, a musical or lyric phrase, or both, pop into your head. It might be playing on your radio in a dream, it might grab you when you’re catching a bus, singing in the shower, playing an instrument. The other way is getting […] The post Got a Great Songwriting Idea? It’s OK To Forget It. appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

Some songwriters don’t do music; they just write lyrics. Some just write music; no words. Then there are those of us who write both… or try to. (Sorry we haven’t had a new blogpost for a month or so. I had a nasty case of bronchitis. All is well now.) When you write a Verse/Chorus […] The post Why Lyrics Are Harder To Write Than Music appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

We all have an ongoing internal monologue. It changes as we move through our day and our lives, but at practically every moment there are thoughts and issues running through our minds. Problems to solve, choices to make. These of-the-moment themes, usually with a lot of emotion behind them, will tend to pop up in […] The post Why Your Lyrics Don’t Match Your Song appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

When asked which came first, the music or the words, the great lyricist Sammy Cahn famously replied, ‘The phone call’. There’s nothing like a deadline to spur creativity. And internal deadlines (“I WILL have this done by Wednesday!”) are usually not as effective as external ones. The deadline can be anything real – a gig, […] The post The Best Way To Complete Your Song appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more

What’s a Title-based song? I’d say one in which the Title phrase – of words and melody – is featured and is what you want the listener to remember most when the song is over. Though less so now than in the past, most songs still work this way. Looking at it crassly, but not […] The post Where Should Your Song’s Title Go? appeared first on Tony Conniff ..read more