Improve Your Songwriting SkillsImprove your songwriting skills by reading Wayne Chase's book How Music Really Works. I think Wayne Chase is a genius who's ideas will change how students think about songwriting in the future. In fact for the first time at a recent Taxi Road Rally music convention in Los Angeles I heard a panelist talk about some of the things that Wayne says in his book. This is the first time in my seven year songwriting journey that I've heard his ideas talked about. He was not referenced as the person behind the idea. However he has been the only person saying some of these things (since How Music Really Works was published more than five years ago). 
My view is that his influence on how to improve your songwriting skills is finally starting to seep into the songwriting commercial mainstream. However, Wayne sometimes has an eccentric approach that doesn't always endear him with mainstream "hit songwriters". I've seen him ruffle feathers and dismiss songs and expert songwriter's comments. When he does this he consistently says "this is not my opinion, this is what the scientific data and research says". I believe you can improve your songwriting skills by considering what he has to say. In return, I've seen expert songwriters dismiss many of Wayne's ideas because he openly challenges the songwriting establishment by showing distain for getting caught up in the "got to write a hit" mentality that runs the music business. I've also seen him criticized because he has never written a "hit song". Although Wayne has worked in the music industry hasn't personally written a "hit song". In the hit songwriting business, having the credential of writing a "hit song" is highly valued. Writers are often judged by how many songs they have written that are number "ones, top tens, top 40s" etc. I know when I asked my self "How can you improve your songwriting skills" I started looking for people who had written hits. But not for Wayne, and this causes a rub with the the "hit song" mainstream thinking and values. Wayne's approach is unique and in some ways refreshing. 
Wayne is striving to teach how to write great songs not just hit songs. I think this is a very worthy cause. I don't know how many times I've head pro songwriters talk about how ruthless commercial radio is in pushing songs into airplay with the only concern being making money. Its about making money from radio ads and it's about "hits" not about the quality of the music.Wayne tries to measure his songwriting points against what has caused some songs to stand the test of time. He strongly believes that not all great songs are hit songs and many hit songs are not great songs. I think he speaks to the same point as many critiques of commercial radio raise. My experience is that I've heard about 75% of what Wayne talks about from other pro writers. Realistically they are all talking about successful songwriting. There are just some things that work and get noticed by everyone. Understanding why these things work is a different matter. That's why Wayne Chase's extra 25% is worth reading. It all put together in one place. Among other things, Wayne teaches a way to write using wordlists of high value emotionally weighted words and a system of structuring blocks of melody. Again he proposes his system as a way to build a great song that enshrines what the data shows many of the great songs contain. I think its a shame more people don't read How Music Really Works and see what it can do for improving their songwriting. My view comes from wanting to find the best techniques as quickly as I can to write as many great songs as I possibly can. Don't you also want to improve your song writing skills? Even if you decide not to use his exact techniques, there is still a great deal of information to help you learn how to write better and better songs. To improve your songwriting skills goes, I don't know how you can go wrong if you keep an open mind and try reading Wayne's book. I think you'll be able to decide for yourself and it may just help you find a way to a better songwriter. Ideally we all want to write great songs that are also hits. There's lots of room in the world for more great songs.To learn more about Wayne Chase go to free songwriting tips. |
Some of the top hit songwriters in the world use MasterWriter. Why not join David Foster, Gwen Stefani, Carole Bayer Sager, Kenneth Edmonds, Jimmy Webb, Rob Thomas, Jeffrey Steele, Kenny Loggins and many more who use MasterWriter?
You can also get a free download of a fully-functional 10-DAY trial of MasterWriter, with no obligation. Try it out and you'll see how special it is. The free trial is how I first tried it and I've never looked back.
Lyricist V3.0 might be all you want in lyric writing and chord charting. It provides Professional Quality Lyric Sheets as well as Chord Charts. Its also only $59.95.Are you an aspiring or experienced songwriter or only want lyric sheets for your band, Lyricist helps you use your time to be creative. its called “The Songwriter’s Best Friend”.
It provides: Rhyming Dictionary, Chord Charting and Editing, Transposition, Chord Wizard, Rich text editor for writing lyrics and other features.