Songwriting 101

Although all songs tells a story there are certain songs that express it in a narrative way. This is particularly evident in country and folk music where the story is well-developed. Please share with us your favorite story songs.

Definition of the word "hook" as used in music, with examples for further reference.

Definition of the word "riff" plus some song samples.

Let's put all the chords we learned so far together and see what melodies we can come up with.

Write better melodies by learning how to play chord patterns. This article focuses on the ii, iii, and vi chords.

Illustrates how to form the I - IV - V chord pattern on the piano or keyboard.

What does the Roman Numeral I, IV and V stand for in music? Learn the asnwer through this article.

When writing a song which comes first, the melody or lyrics? Learn the answer here.

Learn the definition and structure of the AAA song form.

Learn the definition and structure of the AABA song form.

Here's another song structure called the verse/chorus.

An extension of the verse/chorus song form is to add a bridge. Here's how to do it.

Other types of lyric writing strategies and guidelines.

You've heard about the verse, bridge, chorus, refrain, coda, etc. These are all parts of a song, here's a concise explanation of each part.

Ideas on coming up with catchy song titles.

To some extent the songwriter is like a storyteller. Learn what details to include in your song to make it more compelling.

Some of the best songs are those that have strong opening lines.

Biographical information on some of the world's most notable singer-songwriters.