Stipple illustration of a pen and notebook with musical notes coming out

Welcome to Songwriter Pocket Guide

Songwriting, at its core, is the synthesis of various musical elements — melody, harmony, rhythm, lyrics, and form — all coming together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

It’s simple, really. First—start with a musical idea. Or a melody. Or lyrics. Or a title. Next, work out the other parts you didn’t start with. Decide if you want some more instrumentation around your idea. Finally—combine everything together and voila, you have a song.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s address the real reason you’re probably here—how do you write a good song? Well, that’s a little less simple. But that’s what we’re here for.

Songwriter Pocket Guide is here to walk you through a whole bunch of topics and ideas all revolving around one thing: songwriting.

Our mission with Songwriter Pocket Guide is multifaceted, but it all boils down to a few key points:

  1. We want to inspire you to write more, to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and let your creativity flow.
  2. We aim to teach you new methods or ideas related to songwriting, helping you explore new avenues and techniques in your songwriting process.
  3. We're here to provide organizational tips and tricks for your thoughts and ideas, helping you keep your creative process streamlined and efficient.
  4. We're dedicated to offering new perspectives on music, challenging you to think differently and cultivate a deeper understanding of the art form and theory.

Now, you might be wondering, what exactly can you expect from Songwriter Pocket Guide? The short answer is: a lot. The long answer is a comprehensive array of content dedicated to the art and science of songwriting.

Here’s a sample list of the sorts of things we might cover:

  • Tips and tricks to help you sharpen your songwriting skills, and sharing organizational strategies to keep your stream of thoughts and ideas well-organized.
  • Stirring up your imagination with thought-provoking songwriting prompts and ideas, giving that creative muscle of yours a good workout.
  • Reviewing a variety of tools and services that can aid your songwriting process. We’ll go through ways you can slowly build up the perfect systems to make your songwriting habits second nature.
  • Breaking down popular tracks (and maybe some not so popular ones) and dissecting them to help demystify the magic behind them.
  • For our gearheads and tech-savvy songwriters, we'll be discussing equipment and recording ideas or setups.
  • Tactical deep dives into music theory as it relates to songwriting.

Think of us as your songwriting buddy, always ready with a fresh perspective or a nugget of wisdom. We're incredibly excited to embark on this songwriting journey with you. So, stay tuned, and let’s create some beautiful music together!