StepUp-Songwriting Tips & Tricks  

Article by Kristen G.

Songwriting 101

TITLE! Your title is your biggest asset to your song, It can make or break it.You have to feel your title, you can’t just throw in any words you want. It was to…well fit! Your title must be something that flows from within, and flows good with the song, preferably have the title somewhere in the song. It’s usually in the Chorus, but there is no law saying it has to be!

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN To TONS of music, everything from rap to reggae to country to jazz. Exposing yourself to every kind of music will make you a better song writer and make you a more rounded songwriter. I listen to music constantly throughout the day to give me inspiration. If I feel like I’m having a bad writing day I take a karaoke of a song and write whole new lyrics to it and create a whole new song!

WRITE EVERYDAY Whether it’s a full out song or just a lyric or chorus. Writing

Chord Progressions – What Exactly are Chord Progressions

Chord progressions are a sequence of chords played in a particular pattern in order to harmonize the melody. They are used to form the basic framework of a song. In most cases, chords share at least one note with the next chord in the sequence.

Chord progressions are based on a particular scale, and the notes of each chord are usually taken from the notes of that scale. The most frequently used chord progressions are based on the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees. The first degree is referred to as the tonic, the fourth is called and subdominant, and the fifth is labeled the dominant.

These scale degrees are most often written as roman numerals. The tonic is written as a I, subdominant as a IV, and the dominant is the V. To differentiate the difference between major and minor chords, lower and uppercase roman numerals are used. Uppercase roman numerals such as IV and V denote major chords. Lowercase roman numerals such as