Most songwriter work intuitively
so they can't explain it to you...
At EpicSongWriting,
I teach intentional strategies
taking the random out of songwriting
so you can write the songs you want to write!
What do you need to learn?
100+ articles are organized by category
Some articles are in multiple categories
Each category has multiple pages...
Table of Contents
Featured Content

Songwriting Reference Tracks
Learning and improving your songwriting by studying the songs you love by using reference tracks… don’t ask the internet, figure out your own answers!

Parts of a Popular Song
Learn how to write lyrics and music for a chorus, verse, pre-chorus and bridge, and how each part of a song fits together to create a popular song structure!
Songwriting Foundations

Focus Your Songwriting Super Powers
Learn to focus your songwriting super powers… it’s not enough to start writing, you need to keep yourself writing and stay on track to finish your songs!

The Songwriting Cycle: Solutions for the 5 Phases of Songwriting
Songwriting Cycle: solutions for you songwriting problems… fixing your songwriting problems by working through the 5 phases of songwriting to finish songs…

Basic Rhyme Schemes
Getting started with rhyme schemes… learn what rhyme schemes are in songs, why rhyme schemes are used and how to use rhyme schemes in your own songs.
Recent Articles

Why Your Lyrics Sound Cheesy
You’ve written lyrics but they sound cheesy and amateur. Listen, it’s normal and totally fixable, so let’s level up and fix your amateur lyrics.

Building Your Songwriting Superpowers
Discover and explore your songwriting superpowers because you can do things that regular people only dream about.

Setting Songwriting Goals You’ll Actually Achieve
When you’re creating goals to push yourself and your songwriting three common mistakes will cause you to fail… solve these 3 mistakes so you achieve and surpass your goals!
Lyric Writing

When Are You a Songwriter?
When are you a songwriter? What do you have to do to consider yourself a songwriter… is it just songwriting or are there other things you need to do?

Who is Premier McNeil?
A song by a music teacher from the perspective of a young elementary school student trying to understand why the Christmas Concert was cancelled… while teachers “work to rule” in Nova Scotia, December 2016, #NSTUnited #ReadyToTeach #FocusOnEducation

The Most Popular EpicSongWriting Articles of 2018
The 7 most popular EpicSongWriting articles of 2018 and the songwriting lessons I learned from analyzing why these articles were hits…
Songwriting Psychology

What if Nobody Likes My Songs?
Solve your songwriting fear… it’s why you fail to finish songs, hesitate to release your songs and where your negative self talk comes from…

7 Pareto Songwriting Hacks
7 Songwriting Hacks you can use to improve your songs and songwriting results… inspired by Pareto’s Principle, the 80/20 Rule.

Making More Time for Songwriting
There are better ways to make time for your songwriting than sneaking it in after the family is asleep.
Songwriting Productivity

Avoid Lyric Fail
Avoid Lyric Fail… Fix weak lyrics before they happen! Edit properly instead of half writing your songs and calling them “finished”…

The Instant Song Myth
The Instant Song Myth is a dangerous lie… learn the truth about songwriting so you learn to finish your songs instead of throwing them out.

Songwriting in Self-Isolation
7 Activities to stay sane and keep songwriting during self-isolation… the world just went sideways but you can improve and thrive instead of just surviving
Video Lessons

How Do I Write a Song?
How Do I Write a Song? Stop wondering about songwriting and start writing songs. Instead of struggling, learn what you need to do to write songs!

Legend in My Mind
Legend in My Mind explains, but doesn’t excuse, the ridiculous behaviour of some men towards women, especially online… ladies you know who I’m talking about!

The Fastest Way to Memorize Songs
The Fastest Way to Learn Songs… how to learn and memorize songs so you can perform them or transcribe and analyze songs. I explain the entire process and then transcribe “Dig That Hole” by Ian Sherwood live on video
Songwriter Interviews

Songwriter Interview with Shirley Jackson
Songwriter Interview with Shirley Jackson, including: songwriting as cooperation, being open to inspiration and songwriting as transformation and therapy.

Songwriting Sprint
How to write more in a songwriting sprint! Ian Sherwood had more than 40 songs ready to record for his album… why he took time off to write more songs,,,

Songwriter Interview with Ian Sherwood
Ian Sherwood talks about his ideal songwriting process, how to write better songs and his best advice for new songwriters…