The Songwriting Secret Formula

I have been writing songs for over 30 years and I will narrow this experience into this article for you to have. I didn't have a mentor and I certainly didn't have the knowledge we have today (or what I will share with you) to craft the kind of material that is required in the art of great songwriting .What has taken me years to find, I'll describe today . At the end of this article is a link to one of my recorded songs for you to listen to. It should speak for itself.

Songs can be graded as follows:                 Bad - Ok - Good - Great - Exceptional

Many bad songs are written. There are an abundance of (ok) songs out there. After numerous attempts and a dedication to songwriting, you can roll out some good songs. A great song is one for sure that people are talking about (and it isn't just your family and friends). You know it when you hear it. You want on the radio, then you'll have to have a great song. And of course..The exceptional song. The first major companies to hear it will strike war. To get past the good song, I have 3 ways to achieve this:


1. PRACTICE & PATIENCE. Songwriting can be frustrating and time consuming but completely rewarding to the inner self (and maybe even successful).  As a songwriter yourself you have most likely been down that road. Some songs can come quickly, but most must be honed, corrected and reviewed. Holding on to that "baby" is hard to let go. But that "baby" can grow and become bigger if you let it. I know this from years of holding onto songs that should have changed and evolved and had the potential to be stronger and more enjoyable to the listener. It might take you 50 - 75 songs to get a great one. But you really must learn how to write a great song. Practice!Practice! Most of us are in the working field and don't have the luxury of time that professional songwriters have to write song after song and hit after hit. So our spare time becomes valuable.

2. THE HOOK. How important is this! The hook is everything. You would probably buy your song, but would someone else? Listen to the hit songs out there in your genre. Learn how to write a great hook. Repeat that hook, but don't over do it. You want to leave them wanting more. The first 30 seconds of a song is major. That opening riff should already grab the listener to want more. Some songs jump right into the chorus for an opener. Don't drag the opening riff for too long and get right to the verse. Pop songs usually start with an opening lyric over light music and then kicks in. But don't be afraid to make changes all along the way. I've taken many angles to a song before I was finished. I try different melody lines. Lyrics changes. The riff and hook change and evolve. Don't be satisfied with the first attempt (unless you get fortunate with an exceptional song). Think of how inventors constantly change their invention to the end result. You would be amazed at that process! Your song is no less. Yes, it can take time, but you want a hit song right?

3. THE STORY. Some writers craft the music first and then place the lyrics to the songs structure. Others
will write a story and put music to it. For me it's the music first. The music must stand strong alone. Then comes the concept or story-line. The title really says everything. It needs to grab any potential listener right away. The title is the gateway to the song. Something really interesting should sit there. A title like " All there is to love" might sound common and uninteresting. But a title like " Love in the right hands" would temp the listener to want to hear more and draw them in. So after you come up with that awesome title, the story should follow. There are plenty of lyric writing books out there if you have trouble constructing a story. But I will assume that you are pretty good at telling a good story. Everyone has a story to tell. I tell stories of experience and even fictitious ones. I'll tell you this, Most of the great songs are written about love/hate. Not all of them will have the obvious title , but will make reference to it. The story has to make what I call "Country Sense". Most country song stories are well put together and make good sense. For years I just put words down that would work. but something was always missing. It's that wrap it up and make sense of it all that was needed to my songs. The end of verses or the pre- chorus needs to tie into the first line of the chorus or at least into the chorus. The chorus should resolve the verse.

And most of all, put that raw human emotion into every song you write!

I certainly am not claiming to be the all advising expert on this subject, but I have been doing this for many years and have some experience to share. Do a lot of research on the subject (as there is a multitude of it out there). Get your songs reviewed by professionals. There is usually a cost involved. But it would be money well spent to get professional opinions on your songs as well as constructive criticism. This is a must because your family and friends will always say it's great. These reviews have changed the way I write. I didn't use to get good ones. Yes opinions vary, but who better than a complete stranger to review your music. Sign up for songwriting workshops and seminars in your area. They are valuable to an upcoming songwriter. And if you construct that beautiful piece, that fantastic song, or the extraordinary hit song, there are artists that need it. A small publishing company that can attend to a more personal need would be a good place to start. Join Taxi ( A reputable song placement service). The workshops can help in not only with critiques, but a starting place for your songs.
Listen to my song ROAD TO MESA

Best wishes to you
www.paulmontgomerymusic.com

How To Get Higher Rankings In ReverbNation

Many musicians are asking "how to get a higher ranking in their reverbnation profile". Rankings are based certain criteria:

1. Interaction. Reverbnation loves it when you listen to other artists and interact with them. Fan the artists and send them a message. If you really dig their sound and feel you could benefit from their fans, let them know you intend to add them to your recommendations. This in turn could let their fans hear you. You want to spend some time (no more than 30 minutes) each day or a few times a week listening to other bands and artists and leaving comments and messaging them. They will fan you back and some will actually listen to your music. And be true to your genre.

2. Social Media. We all know how important this is to promote your music, and reverbnation loves this. Copy your song's URL and paste it into all your social media to direct traffic to your reverbnation site. Even post questions like: "Are you a good music reviewer?" followed by your link. Go to some of your favorite music artists and follow their fans. Some will come to see who you are and follow you. Make you tube videos of yourself promoting your brand. (even if you don't have an expensive music video) people love to see an artist "keeping it real" on a personal video. Don't flood the social media market with song posts constantly. Interact with them and throw the bone out every so often. Invite people to have a listen. asking for support (to listen to your music) is not a bad thing. In today's music market you almost have to. Revernation collects data from all your social media as part of their algorithm system.

3. Crowd Reviews: If your music is good enough (and they will certainly let you know) and get a 7.8 or higher, you will get featured and get more fans. This is not to be heavily relied upon as it really takes a great song to achieve this. But not to be discouraged, most don't get the high score. So interaction is a strong way to go. But give it a shot and see. It will only help your songwriting skills.

4. Widgets: Place the (free) widgets from reverbanation on your blog (as I have here) and on your website (if you have one). If you don't know how to place the HTML code into the perspective spots, then have someone do it or google how to do it. It's quite easy. Make sure you check autoplay before you copy the code. Setting up the widget will prompt you for things, but you have to look for it. If you think it might be annoying to visitors to hear your music upon arrival, then you must not have much confidence in you music. Go ahead and do it. Because now your getting a song play to reverbnation just by a visit to your site. If you post to a blog, make sure the same widget is there on the side bar. If you have enough interesting content, the song will play on and count towards your rankings. The song must play at least half way through to count. so make sure you post good stuff. By now if your reading this my music has been been played enough as well.

Higher rankings won't necessarily get the attention of those in the music industry, but their are some that scan these music sites for talent. There are some in the industry looking to see who's at the top of each genre. Reverbnation is the leading music/artist platform in the world. I think back to a time before social media and these type of platforms and how hard it was to reach people with your music. Spend some quality time with your interactions and watch your rankings grow. It's not necessary to spend money for advertisement, but an ad promoting your song or page or purchasing a crowd review can help. Most artists don't have money to spend on advertising their brand. Find the happy medium. Best to spend your money on a quality song in the studio or hire musicians. Keep writing lots of songs and hone that skill. I've written hundreds songs and would be humbled to have one great tune! Check one out here: Song "Road To Mesa"

Paul Montgomery Music