Break out of a creative rut, find new songwriting strategies, and improve your writing process with this collection of songwriting articles from Flypaper. For more in-depth help, check out Soundfly’s course The New Songwriter’s Workshop.
By RE Katz When Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature last week “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” the literary world promptly ripped itself in half trying to respond to the announcement. Some folks stood right up and applauded Dylan, and have since commended the Nobel committee…
The Rolling Stones’ classic hit “Sympathy for the Devil” is one of my all-time favorite songs — it’s unique in almost every way. The material it mines is fairly unexplored in popular music, particularly with the lyrics from the perspective of the Devil (which led to the perception of Mick Jagger and his gang as Devil worshippers…
It may not be as easy, but it still is possible to get your song on the radio as an independent artist. Here are 4 proven steps to get noticed by SiriusXM.
We’re obsessed with uncovering better ways to teach and learn. Everyone in the Soundfly office takes on weekly writing challenges to push ourselves to learn more musically. We read books about practicing and how people learn. We talk to psychologists and neuroscientists about the process of learning. And we’re constantly looking to invent new approaches, both online and off, to help people…
+ Recording and mixing your songs at home? Grammy-winning artist Kimbra explores how to harness the full creative potential of your music in her new course! I have a confession. When I first started songwriting, I didn’t fully understand the importance of lyrics. I focused all my attention on the “music” and threw the lyrics…
Ian and Sofia Hultquist are LA-based contemporary composers whose work has been featured in the Vogue documentary, The First Monday in May.
On Friday, Katy Perry and NBC launched an anthem you’ll likely be hearing throughout the rest of the summer. Her new tune, “Rise,” is designed to accompany NBC’s coverage of the Rio Olympics, but is apparently a project the pop singer has been working on for some time. In her own words, “Rise” is “a…
Every songwriter knows that painful moment: Staring at a blank page, unsure of what to write. But I believe it’s much worse to stare at a half-finished song. You desperately try to think of what to do next, yet still feel locked into the style, chords, and rhythms that you have already established. It can seem hopeless at times to continue a…
Feedback can be a valuable tool in a songwriter’s toolbox. Especially for new writers, gathering advice from professional songwriters can give your song a big leg up. Most importantly, getting feedback on your songs is instrumental (pun intended) in helping you grow as a songwriter. A pro will be able to point out ways to make your…
+ Welcome to Soundfly! We help curious musicians meet their goals with creative online courses. Whatever you want to learn, whenever you need to learn it. Subscribe now to start learning on the ’Fly. “Less is more! Einstein proved it! Less is more! Einstein proved it!” my old boss, Dave, used to say on repeat. This was at the pizzeria I…
