All posts by Brent Baxter

Wordplay Thursday #126

January 21, 2016 Brent Baxter 10 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Today, I’m going to give you a topic, and the wordplay is to show that topic with ONLY sensory images (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound). The point is to have fun with the old Nashville advice that says, “Show me, don’t tell me.” You can just pick one sense, or you can challenge yourself by playing one image from each of the 5 senses.

This week, let’s paint a picture about…

“Swimming Pool”

Here’s an example to get you started:

“The concrete is rough and hot against the bottom of my feet. I feel my face turn red when I take my shirt off and look down at my round stomach. I smell coconut suntan lotion. A blonde-haired little girl shouts, ‘Marco!'”

Now it’s your turn. Show me, don’t tell me!

Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all…

And thanks to Jude Hart, Taylor, Ken Matthiessen, Jerry, Jeff Green, Will Curtis, Michael Klenda, Kris Fisher, Barney Coulter, Mark Brocke, Nick S., Linda Keser, Tomas Giraitis, Pete Smith, Nila, Matt Martoccio, Gregg Shivley and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #125 (read it here)! Great job!

Since strong imagery is such an important part of turning a cliche moment into a hit moment, I’ve put together a course on imagery. It’s called, “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” and it’s available now. By the end of the course, you’ll have the basic skills to:

Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.

Click here if you’re ready to “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” or click on the image below.

God Bless,

Brent

Craft

Take A Cliche Moment And Make It A Hit Moment

January 20, 2016 Brent Baxter 2 Comments

Every time you use a cliche in your song, you miss an opportunity to do something great.

Cliches get used so much because they’re so easy. They are the first things that come to mind when we want to communicate certain things.

For example, it’s a lot easier to just say we’re “raising hell” or “painting the town” than it is to dig deeper and say we’re “filling Friday night full of empty cans” or “trying to make the Barhopper’s Hall of Fame.”

The cliche gives the listener information, but it’s forgettable because the listener has heard it a thousand times. There’s no emotion left in it. (Unless you somehow set up the cliche in a way that makes it fresh.)

When you go beyond the cliche, you have a chance to wow the listener with something they haven’t heard before.

A great example of this is “Summertime,” recorded by Kenny Chesney and written by Craig Wiseman and Steve McEwen. It’s about being young in the summertime, and there’s a part in the chorus where they reference driving around.

Young + summertime + driving = radio up + windows down. Right? Yes, and that’s why it’s a worn out, cliche image. Sure, it’s true- we’ve all lived that line many times. But there’s nothing memorable or “wow” about it.

Instead, these hit writers reference a Yoohoo bottle on the floorboard. So much better!

It’s believable- I can totally picture young guys leaving a Yoohoo on the floorboard.

It’s fresh- I’ve never “seen” that image in a song before.

Bonus: It provides a fun melodic moment when Chesney sings, “Yoohoo!”

The writers took a cliche moment and made it a hit moment by using a fresh, believable image. It’s our job to do the same.

What do you think? What’s your take on this topic? I’d love to hear your comments. And if there are some lyrics where the songwriter make a cliche moment a hit moment, share those in the comments, too!

Since strong imagery is such an important part of turning a cliche moment into a hit moment, I’ve put together a course on imagery. It’s called, “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” and it’s available now. By the end of the course, you’ll have the basic skills to:

Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.

Click here if you’re ready to “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” or click on the image below.

God Bless,
Brent

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Craft, Write Like A Pro

Imagery In Your Song’s Opening Lines

January 18, 2016 Brent Baxter 2 Comments

Imagine yourself in a dark movie theater.

The movie starts to play, but there’s no video- just sound. You’d be disappointed- and you’d probably be confused as to what’s going on, right? Then why do we sometimes write songs that way?

In my last couple of blog posts, I’ve written about how imagery can be the slight edge that gives you big results (READ HERE). I’ve also detailed how a quirky image (“spork”) can really make your song memorable (READ HERE). Today, I’m going to tell you about a great opportunity that’s coming up. But first, let me tell you a little story…

Back in my first publishing deal at Major Bob Music, I was playing a new song for one of our songpluggers. It was a pretty emotive song. There wasn’t much of a story to it, just mostly emotions. He wasn’t crazy about it.

He said my song left him “floating around in space with nothing to hang on to.”

He said, “you’re just telling me how you FEEL.” I’d left him without an anchor. I wasn’t giving him any sense of the song’s setting. I’d left him blind, searching for something to “see.”

Sometimes just one or two well-placed images in a song can give the listener something to hang on to so they AREN’T floating around. So why not give them that anchor at the beginning so they’re not waiting for it to get there?

So, giving the listener an anchor is one thing. But, really, you want to go beyond just anchoring them. You want to hook the listener right off the bat. Right from the very first line, you want to be pulling the listener into the story, getting them curious… or furious… or whatever emotion is the point of the song.

That’s a really big opportunity and a big test for you as a writer.

Are you going to draw the listener in or lose them in your opening lines? If you lose them, they probably won’t stick around to hear your great hook and killer second verse or the surprise twist in the bridge.

A great image can really hook your listener.

I think one of the big reasons that my song (written with Erin Enderlin) “Monday Morning Church” got cut by Alan Jackson was it’s opening few lines.

“You left your Bible on the dresser, so I put it in the drawer. ‘Cuz I can’t seem to talk to God without yelling anymore.”

These few lines give the listener a lot of information, all through pictures. It tells the listener the person the singer is singing to is gone. That they were religious, but left the Bible. It also tells you that the singer is angry with God about whatever happened. It’s intriguing. It’s visceral. And you sure don’t know the whole story yet, but those first few lines are designed to really get your attention and make you want to know what happened- and what’s going to happen next.

My song, “Every Head Bowed,” recorded by Randy Travis (and written with Brandon Kinney), has the following opening lines:

“Sunday morning was a fight; I was running from that clip-on tie. It took Daddy’s belt to get me in my Sunday best.”

Again, these few lines give the listener a lot of information (and entertainment, hopefully). You get the sense that this is a young boy singing, you see him running from his parents, and you see his dad threatening him with a belt-whoopin’ before he finally clips on that dreaded tie. The personality of the main character is set up, and so is the mood of the song. Hopefully, the opening lines hook the listeners and gets them interested in “watching” what happens next.

And speaking of happening next…

You know those videos I’ve shared with you over the past couple of days (WATCH HERE and WATCH HERE)? Well, they’re part of an online course that I’ve developed all about lyrical imagery. It’s called:

“Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)”

It’s a course I’ve put together from my experience as a professional lyricist and songwriter with over 10 years in the music business. During that time, I’ve had cuts by legendary artists such as Alan Jackson and Randy Travis. I’ve also had cuts by Lady Antebellum and Joe Nichols, among others. I’ve written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 Single Of The Year in Canada.

This course is designed to make a huge positive difference in your songwriting.

Specifically, by the end of the course, you’ll gain the basic skills you need to:

Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s… character using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And begin more songs (more easily) using imagery as the start of your songwriting process.

Adding great imagery to your songs will help them stand out. It will also help your songs connect emotionally to the listener. And this course will even save you time, as I reveal techniques and thought-processes that might take years for you to learn by trial and error.

Years. Let that sink in for a moment.

But you don’t have to waste all that time. You can start writing better songs TODAY!

If you want to take your songwriting (and your songwriting career) to the next level… CLICK HERE.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #125

January 14, 2016 Brent Baxter 26 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Last week, we played off a physical object (“guitar”). This week, let’s stretch a little more and show an emotion. Game on!

“Nervous”

Here’s an example to get you started:

“His shaky hand sets the empty shot glass back on the bar as he stares into the mirror behind the whiskey bottles and mouths to himself, ‘you can do this. You can do this…'”

Now it’s your turn. Show me, don’t tell me!

Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all…

And thanks to Ken Matthiessen, Nila, Barney Coulter, Tommy Kib, Scott Fischer, Willa Thompson, Debbie Convoy, Nick S., Lisa Gates, Sean Kasey, Linda Keser, Jerry Childers, Kim, Wm Curtis, Gerald Rae, Kris Rogge Fisher, Steve Crabtree, Kerry Meacham, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #124 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a great way to the get the creative juices flowing and get some songs started. But what about finishing songs? Sometimes that can be more difficult. That’s why I’ve written “Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.” Click here to finish more songs faster and better. Or click on the image below. Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Craft, Cut Study

A Spork, A Twinkie and Warner Bros. Records

January 13, 2016 Brent Baxter 8 Comments

Ever imagine having a music industry pro pull a lyric out of one of your songs (from memory) and quote it back to you? And to tell you they love it? Let me tell you, it feels GREAT. And it opens doors.

In my last post, I revealed how great imagery can give your songs that slight edge that can bring big opportunities [CLICK TO READ]. Today is the example of one of those opportunities…

Brandon Kinney and I wrote a song called “Every Head Bowed,” written from the point of view of a little boy in church. It was a funny song, and we packed it with imagery from both our imagination and memories of growing up in church.

The song went on to get recorded by legendary country artist, Randy Travis, on his “Around The Bend” album on Warner Bros. Records. It was a huge thrill to have a song recorded by an artist of Randy’s stature. Unbelievable. And what really tickled me was the fact that the song contained the word “spork.”

Spork? Yes, spork. Those plastic spoon-fork things at KFC.

The end of the song takes place after church as the family is having lunch at KFC, and the dad tells the singer to “put that spork back down” while the family prays. It’s such an odd, specific word, but it’s exactly what you use there- and it fits the fun vibe of the song.

Here’s where it gets even more fun. I kinda knew some of the A&R folks at Warner Bros., but now I had a cut on one of their artists. That definitely took me up a notch in their eyes. Even more, they LOVED the spork line.

As I’d bump into a couple of the A&R folks, and we’d talk about the song, they’d always mention that line and how it was their favorite line in the song or how it was so funny.

A&R people hear thousands of songs- more than they can remember. But if you can give them an image they love, they’ll remember your song and YOU.

This simple thing gave me a calling card. I was the guy that wrote “the spork song.” It gave the A&R people a little something positive to remember me by. It’s a goofy line, but it no doubt helped me get more pitch meetings there. And the song even helped me and Brandon land a cowrite with Randy Travis himself!

A great image can really set the identity of a song in the mind of a listener- just like it’s another hook or an alternate title. Don’t believe me? How many people called “Something Like That” by Tim McGraw “BBQ stain?” How many people know you’re talking about the Dierks Bentley song “What Was I Thinkin’” when you call it “little white tank top?” The right image, as simple as it might be, can make your whole song memorable. And memorable is valuable!

Another quick story involving “Every Head Bowed.” I was out a couple months ago, and I ran into one of Randy Travis’ band members. I said, “Hey, you’ve probably played one of my songs.” “Which one?” he asked. When I told him it was “Every Head Bowed,” he nudged his wife and said, “Hey, this guy wrote ‘Every Head Bowed”- we love that song!”

She looked confused, like she didn’t remember it. Then he said, “Oh, you know- the Twinkie song!” Then she gave a big smile as he told me they always call it “The Twinkie Song.”

Yep, there’s a line about a Twinkie in that song, too. Again, giving your listener one strong image (or more) can set your song in their memory more than even the title does.

I want to help you put winning imagery into your lyrics. Here’s a quick video that might serve you…

What about you? Do you have any songs that you or your friends call by a different title- one based on an image? Or a particular image that comes to mind when you think of a certain song? Leave a comment!

Since strong imagery is such an important part of professional-level songwriting, I’ve put together a course on imagery. It’s called, “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” and it’s available now. By the end of the course, you’ll have the basic skills to:

Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.

Click here if you’re ready to “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” or click on the image below.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Craft, Cut Study

6 Words That Changed My Life

January 11, 2016 Brent Baxter 7 Comments

In 2002, I was an unknown lyricist who had just moved to Nashville from Little Rock, Arkansas. Almost zero contacts in the music business. No cowrites with pro songwriters.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years. In 2005, I’m standing on stage at the NSAI Awards receiving one of only 12 “Songs I Wish I’d Written” awards given that year. The next night was the ASCAP Awards, where I’d be receiving an airplay award for a top 5 single. I now had a publishing deal at Major Bob Music and wrote regularly with other pro songwriters.

So what got me from point A to point B? What got me from waiting tables at Cracker Barrel with a name tag that said, “Hello, my name is Brent” to having people introduce me as “This is Brent, he wrote ‘Monday Morning Church’ for Alan Jackson?” Well… God took me from A to B, really. God gets all the credit, because it certainly wasn’t because of my songwriting skills at the time.

Looking back now, it’s almost embarrassing how green I was.

And it wasn’t about my networking skills. I still knew almost no one in the music business. I was at an industry party talking to some guy. This was in 2004 after the song got cut but before it was a single. We were chatting about the song, and he said, “Man, I love that song.” I said, “Oh, you know it?” He said, “Yeah. I cut it on Alan.” It was Keith Stegall, Alan’s producer. A legend in the biz and I didn’t recognize him because I’d never actually seen him in person before. I was so embarrassed. So, no…

I was not a networking genius.

And my success wasn’t about my cowriter’s political pull in the biz. It was her first cut, too. She was still in college at MTSU! She did have a well-established publisher pitching the song, though. But our names had nothing to do with the cut.

What God used more than anything else to take me from unknown lyricist to hit songwriter… was 6 little words I ran across in a poem my mother wrote:

“Empty as a Monday morning church.”

An image. A really great image became the core of my first cut and changed my life.

If you’re like me and want to write songs that get on records and radio and compete for the big money, you’re stepping into a very, very competitive business. There are only a few spots available on the album of a major artist. And there are even less slots available on radio.

In a business this competitive, you need every advantage you can get. Small advantages can bring big results. Adding great images to your songs can give you that advantage. It can make you more attractive and valued as a cowriter. It can get you that second publisher meeting. It can make a record label go from “what else do you have” to “let me keep a copy of that.” Likewise, better imagery can take your song from “let me keep a copy of that” to “put that on hold- I want to play it for my artist.” Or maybe great imagery will even take your song from “I want to put that on hold” to “we want to record your song.”

Great imagery can even make the difference between getting a $300 album cut or a $300,000 hit single.

In a business this competitive, the opposite is also true. Your song that’s being held for an artist might not get cut because they decide to record a song that’s just a little better. Or even if they do cut your song, they might single a different song instead. And the difference between an album cut and a hit single is huge. It’s not just a huge money difference, getting a hit single will boost your status and prestige much more than an album cut ever will.

Don’t settle for images that work. Strive for the BEST images you can get into your songs. It’ll make a big difference in your songwriting. And that big difference might just give you that small edge that turns you pro.

Think you can’t write great images? Think you either have to be born with the “imagery-gene” or you’re just out of luck? Put those thoughts away. You CAN learn to get a lot better with imagery-writing. My first songs didn’t have nearly the level of imagery I can write now. What made the difference?

Time, education and practice. Now, I can’t do much about “time,” but I can help you with education. Here’s a video clip that you might find helpful.

What about you? What are some of your favorite images from song lyrics? Please share in the comments!

Effectively use both literal and figurative imagery.
Make your story come to life using imagery.
Prove your character’s personality using imagery.
Make your listener connect to your character’s emotions using imagery.
Hook your listener in the song’s first few lines using imagery.
And to begin more songs (more easily) using imagery exercises as the start of your songwriting process.

Click here if you’re ready to “Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)” or click on the image below.

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #124

January 7, 2016 Brent Baxter 21 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Let’s mix it up this week! Today, I’m going to give you a topic, and the wordplay is to show that topic with ONLY sensory images (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound). The point is to have fun with the old Nashville advice that says, “Show me, don’t tell me.” You can just pick one sense, or you can challenge yourself by playing one image from each of the 5 senses. Focus on something you can hear, something you can see, something you can feel, something you can smell, or something you can taste.

And heeeeerrrrrreeee we goooo!

“Guitar”

Here’s an example to get you started:

“The e string makes a slight popping sound as I turn the tuning key. I squint, imagining it breaking and stabbing me in the eye.”

Now it’s your turn! Show me, don’t tell me!

Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all…

And thanks to Phillip, Wm Curtis, Donna, Ken Matthiessen, Davis Tribble, Nick S., Donna Kossow, Barney Coulter, Kim Kondrashoff, Linda Keser, Michael Klenda, Harris Tobias and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #123 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a great way to the get the creative juices flowing and get some songs started. But what about finishing songs? Sometimes that can be more difficult. That’s why I’ve written “Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.” Click here to find out how to finish more songs faster and better. Or click on the image below. Thanks!

God Bless,

Brent

Muse

There Are Two Wolves Fighting Inside Your Heart

January 4, 2016 Brent Baxter 10 Comments

I recently heard an old story that goes something like…

An old medicine man and a young warrior were out walking…

“There are two wolves fighting inside your heart. One evil. One good,” the old man said to the young warrior.

“Which one will win?” the warrior asked.

“The one you feed.”

I think there’s a lot of truth to that. And I’d like to point out some other wolves that fight in my heart. Maybe they fight in yours, too.

The wolf of despair vs the wolf of hope.

The wolf of laziness vs the wolf of discipline.

The wolf of sleeping in vs the wolf of productivity.

The wolf of fear vs the wolf of faith.

The wolf of jealousy vs the wolf of celebration.

The wolf of self-criticism vs the wolf of self-acceptance.

The wolf of apathy vs the wolf of love.

The wolf of settling vs the wolf of striving.

I’m trying to feed the right wolves. I hope you are, too.

What about you? What wolves are fighting in your songwriting heart? Which one have you been feeding, and how have you been feeding it? I’d love to hear from you!

Pro songwriters know they have to feed the right wolf. And if YOU want to become a pro, you need to think like a pro, too. In my FREE e-book, “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” I not only reveal several of the mindsets which separate the pro songwriter from the amateur, but also…

How to get on a music publisher’s radar
How the pros know who is looking for songs
Six simple ways to make your songs more commercial
And more!

To get your FREE, INSTANT download of “THINK LIKE A PRO SONGWRITER,” just click on the image below, or CLICK HERE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #123

December 31, 2015 Brent Baxter 17 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a writing prompt for you. It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“Their New Year’s kiss felt _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Their New Year’s kiss felt as soft as the confetti falling around them.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

And thanks to Debbie Davidson, McDonough, Ken Matthiesen, Nick S., kimbergirl29, Kris Rogge Fisher, Andrew, Shawn Van Namen, Jerry Childers, Linda Keser, Bill and everyone else who played along here or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #122 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a great creative kickstart. If you want to focus your creativity to write commercial songs, check out my upcoming C4 Experience. “Creative” and “Commercial” are two of the “C’s” in “C4.” Click here to find out the other two “C’s.” Or click on the image below.

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, C4X, Live Event

The Best 1st Impression A Songwriter Can Make

December 28, 2015 Brent Baxter 6 Comments

A few weeks back, I met the owner of a publishing company for the first time. Within ten minutes, he said he was interested in talking about a publishing deal with me. How did this happen?

I made a great first impression before we ever met.

Here’s the story:

I was at a lunch party at a cowriter’s publishing company. The owner, whom I’d never met before, was chatting in the kitchen with me and James Dupre’. He was telling James how much he loved a certain song that he had written with one of their writers. James smiled, motioned to me and said, “Thanks. Brent’s on that one, too.” The owner, let’s call him Mr. J, lit up, and the tone of the conversation changed. Within a few minutes, he asked each of us who we wrote for. When we said we’re independent, he nodded and said, “we should talk.”

Now, I’m not saying he’ll end up making an offer or not. This isn’t about what might happen next. It’s about the power of songs and connections to pave the way for you. Mr. J had never laid eyes on me. We’ve never communicated directly, either over the phone or via email. But he’d heard several of my songs. And his staff writer, my cowriter, has mentioned me to him a number of times. He’s told him I’m a good songwriter who should have a deal. (Thanks, bud!)

My songs and my cowriter made my first impression for me.

So when I finally met Mr. J at an industry function, I didn’t have to manufacture some “wow” first impression, hoping to be memorable. I simply had to act in a way that confirmed his already-favorable idea of me.

There are a few lessons I think we can draw from this.

1. Your cowriters will be your PR team.

This is great if you’re in town, but it’s also great if you’re out of town. If you only make a few trips to Nashville (or New York or LA) per year, try to connect with local writers. Write together both in-the-room and over Skype or Google Hangouts. Before your next Nashville trip, ask them who you should meet with and if they can put in a good word for you. If your writing is worthy, they should be happy to.

2. Good songs solve a lot of problems.

If I want to get a meeting with Mr. J, I’m coming from a position of strength. I don’t have to say, “Mr. J, we met at a party the other day. I’m the tall guy…” That’s not a terrible starting place, but it’s not as good as, “Hi, Mr. J. I’m Joe Songwriter, a writer on ‘Song X’ that you love. We met at the party the other day…” Even if he’s totally forgotten meeting me, he knows he likes that song. My odds of getting a meeting go way up.

3. It’s good to get out there and get social.

Even though he likes some of my songs and my cowriter told him about me, Mr. J hadn’t reached out yet. But we “happen” to bump into each other at a function, and he gets to put a face with my name. That’s worth another year of him just hearing ABOUT me. (Disclosure: I didn’t meet him by accident. I knew he’d be there, and that’s a big reason why I went.)

What about you? Have you had an experience where your music has made a great first impression for you that helped you get ahead? Or did it make a negative one that you had to overcome? I’d love to hear from you!

And if you’re ready for your songs to make a good (or better) first impression, I have a cool opportunity for you. It’s called The C4 Experience, or C4X. It’s a series of workshops in January and February in 2016. What does “C4” stand for?

Creative
Commercial
Coaching
Community

The C4 Experience is about celebrating your creative spirit and sharpening your commercial songwriting, guided by expert coaching and encouraged by a supportive community.

Click on the image below or CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

Songwriting Pro

All posts by Brent Baxter

Wordplay Thursday #126

Take A Cliche Moment And Make It A Hit Moment

Every time you use a cliche in your song, you miss an opportunity to do something great.

When you go beyond the cliche, you have a chance to wow the listener with something they haven’t heard before.

Imagery In Your Song’s Opening Lines

Imagine yourself in a dark movie theater.

He said my song left him “floating around in space with nothing to hang on to.”

That’s a really big opportunity and a big test for you as a writer.

A great image can really hook your listener.

“Use Imagery To Supercharge Your Songwriting (Like The Pros Do)”