Category Archives: Write Like A Pro

Frettie, Know The Row, Write Like A Pro

How To Make Your Ballads More Radio-Ready

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It seems like every songwriter writes more ballads (slow songs) than uptempo songs.  But MOST ballads will NEVER get recorded.  Of the few that do, most never get on the radio.  But a few slow songs beat the odds and not only become hits, they become MASSIVE HITS.

Today, I want to discuss one way YOUR ballads can beat the odds and have success.

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To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

I’m a lyricist, and I don’t write melodies. I leave that to folks who are great at that. However, I know from experience and observation that MELODY MATTERS. It’s huge.

Let me be clear- a song with a great melody and average lyric will get cut a lot faster than a song with a great lyric and an average melody.

(Of course, the real winners have BOTH great melodies AND great lyrics.  So don’t think you can be lazy on lyrics, because you’ll probably get beat out by songs that are great at both.)

Your melody has to fit your idea, simple as that. This is not to say that sad songs HAVE to have “sad” melodies (I’ll touch on that later), but if your lyric is angry, your melody probably shouldn’t be too “sweet.” Likewise, if your idea is for a tough guy, the melody should be one that a tough-guy artist would sing.

In general (there ARE exceptions), if your song has a slower tempo, it probably needs to have a bigger, more rangy melody. There just aren’t many slow songs with soft melodies getting cut these days. You put your song at a disadvantage when you frame it that way.

If you’re going to go ballad, go big.

A good example of this is “I Drive Your Truck,” written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary and recorded by Lee Brice. It’s a sad ballad. But it doesn’t FEEL like a ballad because of the power in the chorus. Lee just sings his backside off.  


If they hadn’t CHOSEN to go the power ballad route, I don’t think the song would have worked as well- and I definitely don’t think it would’ve been a #1 hit country single.

Not only was this ballad a #1 hit, it was named the CMA and ACM “Song Of The Year.”

If the tempo had been too fast, it might have trivialized the subject matter. If they had given it a soft, flat melody, I think the singer would’ve come across too whiney.

Again, if you go ballad, go big.

If you’re interested in writing commercial songs- if you want to give your songs their best chance to succeed, I have a great opportunity for you.  In May, I’m hosting Frettie’s “Know The Row” with one of the writers of “I Drive Your Truck,” Jimmy Yeary!

This is your chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with a real-deal professional, hit songwriter.

You and I BOTH want to learn what Jimmy has to share.

Here’s the deal.  You can join us online from anywhere in the world on Thursday, May 24, 2018 from 7pm-8pm Central time.  And this special event is FREE to members of Frettie.com!  (But don’t worry- you can still purchase a ticket even if you don’t want to take advantage of all of Frettie’s membership benefits.)

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS & MEET HIT SONGWRITER JIMMY YEARY.

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, a #1 in Canada & a top 10 in Texas… so far.

C4X, Write Like A Pro

Here’s how it feels to hear your song on the radio…

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I’ll never forget the first time I heard one of my songs on the radio.

“Monday Morning Church” had just been released by Alan Jackson, and it was starting to get some spins.  It was to be featured on a local (Nashville) radio station’s song-vs-song challenge (a “Friday Night Knockout” kind of thing).  They kept promoting it, so I knew it was coming on around 8pm that night…

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To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

A good friend had just arrived from Little Rock, and was in the bathroom when the opening fiddle started playing on the radio in the living room.  I yelled, “It’s on!” and she came bolting out of the bathroom- tugging up her sweatpants and almost putting on an indecent display as she tried not to trip over herself in her excitement and hurry.

The song was cranked up, and we were totally amped up.  We laughed, hugged, and paced around the living room as the song played.  I had FINALLY heard my song on the radio!  It was an unbelievable feeling.  “Wow… he REALLY released it!  It’s REALLY on the dad-gummed RADIO!”

I want YOU to have that feeling, too.

Don’t say that it can’t happen to you.  Sure, the odds are long.  The chance of success are small, I won’t deny that.  But I’m just an ‘ol boy from Arkansas.  I didn’t have any special connections in the music business.  I barely knew anybody when I moved to Nashville.  All I brought with me was a dream, a knack for words, and a good work ethic.  And I brought a song that filled one of the G.A.P.S. in Alan’s catalog.

What does G.A.P.S. mean?

G.A.P.S. is a memory device I use to remind me where to aim when I’m trying to get a song on an artist’s album.  It points out where there might be opportunity- where there might be an empty space (a gap) that my song can fill.  It stands for:

G:  Growth
A:  Achievement
P:  Preaching / Positioning
S:  Songwriting

In short, “Growth” reminds me to write based on where the artist is GOING.  Artists change over time, they evolve, and it doesn’t do me much good to write a song that fits where they’ve been.  They need songs that fit where they’re going.

“Achievement” reminds me to try and write something that will take the artist’s career up a level.  Most artists are always trying to climb the ladder of success, and they want songs that aren’t just going to maintain their current career.  They want songs that are going to win awards, raise their visibility, and grow their career.

“Preaching” is when an artist speaks to THEIR crowd, THEIR listeners.  It’s the old saying of “preaching to the choir.”  They want songs that their established fans will love.  “Positioning” is when a song identifies who an artist is- what their brand is.  It says, “I’m a so-and-so kind of person/artist.  If you want this kind of music, come to my show.”

“Songwriting” reminds me to be aware of what kind of song the artist writes himself, and what kind of song he records that somebody else writes.  I have a much better chance of getting a cut if I write the kind of song that the artist doesn’t write, but is looking for.

In the case of “Monday Morning Church,” it filled one of the G.A.P.S. in Alan’s catalog.  It was a topic and emotion he hadn’t covered before.  It was some new material that still fit within the general scope of what he does.  It was Alan’s kind of country sound, but the lyric content was new for him.

So the next time you’re writing a song specifically for an artist (or figuring out which of your existing songs to pitch for an artist), think about how you can fill the G.A.P.S.

If you want to take a deeper dive into G.A.P.S. as well as some other ways to increase YOUR chances of getting a song recorded, I have a great opportunity for you.

Every Monday night in April, I’m hosting The C4 Experience.  It’s an exclusive, live online event where I help 10 writers like YOU create explosive growth in your commercial songwriting.  I want you to win, and I’m going to help you write songs that artists want to sing, radio wants to play and fans want to hear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN THIS EXCLUSIVE EVENT – BUT THE DEADLINE TO JOIN IS THIS WEEK!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

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, a #1 in Canada, and a top 10 in Texas.  His songs appear on 5 industry-certified gold & platinum albums & singles… so far.  He also hosts a top-rated songwriting and music business podcast called, “The C.L.I.M.B.” which can be found on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.SWP 4

The C.L.I.M.B., Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Song Title Challenge #10: “Is It True”

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON iTUNES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON STITCHER (for Android)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON THE C.L.I.M.B. WEBSITE

Get into my pro songwriting mind!

Johnny takes a title submitted by a CLIMBer like you, and he springs it on me live!  Then I have to figure out how to make it a hit… yikes!  Watch me blow up or flame out.

If you want to submit a title, send it to Johnny at info@daredevilproduction.com.  It’s not a cowrite.  You keep 100% ownership of whatever you write, and you’re free to use any ideas I throw out.  I am NOT a cowriter on this.  Any ideas are simply my gift to you!

If you’re a singer, songwriter or indie artist who wants to grow your career, THIS is the podcast for you!

The C.L.I.M.B. Podcast is live and ready for download!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON STITCHER (for Android)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON THE C.L.I.M.B. WEBSITE

The C.L.I.M.B. stands for “Creating Leverage In The Music Business,” and that’s the goal of this podcast- to help singers, indie artists and songwriters like YOU to create leverage in the music business.  What is leverage?  It’s “strategic advantage; the power to act effectively.”  We want to help YOU make stuff happen in the music biz.

It’s exciting to see how folks are digging the show- and being helped on their CLIMB.  If YOU like it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave a rating or review on iTunes.  Positive ratings and reviews help us to climb the iTunes rankings so more people become aware of the show and we can help more singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you make The CLIMB!The CLIMB iTunes review 3

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

If you aren’t on iTunes, you can listen to the show at our website:

TheCLIMBshow.com

If you have an Android phone, you can subscribe to the show on:

Stitcher

Thanks for your time. It means a lot to me, and hopefully it’ll be a lot of help for you!

God Bless and keep C.L.I.M.B.ing,

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, a top 10 in Texas, and a #1 in Canada… so far.

C4X, Write Like A Pro

Kenny Chesney & Lee Brice hits use this songwriting trick. Do YOU know about it?

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If you write songs that do this ONE thing wrong, it makes you look like an amateur.  But if you do it right… it just might be a hit.

Kenny Chesney did it right in “Don’t Blink.”  Lee Brice did it right in “Love Like Crazy.”  And both songs were massive #1 country hits.  These songs were written by pro writers who applied this technique correctly. But I see this technique become a mistake in a whole lot of songs- and it makes the writer look like a rookie.

Want to learn this hit songwriter technique and make sure you aren’t doing it wrong?  Read on.

________________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

The technique is to sing ABOUT the main character in the verse and then to sing AS the main character in the chorus.

Sounds simple, right?  You may already do this without thinking about it.  But it’s HOW you pull it off that can make your song either much more commercial or much less professional.

Most of the time you shouldn’t mix your pronouns at all.

If you’re singing ABOUT him in the verse, you should sing ABOUT him in the chorus.  If you’re singing TO her in the verse, sing TO her in the chorus. If you mix your pronouns (“him” to “you” or “you” to “her”), you run the risk of looking like a sloppy amateur.

The pros (publishers and songwriters) know how to keep their pronouns consistent. If you mess them up- especially if you do it in more than one song- they’ll assume you either don’t pay enough attention to the details (sloppy) or your craft needs to improve (amateur).

Additionally, it might confuse your listener. If your “you” turns into “her” or “him” becomes “you,” the listener may think a new character has been introduced. Even if they figure it out, it takes the listener’s heart out of the song because their head is busy figuring out your pronouns.

Save them the work and get pronouns right before they hear it.

But sometimes it is commercially wise to mix your pronouns / point-of-view.

For example, in Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink,” written by Chris Wallen and Casey Beathard, the main character is an old man turning 102.  Kenny obviously didn’t want to sing the whole song AS that character.

However, that chorus just sounds SO much better in the first person!

The Lee Brice hit, “Love Like Crazy,” written by Tim James and Doug Johnson, had two main characters.  The first verse tells of a man who had been married 58 years.  The second tells of a man who started a home computer business.  Brice isn’t passing himself off as either one of those guys, much less BOTH.

But that chorus sounds SO much better coming from the first person point of view!

So how did the songwriters pull off singing ABOUT the character in the verse and singing AS the character in the chorus?

They built in lyrical turn signals.

In “Love Like Crazy” they built their turn signal into the first pre-chorus:

“Just ask him how he did it; he’ll say pull up a seat

It’ll only take a minute, to tell you everything…”

And this one into the second pre-chorus:

“Just ask him how he made it, he’ll tell you faith and sweat

And the heart of a faithful woman, who never let him forget…”

In “Don’t Blink,” the songwriters built this turn signal into the end of the verse, right before the chorus: “

Asked him what’s the secret to life

He looked up from his old pipe

Laughed and said ‘All I can say is…'”

In the second verse, the quote happens right in the beginning:

“I was glued to my TV when it looked like he looked at me

and said ‘Best start putting first things first'”

Using the lyrical turn signal is a simple thing, but it’s critical.  If you just expect the listener to know the turn is coming without you telling them, there’s a good chance they’ll miss it.  And if they miss that turn, you could lose them for the rest of the song.

If you confuse the listener, you lose the listener.

This POV turn signal is a great way to get the best of both worlds. The singer doesn’t have to become the main character in the song, but the chorus still has the impact of first person point of view.

Knowing pro techniques like this can make a big difference in YOUR songwriting.  Applying them will help you write market-smart songs: songs that have a competitive advantage in the market.

If you want to dive deeply into point of view as a songwriting craft; if you want learn how to write songs that will get you noticed in the music business, I have a great opportunity for you.

Every Monday night in April, I’m hosting The C4 Experience.  It’s an exclusive, live online event where I help 10 writers like YOU create explosive growth in your commercial songwriting.  I want you to win, and I’m going to help you write songs that artists want to sing, radio wants to play and fans want to hear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN THIS EXCLUSIVE EVENT!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

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, a #1 in Canada, and a top 10 in Texas.  His songs appear on 5 industry-certified gold & platinum albums & singles… so far.  He also hosts a top-rated songwriting and music business podcast called, “The C.L.I.M.B.” which can be found on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.SWP 4

Frettie, WordPlay, Write Like A Pro

Wordplay Thursday #230

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Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a fill-in-the-blank to get you started. Feel free to use it to start off YOUR song.  It could be the first line of your song, or not.  Feel free to change the line up some.  It can be serious or silly.  Whatever gets you going!

“Your love is a _____________.  Somebody call the/a ______________.”

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!

Wordplay Thursday is a fun way to generate new song ideas- and who doesn’t need more song ideas?  If you’d like MORE “creative kickstarters,” join the Frettie.com community today!  In our private Facebook group, I share a handful of creative kickstarters every week.  Plus, there’s plenty more cool stuff for Frettie members!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT FRETTIE!

 

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

The C.L.I.M.B., Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Song Title Challenge #9: “Roommates”

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON iTUNES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON STITCHER (for Android)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON THE C.L.I.M.B. WEBSITE

Get into my pro songwriting mind!

Johnny takes a title submitted by a CLIMBer like you, and he springs it on me live!  Then I have to figure out how to make it a hit… yikes!  Watch me blow up or flame out.

If you want to submit a title, send it to Johnny at info@daredevilproduction.com.  It’s not a cowrite.  You keep 100% ownership of whatever you write, and you’re free to use any ideas I throw out.  I am NOT a cowriter on this.  Any ideas are simply my gift to you!

If you’re a singer, songwriter or indie artist who wants to grow your career, THIS is the podcast for you!

The C.L.I.M.B. Podcast is live and ready for download!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON STITCHER (for Android)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON THE C.L.I.M.B. WEBSITE

The C.L.I.M.B. stands for “Creating Leverage In The Music Business,” and that’s the goal of this podcast- to help singers, indie artists and songwriters like YOU to create leverage in the music business.  What is leverage?  It’s “strategic advantage; the power to act effectively.”  We want to help YOU make stuff happen in the music biz.

It’s exciting to see how folks are digging the show- and being helped on their CLIMB.  If YOU like it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave a rating or review on iTunes.  Positive ratings and reviews help us to climb the iTunes rankings so more people become aware of the show and we can help more singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you make The CLIMB!The CLIMB iTunes review 3

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

If you aren’t on iTunes, you can listen to the show at our website:

TheCLIMBshow.com

If you have an Android phone, you can subscribe to the show on:

Stitcher

Thanks for your time. It means a lot to me, and hopefully it’ll be a lot of help for you!

God Bless and keep C.L.I.M.B.ing,

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, a top 10 in Texas, and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Frettie, WordPlay, Write Like A Pro

Wordplay Thursday #229

2 Comments

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a fill-in-the-blank to get you started. Feel free to use it to start off YOUR song.  It could be the first line of your song, or not.  Feel free to change the line up some.  It can be serious or silly.  Whatever gets you going!

“You’re as beautiful as _____________.”

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!

Wordplay Thursday is a fun way to generate new song ideas- and who doesn’t need more song ideas?  If you’d like MORE “creative kickstarters,” join the Frettie.com community today!  In our private Facebook group, I share a handful of creative kickstarters every week.  Plus, there’s plenty more cool stuff for Frettie members!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT FRETTIE!

 

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

C4X, Write Like A Pro

Here’s A Great Way To Make Your Song Lyrics More Believable

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If the listener doesn’t believe your lyrics, they’re never going to fall in love with your song.  There will always be an emotional disconnect.

So how do you make your song more believable- and more powerful (and profitable) as a result?  Read on.

________________________________

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro, and this FREE ebook will help transform your thinking, your songwriting, and your success.  Get it today!

Click Here For The Book

_________________________________

Here’s the deal.  Believability matters.  It’s huge.  If the listener has the feeling the whole time that your song is just “something somebody made up,” they will have a harder time connecting with your song emotionally.

And if your song doesn’t connect emotionally to the listener, the listener won’t connect financially with you.

The trick is to put small, not-obvious details into your lyrics.  Only, it’s not a trick.  It’s craft.

There is power in finding images that go deeper than the obvious or cliche images.

I had a publisher tell me once, “write about the truck from the INSIDE THE CAB, not from the OUTSIDE.”

Too many writers (and I was obviously guilty of this) write about “the truck”- the situation in the song- from the outside. They describe it using imagery and details that could be used by anyone who isn’t actually IN that situation. Those are the obvious details.  And, usually, the obvious details are the cliche’ details.

Our job is to dig deeper.

 

Dig Deeper

We need to use our memory, our imagination, research, and whatever we have at our disposal (including our cowriters), to write from the inside of the truck.  Here are a few current examples from hit country songs.

“Written In The Stars” by Old Dominion

(written by Brad Tursi / Matt Ramsey / Shane McAnally / Trevor Rosen)

The song is about a guy wondering and asking a girl where their relationship stands.  Is it a temporary fling, or the love of a lifetime?  This girl seems to be playing games with his emotions, and he needs an answer.  There’s a great line in the first verse:

“I see those bubbles pop up like you’re texting then they disappear.”

What a great, small believable image!  It’s great because it’s fresh (I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in a song before), but it’s also believable (I’ve definitely seen it in real life).  And it speaks right to the situation- how she’s seemingly playing games with him.  Killer line.

“Are we names in a tattoo, or just a number on a hand?”

Another great line.  The “number on a hand” image is great because it’s also small, believable, and speaks to the issue.  It’s a great way of showing – SHOWING – that the relationship is temporary.  It washes right off.  And this is even stronger when set against a name in a tattoo, which (while also written on the skin) is permanent and shows a serious relationship.

“Round Here Buzz” by Eric Church

(written by Eric Church / Jeff Hyde / Luke Dick)

This song is about a guy who’s staying put in this small town, drinking and thinking about the girl that left for the big city.  The first verse kicks off like this:

“Another Friday night – There’s a line of cars leaving – Home team’s got an out of towner.”

This does a great jog of letting the listener know it’s a small town.  It’s Friday night football, and the town only has one team.  And the hometown fans leaving for it makes a noticeable change in traffic.  It also starts to set up the theme by having other people leave town while he’s staying right where he is, drinking.

Isn’t that so much more believable and interesting than just saying, “I’m here in this small town?”  Here’s another great detail:

“No, Scotty’s ain’t got no vibe
Got no gas in his neon light”

What a great way of saying this small town bar is run down.  “No vibe” is a more current way of saying it.  (But in this small town, there probably aren’t many options.)  And instead of just saying Scotty’s is run down, they point out how there’s no gas in his neon light.

What a great way of putting a twist on the same old country song bar scene.  It’s so specific yet believable that I… believe it.  Go figure.

Use inside details, but be sure and use details that make sense to the listener. Be inside but not too inside. In our truck analogy, write from inside the cab, which people can understand. Don’t write from so far inside the truck that you’re in the carburetor and only a mechanic knows what you’re talking about.

The examples above are inside, but accessible.  We’ve probably all seen those text bubbles.  We’ve either had a name and number written on our hand, or we seen it done.  If you’re from a small town (the bread and butter of the country market), you know how football rules.  And even if we don’t know neon lights need gas, we at least see a neon light that isn’t lit up and know he’s in a bar.

Less obvious, yet still understandable, details strengthen your lyrics.

Also, keep the images relevant. They should add to our understanding of the characters or story, not just be filler. In the examples above, all those images speak right to the theme of the song.  They aren’t extra little images thrown in simply because they’re cool.  They serve a bigger purpose than just putting a picture in our minds.

Great details often serve more than one purpose.

They put a cool, memorable, fresh or compelling image in our minds.  They also set up or reinforce the theme of the song.

So next time you write, take your time. Close your eyes and imagine the situation. Then climb into the truck.

What are some other songs that do a good job of writing from inside the “truck?” Do you find that this comes naturally to you, or is it a struggle?

Knowing – and APPLYING –  simple concepts like this is how you write stronger songs.  It’s how you write market-smart songs: songs that have a competitive advantage in the market.

If you want to  learn more about how to write songs that will get you noticed in the music business, I have a great opportunity for you.

Every Monday night in April, I’m hosting The C4 Experience.  It’s an exclusive, live online event where I help 10 writers like YOU create explosive growth in your commercial songwriting.  I want you to win, and I’m going to help you write songs that artists want to sing, radio wants to play and fans want to hear.

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN THIS EXCLUSIVE EVENT!

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

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, a #1 in Canada, and a top 10 in Texas.  His songs appear on 5 industry-certified gold & platinum albums & singles… so far.  He also hosts a top-rated songwriting and music business podcast called, “The C.L.I.M.B.” which can be found on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.SWP 4

Frettie, WordPlay, Write Like A Pro

Wordplay Thursday #228

1 Comment

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a fill-in-the-blank to get you started. Feel free to use it to start off YOUR song.  It could be the first line of your song, or not.  Feel free to change the line up some.  Whatever gets you going!

“There’s a _______ in my _______ where my _______ used to be.”

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!

Wordplay Thursday is a fun way to generate new song ideas- and who doesn’t need more song ideas?  If you’d like MORE “creative kickstarters,” join the Frettie.com community today!  In our private Facebook group, I share a handful of creative kickstarters every week.  Plus, there’s plenty more cool stuff for Frettie members!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT FRETTIE!

 

God Bless and Enjoy the Journey,

Brent

The C.L.I.M.B., Think Like A Pro, Write Like A Pro

Song Title Challenge #8: “Beautiful Scars” vs. “Beer Pressure”

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

Get into my pro songwriting mind!

Johnny takes a title submitted by a CLIMBer like you, and he springs it on me live!  Then I have to figure out how to make it a hit… yikes!  Watch me blow up or flame out.

If you want to submit a title, send it to Johnny at info@daredevilproduction.com.  It’s not a cowrite.  You keep 100% ownership of whatever you write, and you’re free to use any ideas I throw out.  I am NOT a cowriter on this.  Any ideas are simply my gift to you!

If you’re a singer, songwriter or indie artist who wants to grow your career, THIS is the podcast for you!

The C.L.I.M.B. Podcast is live and ready for download!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON STITCHER (for Android)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON THE C.L.I.M.B. WEBSITE

The C.L.I.M.B. stands for “Creating Leverage In The Music Business,” and that’s the goal of this podcast- to help singers, indie artists and songwriters like YOU to create leverage in the music business.  What is leverage?  It’s “strategic advantage; the power to act effectively.”  We want to help YOU make stuff happen in the music biz.

It’s exciting to see how folks are digging the show- and being helped on their CLIMB.  If YOU like it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave a rating or review on iTunes.  Positive ratings and reviews help us to climb the iTunes rankings so more people become aware of the show and we can help more singers, songwriters, and indie artists like you make The CLIMB!The CLIMB iTunes review 3

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE C.L.I.M.B. ON ITUNES

If you aren’t on iTunes, you can listen to the show at our website:

TheCLIMBshow.com

If you have an Android phone, you can subscribe to the show on:

Stitcher

Thanks for your time. It means a lot to me, and hopefully it’ll be a lot of help for you!

God Bless and keep C.L.I.M.B.ing,

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, a top 10 in Texas, and a #1 in Canada… so far.