Berklee Online instructor and multiplatinum songwriter Andrea Stolpe discusses how to embrace lyrical and melodic ideas that don’t always agree, using the example of the 1975’s song, “Give Yourself a Try.”

Eric Church’s Grammy-nominated song “Some of It” is a great example of the personal and universal “slice of life” that makes this type of writing tick.

Having a desire to create without the time or process to create it can feel like an enormous burden. The solution is fairly simple: Make a plan and stick to it.

One of the most important techniques you can learn as a songwriter is how to listen critically. We start by breaking the different components of a song into four large moving parts: Melody, Chords, Lyric, and Groove.

Chords are a driving element of many songs. When we’ve got four elements of songwriting to manipulate (melody, chords, lyrics, and groove), it’s natural to credit them or blame them for a successful song. But how do we songwriters find and use great chords?

Berklee Online course author Andrea Stolpe provides 20 tips to help you jumpstart your songwriting process and generate song ideas.

The problem with bridges is we’re often more clear about what we don’t want them to be than what we do.

Great song hooks break boundaries surrounding genre, generational listening preferences, and longevity. Here are five characteristics to consider when writing a hook.

When songwriters write with any regularity, it’s natural to reach a point where many of our songs sound similar. Here are 5 ways out of a songwriting rut!