Songwriter Shane Adams with a guitar over his shoulder next to a bridge

Songwriting Tips with Shane Adams

The most important quality in songwriting is melody. In this video tutorial, Shane Adams provides songwriting strategies for making your melodies stronger.

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Tony Trischka on Banjo, Pete Seeger, Steve Martin, and Springsteen

Tony Trischka’s list of collaborators includes Pete Seeger, Bela Fleck, Earl Scruggs, and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, so it’s no surprise that he has been called “perhaps the most influential banjo player in the roots music world.” 

6 Red Flags to Watch for before Signing with a Manager, Agent, or A&R Rep

Now more than ever it is important that artists arm themselves with business smarts and knowledge to avoid falling into a bad or even predatory business deal.

5 Ways to Stop Writing the Same Old Song

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!

A rusty orange sign with white letters that read: MOTEL, against a blue sky.

Songwriting Techniques Using Destination and Object Writing

With these songwriting tips from Berklee Online instructor Andrea Stolpe, learn how to write lyrics using the destination writing technique. 

Berklee Online student Eirini Tornesaki singing into a microphone in a recording studio.

Vocal Recording: 10 Tips for a Successful Studio Session

Recording vocals is more stressful than most other instruments, because the quality of the recording depends on so many factors that are all up to you!

Using Melodics to Make Music Practice Not Feel Like Practice

The key to the Melodics approach is making practice fun and productive, and Sam Gribben is adamant that five minutes of practice each day will pay dividends.

Darlene Love Talks Holidays, Phil Spector, and ‘20 Feet from Stardom’

Whether you know Darlene Love from her smash hit, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on the Phil Spector holiday album, or from her profile in the film, “20 Feet From Stardom,” this Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is a force to be reckoned with. She just turned 80, and she can still bring it, onstage! This 2018 interview with her is one for the ages.

Beyond Elvis: 8 Musicians Who Served in the Military

When you think of famous musicians who have honorably served in the United States Armed Forces, it’s impossible not to go first to Elvis Presley! Photos abound of the handsome, young Elvis in a crisp Army uniform. In fact, the airport was mobbed with screaming fans when he arrived for basic training. Upon being drafted, […]

Tanya Donelly on Belly, Breeders, and Throwing Muses

Tanya Donelly discusses her life in music, including her beginnings with Throwing Muses and the Breeders, and her major breakthrough with Belly, a band she’s currently enjoying a reunion with.