Subtly Powerful Songwriting Tips

Pat Pattison’s resume is impressive to say the least; he developed the curriculum for the first-ever songwriting major, authored three of Berklee’s online writing courses, and wrote Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming and Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure. But if you need more proof that his status as one of the most renowned songwriting teachers in the world is justified, look no further than the videos that follow.

When you’re writing a song, do you think about the emphasis put on prepositions and other “weak” words? How about the fact that you might be letting the song’s rhythm alter the natural shape of the language?

These elements are so subtle that they’re the last thing on many songwriters’ minds. However, in the below videos, Pat dissects a song that falls into common subtle pitfalls and shows just how dramatic the change can be once they’re corrected.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4