Ever wonder how pro songwriters can write hit after hit with catchy melodies and great lyrics that seem to flow effortlessly together?
Kinda seem like they have a magic formula or some secret to creating great songs, right?
I wondered the same thing for years. So I set out to find it…and I did!
Hi, I’m Tony and on this page, you are going to learn some secrets to writing great songs and why I’m sharing as much of the music industry’s hit-making techniques as I can.
For 25 years straight, I have been happy working as a professional musician full time.
I was making good living playing gigs, getting to travel, and having interaction with live audiences, (which turned out to be more valuable than I ever imagined)
I started writing songs in 1990 with the first three chords I ever learned on the guitar. It was the kind of passion that gets you out of bed early and gets you to sleep late.
I started my first band in ‘94 and have been making music full-time to this day.
I’ve played more than 5000 gigs over the years and made a living off my passion along the way. And it’s been quite the journey.
And I’m still a super nerd when it comes to all things creative. As well as songwriting I’ve studied acting, been a stand-up comedian, and have tried my hand at just about every kind of creative writing there is.
In a minute I’ll share the crazy story about my own brush with the music industry with my band Peel and our top ten single (in the Irish charts)…
But first, I want to address the “Songwriting secrets” I mentioned above…
Because they are a big part of why this site even exists…
You see, over the years of learning these “secrets”, dozens of books on the creative process and songwriting.
From the good ones to the bad ones, and let’s face it, some are just downright ugly…
I’ve invested a lot of money and even more time into my musical education. From my early days doing “music production & management” at the Kylemore music college, Dublin to a five-year stint on the Canary islands, playing in just about every venue there.
You know one thing I now realize?
There are no “secrets”, just techniques and tools. But you have to mix them with passion and experience…
During that five-year stint in the Canary Islands, I was playing one or two gigs a night to people from all over Europe. I was getting real-time feedback on popular songs throughout the decades.
It was eye-opening. I could see people’s reactions to these songs immediately. And I learned how to craft a setlist that would have people dancing, if I wanted, or listening intently if that’s what I wanted.
It felt like I had gained a superpower. Hundreds of people a night under my command and all through the power of songs.
Then I started to wonder, “what if I wrote songs like that?”. You see, my songwriting had slipped recently. Why? Well, partly because of getting burned by the “industry” (more on that in a bit), and partly because my songwriting skills were underdeveloped.
But back to the songwriting superpower, I was discovering. I started to study the songs and what about them would make people react the way they do to them.
One of my bandmates had a degree in music and I started picking his brain for all his music theory knowledge. I started looking up songwriting tips online (the internet was barely useful back then), and I started to discover great songwriting teachers like Sheila Davis, Pat Pattison, Robin Frederick, and many more.
I started reading about every songwriter I could find an interview on, any famous songwriter that would share their technique. I became obsessed, My passion was back but ten times stronger.
I started writing again. And I had all day to do it. That’s one of the great things about gigging at night, you have all day to do what you want. And I wanted to master the craft of songwriting.
I started to see the commonalities and patterns in the chord progressions, the melodies, the lyrical themes, and the structures. I was writing songs that worked better than anything I did before. And I knew it because I had an audience every night to try this material out on.
Flash forward to 2017 when I was writing music for a small theatre production the theatre group I was in was taking on the road.
I realized I could really craft these songs to elicit a specific reaction in the audience. I thought to myself “wow, I wish I had known this stuff when I was starting out”. Then another thought popped in, “you know there are plenty of people starting out right now that might want to know this stuff”.
I decided to start sharing this stuff on my youtube channel.
This way, I could point people to videos and share how to write a good melody or great lyrics.
So that’s me in a nutshell… The 2021 update, as it were.
But, there’s more…
Maybe you wanted the full story when you clicked on “About”
Like back when I released my first single in 2001, a couple of years before I picked up my guitar and went traveling.
The days were filled with big dreams and a rock n’ roll swagger.
Back when Oasis was my go to band and producers like Max Martin were names I wouldn’t even hear for years to come.
Ok, I’m an open book… Let’s do this!
Rewind back to 1994, I was 18 and had just left school. The rock and roll dream was burning strong and I was ready to take on the world.
I had just successfully auditioned for a place in the Kylemore music college (back then it was called “the rock school”).
I had the pleasure of sharing my time there with talent like
Damien Dempsey, Signed with SONY BMG, is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics to deliver social commentary. Check him out if you haven’t already.
And lecturers like Francie Conway, singer-songwriter, producer, and founder of Satellite records.
I was eager, I had (in my humble opinion) a decent amount of talent and aptitude for songwriting. But I was cocky to boot. I was the type that didn’t need to be taught anything about songwriting because it all came from the heart, and I had heart enough for five.
I had worked part-time in a supermarket in my last year at school. Saved enough for a guitar and quit. See what I mean, cocky. I was so sure of myself that a backup plan made me laugh. My poor mom would try to tell me not to put all my eggs in one basket, but what did she know. (way more than me).
I had gotten a band together, kind of. Me, a drummer, and my best friend that I taught to play guitar. As for a bass player. Well, for us bass players were as rare and fictitious as leprechauns.
To be honest, the others weren’t really as into it as me. I think they liked the idea but obsessed like me, no.
But somehow we stayed together for a few years, getting better. Then all of a sudden we found a bass player and a singer. Well, now there was no stopping us.
We played anywhere and everywhere we could and eventually found a manager. All the pieces were falling into place.
We were starting to make waves. Playing in the top venues in Dublin, supporting bands like ‘Big Country’, ‘Picture House’, and ‘Aslan’. We even got a review in a national paper that claimed us to be “the next Oasis”.
It was just about that time when success seemed to be reachable, the tensions between band members started to ripen. Yep, that old chestnut.
We were courted by a couple of indie labels and even strung along by SONY’s A&R for a while.
But we were impatient and wanted to start releasing music. So we did!
We hit the studio, recorded a single, and released it independently. We all worked our asses off. Our manager went above and beyond what we thought he could do for us.
Getting us spots on national T.V., Radio, newspaper coverage, booking us a tour.
We planned to release the single in January 2001, there wasn’t a lot of music coming out early in the year so there was less competition for chart positions.
We calculated that if we released the single and got our existing fanbase to snap it up, we stood a better than a good chance of hitting a top-five position in the charts for one week.
With the aim of giving ourselves some leverage when approaching record companies.
We planned it and executed it meticulously. Unfortunately, we hadn’t foreseen that the distribution company we hire would do a number on us.
They distributed the physical copies over a two-week period instead of one.
That meant our sales were spread over a few weeks instead of the one big week we had planned for.
Gut-wrenching. We still charted top 20, the single did great on radio ‘call in’ charts and was getting regular play on t.v., but there’s that old chestnut again.
Like so many bands, not long after that, we imploded. I was devastated. And it took its toll for a while.
I stopped writing, hell I even went and got a job in the bank!
Thankfully I saw an audition for a full-time band to play in various venues in the Canary Islands. A couple of friends I would jam with on and off went for the audition and got the gig.
And that led me here, Songwriters Chop Shop. I wanted to share what I had learned about songwriting, build a valuable resource for songwriters that provides songwriting tips and techniques.
Build a community of people who are looking to improve their craft. With how-to videos on lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions Turn Songwriter’s Chop Shop into a one-stop shop for all things songwriting!
Because I think what I have learned over the years is worth sharing.
I think my experience down the road less traveled has put me in a unique vantage point in the songwriting game. So…
Songwriter’s Chop Shop is a website that provides songwriters with help and techniques for writing their best songs.
With tips and techniques on creating lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions.
I dismantle songs that work, so you can build your own.
So come on in and say hello,
Catch you next time,
Tony