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Imminent Imagery (Part 4 of 5 in Writing Hit Hooks Series)

If your songs fall flat and fail to connect with your fans, the problem may be more than alliteration (notice all the f’s in that sentence), though alliteration certainly helps. The problem may lie in the lack of imagery that literally pulls your listeners into the song with you. In

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Writing Hit Hooks Part 3 – Universality

In the first two videos, we covered why great songs begin with great IDEAS that are then crafted in to great HOOKS and supported with great LYRICS and MELODIES. In the second video we covered the power of crafting EMOTION into your song. In the third installment of a five-part

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Writing Hit Hooks Part 2 – Emotion

Want to get more power in your songs? Wonder how the pros hook people into their songs and make their songs memorable? The key is EMOTION. In Part 2 of Writing Hit Hooks, John Chisum shares how you can make your songs instantly stronger by packing emotion in to your

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Think Like a Professional Songwriter

You want to be heard. I get it. You write passionate songs that you just crave to โ€œget out thereโ€ to reach millions for Jesus or to encourage worship. Thatโ€™s a very good thing. God created you to want it because He created you to โ€œco-createโ€ with Him and to

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Great Songs Begin With Great Ideas

What do the greatest songs of all time have in common? Songs that we would probably all agree on as being the greatest whether “religious” or “secular”? If you look backย through the biggest hits of the last thirty years or so, for instance, which songs would stand out and why?

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Encourage Yourself to Songwriting Success

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 I guess itโ€™s because we start our week

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Three Ways to Write “Power Hooks” for Your Songs

Truth is, the success of your song is based entirely on the strength, originality, emotion, and memorability of your primary idea as expressed in the “hook.” Sounds easy enough, but most songwriters struggle to come up with original hooks that pack the kind of punch they need to stand out

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