I’ve been writing songs for over 20 songs. I’m not a professional songwriter, I have never sold a song, or even tried to. I started writing music because I hated trying to sound like someone else (actually it was because I couldn’t match the original). I write songs, like some people journal or take pictures. It captures my feelings at that time. To me it’s a risk as well as a great honor to have people listen to my music.

Like anything I do, I hate not doing it well, so I’ve delved into the craft of songwriting and taken songwriting lessons with artists like Ben Senterfit, Wendy Waldman, Brian Joseph, Wendy Woo, Celeste Krentz, Jon Vezner, and many more. In 2005, I attended the Song School associated with the Lyons Folks Festival and got to work with Julie Portman, Vance Gilbert, Paul Reiser, Lisa Loeb, Brian Joseph and many little known but extremely talented songwriters. Finally and most importantly, I regularly meet with the Denver songwriters group, who offer constant encouragement and constructive feedback, “that sucks but….”

In my day job, I run a knowledge management program for a research foundation. What that means is that I look at information and find ways to help people to use it. From what I’ve seen on songwriting, there’s lots of information out there, of differing quality, and hard to know where to start for the beginning songwriter.

My goal on this site is to provide some basic information and tips. You could spend days on each subject, my goal is to hit only the high points. I’m also interested in feedback, so please, don’t hesitate to send me your ideas.

Finally and most importantly, remember that these ideas are only guidelines and represent my approach.  Songwriting should be an expression of who you are. What makes you different can make your songs stand out from all the others. If Galileo, Issac Newton, the Beatles, or Bart Simpson chose only to follow the crowd, where would we be today?