So you put the finishing touches on a new tune but it’s missing one key component- the title.

The most popular method of giving your song a name is to use the lyric of the chorus. This is the standard in pop music, which makes for good marketing. Radio listeners who know the hook of a song can find it in iTunes quite easily. But this is not just for the mainstream and there’s nothing wrong with this route.

Sometimes the chorus of the song is an extended phrase of many words. In this case it’s common to use the one or two words that grab the listener the most, or the ones that complete a metaphor.

Many times you might choose not to use any of the song’s lyrics in it’s title. Maybe the song is so mysterious that you want to the title to hint at what it’s about. Or the opposite- use the title to add a curious twist to the story of the song.

Read on to take a closer look at these ideas with lyric samples.

Sometimes a great song can surround and swallow you up in all of its sounds and colors. Using creative instrumentation and serving your song with melodies that fit right into place with one another are a great way to achieve this effect on your listeners. We often hear a complete melody or phrase without realizing the sound is composed with more than one instrument or voice. The instruments are similar in tone, and their parts blend nicely into one another.

Holiday shopping season is upon us and with the state of the economy, this year’s theme is save cash wherever you can. That means getting more bang for your buck. For songwriters and producers who run a home studio, the wish list of hot gear items seems to last all year long. While many of you may be dreaming of a shiny new pro tools rig, a smooth condenser vocal mic, or a trusted name-brand piece of vintage outboard gear, I’m here to tell you that this is the year to think on a smaller scale. But that’s OK, because there are several key pieces that are both essential to any recording studio and also cost under $100.

The rise of the home recording studio has had a huge impact on the way we produce music. These days songwriters have become do-it-yourself recordists with an affordable DAW, a few mics and a pair of monitor speakers. I’d like to share a simple tip for getting the most out of your performance on a recording when you’re playing the roles of artist, engineer, producer and studio assistant all at the same time.