My Guitar Toolbox

There aren't many pieces of musical equipment you can buy for two dollars that will last more than forty years. My guitar toolbox is one such item. It is the first thing I ever bought with my own money...and I still use it every day.

Come with me now as I reminisce about the origins of my oldest piece of gear. 

Song Switch Engage

I just auditioned for and got a spot in an awesome cover band. I'm totally psyched to be a part of this band, but I now have to learn about 40 songs in a month. I'm feeling a little bit of pressure, my personal songwriting time has vaporized, and I can't stop thinking like a songwriter. I'm a little stressed.


I wish there was some kind of musical switch that I could engage: Writing UP, Performing DOWN.

Songwriting for Dummies, 2nd Edition

The new book "Songwriting for Dummies, 2nd Edition" dropped last week, and guess who is in it. That's right....yours truly: Aaron Cheney of The Song Garage blog. I never miss an opportunity to toot my own horn, but the truth is there are many horns to be tooted in this new edition.

Coyotes, and the Value of Music

I lay awake last night, listening to the coyotes. Their strange melodies and conversations left me wondering why I couldn’t be more like them; content with my own voice, my own music. All the usual doubts surfaced: Does anyone care about my songs? Will they ever come to anything? Why this ache to be heard and acknowledged in the midst of suffocating obscurity? Does my music have any redeeming value at all? This post is my answer to myself.

An Open Letter to Jason Mraz

A while back I got the chance to meet one of my favorite songwriters, Jason Mraz. When he learned I taught songwriting, his response was a skeptical “Hmm…I didn’t know you could teach songwriting.” This post is my response…my rebuttal, if you will.

Consider it an open letter to Jason Mraz.