How do you begin writing your first song? Do you start with a melody first? Do you need lyrics right away? Should you know how to play an instrument before you write music?
Yes and No to all of the above. There isn’t a right or wrong way of writing a song. It’s like showing someone how to decorate their room, there isn’t a wrong or right way because it’s their room. Everyone has a way of expressing their artistic selves. It’s not wrong to hang up a plant on the left side of the room, the bed in the middle while the bedside table on the right has a stack of Star Wars books. ( Yes, that’s me ) Do you see where I am getting at? There isn’t a right or wrong way of writing a song, but there are strategies and better techniques to help you finish a song.
I assume you have gone through many blog posts about how to write a song or typed in “songwriting for beginners.” And they probably told you about creating great hooks, finding great song ideas, what a bridge is, etc… Awesome! But you are still questioning where to even begin?!? Well… start here. Of course, if you already know how to write a song or have a songwriting workflow, I encourage you to continue what works best for you and treat this as trying new techniques in songwriting.
1. Keep a schedule and Set a Deadline!
Before you begin this songwriting journey, I need to let you in on a secret that is no secret at all…One of the main reasons why people don’t finish their music is because there is no hurry. There is no push. There is no “LET’S GET THIS SH%@$ DONE!” mentality. If you want to see progress, you need to set aside a consistent time frame and finish what you are setting out to do.
No need to download a new productivity app! Just use the calendar you are using to see on a daily/weekly basis and countdown the days! I also encourage you to share your journey with your friends and family. Don’t be scared to let them down, this will prevent you from actually getting your song finished. Break that fear barrier and get to writing friend!
2. Analyze and Learn a Chord Progression
Analyze
If this is your very first time writing a song. Please do NOT skip this step, especially if you have very minimal music theory background.
Choose one song that has been released on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube…etc. Choose a track that you enjoy and won’t get tired of hearing over and over again. In that same song, I want you to figure out the chord progression. If you don’t know what a chord progression is or have little experience in determining a chord progression by ear, have no fear! Head over to Ultimate Guitar, Guitar Tab Universe, or any music resource that has the chords available for anyone to read and play.
A chord progression is a chain of chords that are in sequence with each other and surround themselves on a specific key note for example… A popular Pop Chord Progression is I- V- vi- IV. In the key of C, the chord progression will be C-G-Am-F. Another example would be a popular Jazz Chord Progression ii – V – I. In the key of C, the chord progression would be, Dm-G-C
Capeesh? If it’s still confusing, you can use the chord progressions I mentioned above!
Learn
After analyzing your song’s chord progression, take that chord progression and learn it with an instrument of your choosing. If you don’t know how to play an instrument, please choose something. It can be bass, piano, guitar, violin whatever calls to you. Piano or guitar are both great instruments to start with. They have the entire Western musical scale on a single instrument. Both can be found for a very cheap price and they are both very easy to start, especially the piano. Remember your goal is to song write not be a master musician. Unless that’s your goal, just don’t overwhelm yourself.
Using your Voice is probably one of the best musical instruments you can use when becoming a songwriter. It’s free and it goes with you 24/7, but if you are tone deaf and sing the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song like a dying cat, PLEASE CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE. No offense to anyone, I believe everyone can learn to sing but getting started with your songwriting and learning how to sing can be a bit of a learning curve. Keep that in mind.
If this is overwhelming. DO NOT GIVE UP! Go ask a friend who has more of a musical background to teach you the chord progression you want to learn. Or better yet, ask them if they would like to help you on writing your first song! Bam! you are learning awesome skills already. #collaboration
Why am I having you learn the chord progression of a song that someone else wrote?
EVERY SONG WRITER HAS DONE THIS, including the pros! When I said there are popular chord progressions I actually mean that musicians, composers, and songwriters have used these same chord progressions throughout their career.
Doing this will quickly get you started on how you want your song to sound. I am not encouraging plagiarism. If you are copying the exact same melodies, lyrics, harmonies, and rhythms then what you are doing, my friend, is a cover of a song and calling it yours. No siree, that is not what I am asking you to do. All I am asking is for the chord progression that has been used millions of times by thousands of famous artists.
Plagiarism is a whole other talk of what it is and what it isn’t. For now, let’s continue with this songwriting session.
3. What you talkin’ bout?
Now that you have a better understanding of how your song will sound, it’s time to find out what the heck your song will be about. I find that if you are both, the lyrists and composer, starting with chord progressions and/or your melodies might be a better start. Again if you feel the opposite and need to write words of passion first, do what makes your songwriting flow easy and fun for you.
Figure out your Title First
For the lyrics to connect with the listener, you need to know exactly what message you are trying to send to the person hearing your song. Finding out what your title will be called first will lay out the entire meaning of your song and possibly help you find the hook of the song. This will get your message across and give your lyrics a great story.
Let’s say you want to write a love song. Okay, what kind of love song? Is it a breakup love song? is it about motherly love? A song about how much you love mangos? or is it about a love you have for someone who you cannot love because they are dating your best friend? (that’s deep) By figuring out the title of your song you will then see the overall theme and story of your song.
Once your title is set in place, write out 1 or 2 sentences explaining what the song will be about. This will keep you focused on what the song is truly about
4. Song Structures Give Little Wins
When I first started songwriting, I never liked having a layout of how the structure of my song would be before writing my songs. I didn’t want to get distracted with rules because I thought that would block my creativity. I believed this was a good start for me as it allowed my creativity to just have fun and play whatever I was feeling that day.
Over the years, I took songwriting a lot more seriously and found my battle with writer’s block to be even more common than when I first started. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had reached a point where my personal life was affecting how I played, how I sang, and how I wrote music which caused me to have a lot of unfinished songs. One night it was an AHA! moment of realizing why a lot of professional songwriters build song structures before writing full songs. To knock out one section at a time. Of course, there are many more reasons why having a song layout is beneficial in writing songs, but this one hit home for me. I began to keep this habit in my songwriting workflow and ended up knocking out one stanza at a time thus having finished compositions and lyrics in a matter of time.
Think of it as a map for a road trip you are about to take. You have a starting point and a final destination. You lay out all the tourist shops, the rest stops, and any other locations you need or want to see before landing your final destination. A song structure has the same layout. You have a starting point and a final destination. This gives the songwriter mental space for when it comes time to be creative and a better picture of what the song is going to be about. Even then, just like on a road trip, things can change. You might decide you would rather have a rest break at a nearby town instead of a random gas station that is off the beaten path.
Same thing with having a song layout you can always change it up, skip a verse come back to it later, take away what you feel does not belong there, or extend the length of an area. Being able to physically see where you are in your song can give you little wins throughout the process. This keeps your creativity fresh, organized, and focused on finishing your songs.
5. Get to Writing
From here it’s pure creativity. You can start either by finding your melody, rhythm, or pieces of words and put them all together.
-
- Find the tempo. As in how fast or slow do you feel this song is going to be? Do you hear the song being more of a ballad or sounding more like the “Girlfriend” song by Avril Lavigne?
- Get a first draft of the lyrics
- What instruments do you hear showing up in the song?
- Do you hear a specific instrument solo before the bridge or Verse 1?
The above is not a step-by-step final list, focus on whatever area of the song calls to you at that moment in time.
Do what sounds good to you!
I want you to remember that everyone’s tastes in all types of music and sounds are entirely different. Overthinking and trying to be perfect will get you nowhere! There is no right or wrong way of blending words and sounds together.
6. Keep a Hook Book or Recording device around
Unless you are still living in the 90’s you should be carrying a recording or notepad app on your phone! No excuses for not having anything to record your words or melodies in.
I would be a millionaire with how many times I received an awesome melody or idea of a song in my head when not at the studio or during a songwriting session. What a tragic and horrible feeling it is to find those awesome few words or harmonies you come up with, end up being forgotten because it was never written down or recorded to remember. So charge up that phone or get yourself a small notepad to carry with you!
I use this as my notebook wallet! and this is the moleskin notebook I use.
CONCLUSION
If you found this useful my friend please comment down below and let me know which step was beneficial for you. Thank you for reading, see you guys next month!