If you really want to learn how to write songs there’s a lot of things you’ll need to know. Let’s say you already have the basics down and now you’re ready to get started. One thing you’ll need to learn is how to free yourself from the everyday confines that inhibit you, keeping you from letting go and writing good lyrics. I’ve taught many songwriting sessions and I’m always asked the same question. It usually goes something like this. “If you could tell us only one thing that would help us be better songwriters, what would it be”? My answer is always the same, “You have to find a setting and time when you can let go of all of your self-awareness so you can write without inhibition which makes you edit yourself constantly. The truth be known, anyone can learn how to write lyrics however, it does take some real discipline and dedication. Writing lyrics is one thing but ultimately you want to be a songwriter.
I actually started out as a guy who chronicled his life through a journal using short stories and poetry. I also learned to play guitar at a very young age. I loved playing the hits like the bands of the day played. You know, typical kid with a guitar and three chords in the 60′s and 70′s. One day I decided to put music to a few of my poems and guess what, it didn’t work. That’s when I learned the difference between poetry and song lyrics. Now, and after all these years, I have a few cuts under my belt. But as a publisher, it’s no longer all about me. It’s all about you!
So you still want to write a song, or maybe a hit song at that? Well join the club because you are not alone. The thing about hit songs is they require a fair amount of talent and a good amount of luck doesn’t hurt either. Almost anybody can learn to write a good song, and the feeling you get when you do is even better when you can make money with it and hear it on the radio. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or an experienced songwriter, here’s a little info on how to tap your personal potential and bring out the songwriter inside you.
Stop thinking about it, and start writing. You’d love to become this songwriting star and earn some serious bucks for your efforts. You think about it non stop and dream of what your life could be like if you did. I call this “day dreaming your life away”! Stop thinking about it and start creating! Pick up a pen and start jotting down anything that comes to mind. Do yourself a favor and make yourself write at least one song per week to start out. Who cares if they suck? Every new songwriter writes songs that suck in the beginning! The magic is in the numbers.
Listen frequently to a lot of music. My good friend whose a published author reads a lot of books. My friends who are songwriters listen to a lot of other songs. As you listen, think about what you like in the song. Try to hear the way the lyrics are formed. Listen for the chord changes and find some that really appeal to you. I’ll tell you this much right now. Your competition isn’t the tens of thousands of songs that don’t make the cut. Your only competition is the very few that do make the cut.
Get technical with it. You don’t have to have a degree in music theory to write a good song, but you should have an understanding of how songs are built. This includes a basic understanding of harmony, melody and rhythm. Harmony, Having to do with chord arrangements having harmonic qualities that blend with both the rhythmic feel and the melody of the song. If you’re a beginner you may want to look at and learn a little about basic major and minor keys. Chords actually pertain to the given key they are working in. Let’s take a look at a typical 1, 4, and 5 chord arrangement. The 1, 4, and 5 chords in any key can be thought of as a basic yet very popular way of writing a song. These three chords will accompany any melody that stays within the given key. However, there are many ways to structure a song. But there is a common sequence found in most of them. I’ll talk more about what a chord is and how a chord is formed a little later. So as you listen to songs, try to identify the different parts. Take a look at lyrics online or in a music book. The parts of songs are often labeled in these places.
Be ready when inspiration hits you. Unfortunately, inspiration doesn’t always strike at the most convenient of times. It’s important that you develop a way to record and remember each new song lyric that pops into your head, regardless of where you are. Carry something with you all the time like one of the inexpensive personal digital voice recorders. Most mobile phones these days have a voice recorded built-in. Or perhaps just carry a pen and pad of paper to record your lyrical thought on. I have a friend who calls herself and leaves her thoughts in a message so she can retrieve them when she returns home.
Learn a musical instrument. Do yourself a huge favor in life and learn some kind of musical instrument. It really doesn’t matter which one as any of them allow you to play melodies for the most part. Learning a musical instrument real isn’t that difficult. The real magic is learning a little about music first.
Never immediately edit. Every once in a while a song will just pour right out of your creative mind with full force. One of those songs we all hear about that takes only a few minutes to write. This happens to just about every songwriter from time to time. Want to know what happens to a good many of them? The writer immediately begins to edit the song and the next thing you know, it’s nothing like the song that originally popped out! Now it’s a song that you spend weeks or maybe even months trying to make work. My suggestion is this; write the song then put it away for at least two to three days before you edit one single word or note. You’ll be amazed what you come back to with a fresh new mind to think with. This is what the pros do as I’ve been told by many of them.
The mood of the song. Be sure to make your music “fit” the story being told. If it’s a sad song you may want your melody to evoke sadness. You can do this several ways. Try slowing the tempo down a little and using a minor chord. Minor chords are simple to make and we’ll talk more about this. If you’re song is happy, use a faster tempo and stick with major chords for the most part.
Write with conviction. A song can sometimes get by with poor lyrics. However, you always have a better chance of writing a really good song if your lyrics are great. Lyrics don’t have to always be serious, but try to stay away from the cliché or ho-hum. Write as if you’re talking to someone who you want to impress or whom you feel some sort of deep emotion. Great lyrics can and usually do appeal to emotions. They should also appeal to the ear. Think of this as “ear candy”. There are a few different ways to do this. For example, words should fit the rhythm you are creating in the song. The way these words sound play an important part as well as some words sound smoother than others (for example, “cool breeze” sounds smoother than “cold wind.”) Allow texture and character of words add to the feeling and emotion of a song. Another important tool for the songwriter is rhyme. There are a variety of ways you can rhyming lines in a song which help tie the lyrics together. You can rhyme at the end of every line or every other line. Your rhymes can come more sporadically if you choose. You can also rhyme within lines for a more subtle effect. There are also other poetic like tools you can use such as “alliteration”. A good example of this would be; “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot”. The “p” sound is repeated. And, “…honesty, promise me I’m never gonna find you faking”). The repeated “ah” sound in “honesty”, “promise” and “gonna”). But be sure not to burden yourself with rhyme! You can get away with making a phrase stand out by avoiding conventional means of fitting it into a song, and you be surprised to know that many successful songs don’t use rhyme at all.
Understand the difference between repetition and variety. Repetition is what makes a song catchy. Like repeated choruses, for example, that stick in our heads even when the rest of a song escapes our memory. It’s also easy to ask people to join you in a refrain, which is many times called a chorus. That’s probably why so many people know just a few lines of many songs. While there are good simple songs that have no chorus and that have the same line length, and/or syllable count, the same rhyme schemes, and the same chord progressions repeated throughout them, listening to them tends to get old fast and people get bored with that. The most common way to add variety to a song is to insert what most call “a bridge” into your song. A bridge is a section of music, sometimes instrumental, sometimes lyrically, that differs in its construction from the verses and the chorus and is usually placed near the end of the song before the final chorus where a verse would typically be. The bridge can be in a different key and use a different set of chords than the rest of the song. However, it doesn’t need to be. The bridge can also have a faster or slower tempo, shorter or longer lyrically, or otherwise be different from the other sections. Sometimes, depending on its length, a bridge is followed by a shorter chorus. Bridges can also refer to the transition between a verse and chorus. This is a common use of bridges.
The all too important hook. The hook is that elusive part of a great song that captures your attention and makes you want to listen to that song over and over again. It’s usually in the part you find yourself singing over and over with when the song plays. Hooks are frequently found in the chorus and many times become the title of the song. Yet, there is no simple recipe for hooks. You’ll likely know when you have one. Your friends will tell you too because it is the part of a song they can not seem to get out of their head.
- In the song “Lollipop”, the hook lyrics may simply be the words “Lollipop“.
- In the Oak Ridge Boys song “Elvira” the hook may be the word “Elvira”. In fact, I’m practically sure it is.
- * Good hooks let people remember your song. Who can forget the song “Over The Rainbow”?
Get rid of rough edges. If the pieces do not fit together, one way to help them is building a transition. Try put all the sections of your song in the same key. If your song suddenly changes in tempo between the two parts, try gradually changing the speed as you enter and exit the section that does not fit with the rest of the song. Try adding a short instrumental interlude that will carry you from one part to the next. It’s possible that two parts should not be in the same song and it could be that you started one part with the wrong meter or wrong kind of beat.
Get feedback. Play or sing your song for people and get their opinions. You’ll probably get a better idea of what they really think after you’ve written more than a few songs. Be aware that friends and family may tell you that your first song is great even if it’s awful because they’re biased. But as time goes by and they hear more of your songs, they’ll probably give you hints like “That’s a good song but…” or “Your last song was better than this one”. Just prepare yourself for a critic in the family who will accept nothing less than a post-produced effort with all the bells and whistles that a band in a studio can offer.
Don’t stop writing new songs. A very well-known songwriter and friend of mine said, “After you write your first thousand songs, go back and write a thousand more. This is where you’ll find your hit”! I must admit, to a point, he’s right though maybe it won’t take a thousand songs. I’ll end with this; practice makes perfect! The more songs you write, the better you’ll get at writing them. And when you’ve written that “thousandth song”, you’ll look back at your first one and wonder where the heck did you get that horrible song from!
Rick Dean
The Dean Of Music Publishing Group
Nashville Tennessee
