How To Become A Better Songwriter
Even the best songwriters of the wonderful craft we call songwriting continually work on their songwriting skills with one simple goal in mind; to become a better songwriter.
They know not only that they’re sometimes seen as ”only as good as their last hit song” in the eyes of many music publishers, but that they need to stay on top of their game by studying and implementing new songwriting techniques whenever possible in order to compete with others in the ever-changing business world of songwriting.
If you think your songwriting is a little stale or if you’re in a rut, you can usually break free of this by reviewing songwriting basics and learning a couple of fresh songwriting techniques. In other words, go back and read your songwriting books, go out and watch some live acts performing original songs, and re-connect with your instrument of choice by practicing.
If you’re serious about continually becoming a better songwriter, use this as a starting point:
1. To become a better songwriter, you should periodically review the songwriting basics, from song forms to rhyming techniques to chord structures to everything in between.
For example, reviewing songwriting basics might look something like this:
(a). Reviewing the function of each song section (verse, bridge, etc.), and how each one is used to create a song. I.e., the bridge adds a whole new dimension to your song by changing the melody, rhythm, and harmony before going into the final chorus. If you know basics like these, you can bend the rules far more easily and you can put yourself in a better position to be more creative and original.
(b). Reviewing basic chord structures and formulas for working in any key and expanding your chord knowledge by learning at least 1 new chord every week.
For example: I, IIm, IIIm, IV, V, VI, VIImb5 in the key of of G his would be: G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#mb5 also sevenths: I7, IIm7, IIIm7, IVmaj7, V7, VIm7, VIIm7b5 would be G7, Am7, Bm7, Cmaj7, D7, Em7, F#m7b5. We know that for any given key we could use a combination of any of these 14 chords as a starting point. There are many more chords we can use for any song but that’s a lot of territory to cover, so I will dedicate a whole new article about it sometime soon!
2. You should listen to other songwriters’ songs and try to analyze what makes them successful. I.e., why are there two extra lines in the 1st verse? Why does a particular song begin with the chorus without sounding cheesy? What is the rhyming scheme of the song?
3. If you play an instrument or if you sing, practice!
4. Finally, continually seek out new ways to improve your craft either through songwriting workshops, buying new reference books, and keeping yourself up-to-date with the many informative and “cutting edge” websites like this blog and the ones listed below in the “links” section. Hint: Many Pro songwriters admit to constantly seeking out fresh articles on the web to inspire their songwriting!
If you want to become a better songwriter, the shortcut to success lies in how much effort you want to put into your craft. The information is available, and mostly for free; go out there and grab what’s yours!
