Songwriter Advisor Blog

Is it really possible to learn the craft of songwriting on your own without any formal training whatsoever? 

An autodidact is someone who learns things on their own instead of learning in a school setting from a teacher or instructor.  History has taught us that many genius autodidacts have taught themselves successfully through available resources in a variety of fields.  The list includes Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and musician Frank Zappa just to name a few.

In songwriting there is formal training available whether through college, private instructors, and online one-on-one coaching.  In my opinion, these are good choices if you want to learn the basics in a controlled, structured fashion.  But this type of training can generally be tedious and limit your immediate creativity because you start clinging to sets of songwriting rules established by your curriculum, and you go at your instructor’s pace.  In other words, this is the slow, sure-fire method to developing solid songwriting skills and is worth every penny for some aspiring songwriters.

The alternative is to become an autodidact and learn songwriting at your own pace through songwriting reference books or otherwise, and the advantage you have is you can quickly start experimenting with your own ideas from day one!  Many songwriters will tell you to become proficient at songwriting you need to write, write, and keep writing.  It is conceivable to get your hands on a complete, great book like Six Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs by Jason Blume, to read the book in two days while taking notes, and to be writing your first song on day three! 

Now no one’s saying your first song is going to be spectacular but you never know!  

Songwriting is not complicated at all–as I’ve said before;  It is not rocket science!  Songwriting history is chock full of phenomenal self-taught songwriters (autodidacts) from Brian Wilson to Dianne Warren to Prince, and countless other musical icons.      

If you’re a beginner songwriter wanting to learn quickly for free, check out the blueprint:  Beginner Songwriting Tips to Get You Hooked.  If you’re an intermediate songwriter hoping to refresh your mind and learn innovative pro tips check out this free step-by-step blueprint.