Songwriter Advisor Blog

There are many methods you can use to start to write songs such as playing some chords on guitar or piano, coming up with a melody or hook in your head when you least expect it, listening to a favorite song and writing something similar, etc.; the number of ways you can begin to write your own songs is almost endless!

But have you ever wondered how to really dig into your innermost thoughts, so profound in fact that you have no choice but to write something so deep the fish will be swimming around you and clapping their fins in approval?

The music world is full of shallow lyrics by big-name pop recording artists and many are hits for a short while, but haven’t you noticed in the last few years how forgettable most of the pop songs of today are?  It’s because while the melodies are usually very good, the lyrics are usually poorly-crafted, and the public knows it! So, we hear the songs and love them for being the song of the moment, but we could care less if we ever heard the song again thereafter!

But when a song with substance is released such as Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, the world takes notice!  It’s no coincidence that this song has turned out to be Coldplay’s most successful single to date.  Compare this song to others on the top 40 charts, and you’ll immediately hear and see the difference.

In order to write songs with feeling, follow this example of a common pop idea:

1. Write and map out an interesting, original idea or story for your song.  Ask yourself questions such as, “What opinion or feeling do I want to express in this song?” “Who are the characters in my song?”

2. Then, make a list of what you want each song section to be about starting with the first verse all the way to the last chorus, and write any words or phrases that come to your mind
that may describe each section.
For example,

1st Verse:
You don’t understand how complicated this situation is becoming.
Words/phrases:  confused, complicated, I’m sorry this happened  

Prechorus:
You and I are getting in too deep and I fear we’re getting close
to a point where there’s no turning back.
Words/phrases:  drowning, return, scared 

Chorus:
Stay away from me; although it hurts, this is how it has to be,
and there’s nothing you can do or say to change my mind.
words/phrases:  memory, the past, the truth, be real

Continue for every section of your song.

Then make a word list by accessing http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/rhymezone.html and expand your words and phrases for each section before committing to writing the lyrics.

You’ll find using this method will allow you to learn how to write songs with much more focus than if you simply come up with line after line as you go.  It could mean the difference between a “so-so” song and a great one! 

One of the most frequent questions I inevitably receive when I’m in a group of friends or in a family gathering is, “Hey Dude, I heard you’re into songwriting.  How’s your blog coming along?  What’s the best way to learn songwriting without spending too much?”  These questions usually come from folks who’ve been closet songwriters, dabbling a little here and there, secretly hoping they can write the next Beyonce hit without any guidance or training whatsoever. 

It’s a mistake to try to tackle songwriting without any basic songwriting knowledge.  It’s kinda’ like blindly walking into a snowstorm hoping you’ll eventually survive and come out the other end, still alive.  Well, maybe not that drastic, but you do need to know what you’re doing and facing so you can have the best chance at continually improving.  You can accomplish this by studying the basics of your songwriting craft and eventually knowing how to gauge your work as well as other songwriters’ work for your improvement. 

It’s true, in pop music, virtually anyone can pull a hit out of a hat but I guarantee you the majority of those one-hit wonders with no training had a tough time placing a second song.  I don’t know anyone in this music industry who’s wanted to be here-today-gone-tomorrow!       

For those of you who’d like to but are unsure about whether or not you can become good songwriters, believe it! Songwriting is a little part natural talent and a whole lot of craft through uncomplicated training. It’s more about getting out there and just doing it than wondering why it is that you’ll never have the talent to blow people away like John Mayer.  How do you know if you haven’t tried?

The training I’m talking about is through websites and blogs like this one or the ones listed in this blog’s footer (see Network Links below). All you have to know is what to look for. There’s plenty of information on how to write songs out there so I’m going to give you the keywords to get started.

To start quickly learning, aside from “songwriting,” “write songs,”, “how to write songs,”, and “songwriting help,” these are the terms and songwriting principles you can type into your web browser:

1. song hook
2. song verse
3. song chorus
4. guitar chords
5. piano chords
6. song bridge
7. song forms
8. rhythm
9. harmony
10. melody
11. how to write lyrics
12. Prechorus
13. rhyming

For example: I took the first entry “song hook,” typed it into the google browser and the first entry was Hook (music) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  This entry pretty much explained the whole concept of what a “song hook” is.

Take each term and read as many website entries as possible and before long you’ll have a pretty good understanding of basic songwriting principles.  Little by little, you’ll see how the pieces of the puzzle start coming together.

Remember, these keywords are merely a starting point and should definitely get you going in the right direction.

Learning the craft of songwriting is very much about gathering information bits at a time, applying it immediately whether you sing or play an instrument, and figuring out where and how you can progressively make improvements. It is conceivable for a newbie songwriter to be creating pretty darn good songs within a year of songwriting training.  As far as writings for Beyonce, I don’t know, maybe that’s a longshot (not impossible).  Hey, does anyone have connections with Beyonce out there?!!!!