Songwriter Advisor Blog

Part 1 of this series talked about how to develop lyrical chops by using The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis, and by encouraging you to consider playing either a guitar or piano (the two most widely used instruments used in creating songs)..

In Part 2 of this series, you’ll have enough information to help you learn songwriting quickly and effectively, and you’ll definitely have a distinct advantage over the average songwriter. 

It is not necessary to play an instrument to be successful in songwriting but it does give you an advantage.  An instrument not only helps you work out melodies, harmonies, and chord structures, it naturally opens up another dimension to your songwriting altogether!  Imagine the difference between coming up with a melody and working out an arrangement in your head versus going to the piano or guitar, experimenting with the melody and/or arrangement, and hearing the song develop into something you never would have created without having an instrument! 

To learn or improve the musical aspect of your songwriting:

1.  Let’s review the two main parts of songwriting; lyrics and music.  The music part of songwriting consists of melody, harmony, and rhythm.

2.  Invest in Writing Music For Hit Songs by Jai Josefs as soon as you can!  It is by far the greatest “how to write music” book ever published for contemporary music, and it contains excellent, real-world examples of actual hits and techniques songwriters used to achieve their success!  For this book, you do need to have a guitar or piano/keyboard handy in order to follow the examples. 

In Josefs’ book, you’ll learn how to harmonize with chords in major and minor keys through a foolproof natural music formula in an easy-to-understand format, you’ll learn how to effectively give your music contrast, how to build tension and release, and how to develop melodic ideas just to name a few.

3. Continue writing your own lyrics and melodies as suggested in “Part 1,” and start experimenting with and incorporating some of the chord ideas as well as other principles learned in Josefs’ book such as using chord inversions and pedal points to create bass motion in order to give your songs whatever particular underlying flavor you desire.

4. Pick out a favorite song and find the chord progression used either by buying sheet music or by visiting one of many websites which provide free chords and tabs for educational purposes such as Ultimate-Guitar.com. With your song in hand it’s time to try to determine in which key the songs is written. Without actual sheet music to see the key signature this can be difficult but here’s a useful tip; to find the key listen for the chord that sounds as if it has completely resolved and is at rest in the song. This chord will usually (not always) be found at the end of the chorus if it’s a verse-chorus type song, or the end of the verse in a verse-verse-verse type song.

5. Once you determine the key use the following chord formula built on the tonic note of the key:

I – IIm – IIIm – IV – V – VIm – VIImb5 (e.g., in the key of G, the tonic note would be G, and the basic chord formula would be):

G – Am – Bm – C – D – Em – F#mb5

6. Play these chords in succession and hear how they move up the scale. Notice how they sound similar to the single note scale in the same key, i.e., (single notes) G. A, B, C, D, E, F#

Using the above formula you now have seven chords you can use in any key to harmonize your songs!

So, the music industry secret is right here!  Yes there are other good songwriting books out there and some being written as we speak, but by using these two proven books, The Craft of Lyric Writing and Writing Music For Hit Songs as your songwriting reference books, you’ll have the most solid foundation to build your songwriting upon, just like many pro songwriters!  By the way, there’s enough study material in these books to last you months to years, and you’ll find yourself referring to and reviewing these books throughout your songwriting career!   

One of the questions my readers frequently ask is, “How can I learn to write songs if I don’t play an instrument and have no musical experience?” I usually answer that question with questions. “Do you like music and haven’t you been listening to music all your life? Then of course you can.

But before you start emptying your pockets on songwriting courses and e-books, I’d like to show you the cheapest, easiest, and most effective way by far to get your songwriting on the right track so you can learn how to write songs like a pro!

If you like music, the only thing that’ll hold you back from reaching your goal of becoming a darn good songwriter is lack of information and desire, not necessarily in that order. You’re in luck! I’m going to give you the information but you have to provide the desire.

Like any other career or vocation, in songwriting, what you put in is what you get out! There is no easy shortcut but the good news is you can actually be running up in no time creating songs worthy enough to sing in front of your mirror with the blow dryer as your microphone. Just keep the vocal belting to a minimum until you read the following tips on how to write songs, even if you have no musical background other than listening:

1. Understand there are two main parts of actual songwriting: writing lyrics, and writing music.

2. The first thing you should do if you’re serious about songwriting, is buy The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis. It is super-cheap through Amazon.com and hands down, the bible of lyric writing, and it is one of two books you’ll probably ever need for developing your “lyrics” chops.

While you’re studying this book, start experimenting by writing lyrics and inventing your own melodies no matter how silly you think they may appear to someone outside your comfort zone. To become a great lyricist, you need to know the basics first, and you need to start practicing consistently by applying what you’ve learned. Soon enough your ideas and lyrics will come straight from your heart! Boy, that sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

3. Next, if you haven’t already, consider learning how to play either guitar or piano. Although there are a few highly successful songwriters in music history who never played an instrument, the majority of songwriters do. The good news is there are a handful of good software and e-courses available on the market to give you a shortcut to success in this area. Jamorama and Guitar Alliance are great for learning guitar and are the closest thing to having a real guitar teacher for a fraction of the cost, and Piano Wizard does the trick for learning piano/keyboards.

4. Realistically, after a month or so, if you’re serious about it, you will have probably written the lyrics to your very first song! Imagine the shock and delight on your Chihuahua’s face when you sing it! At this point you should have finished reading “The Craft Of Lyric Writing”, so take some time to look at your lyrics and run it through the principles you have learned in the book, and you may be able to determine some of what works and what doesn’t. By reading and re-reading this book from time to time, songwriting basics will eventually become second-nature to you, and you will be able to recognize strengths and flaws in your songwriting easily.

The building blocks for successful songwriting begin with learning the basics. If you’re an intermediate or advanced songwriter you probably have Sheila Davis’s book, so don’t hesitate to review all the basic songwriting principles every now and then-it can only help!

Now that you have the secret to lyrical success, in Part II, I’ll show you the only songwriting book to purchase (really cheap) to teach you the “musical” aspect of songwriting, and how to use it to your advantage. In the end, you will have spent less than $25.00 on the three most effective songwriting resources ever published by buying them “used and in good condition” from Amazon.com.” You’ll be on your way, in a big way!