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!   

In this article, let’s explore a simple method to improve your first verse lines. Remember, your first two lines are the ones that keep the listener interested enough to hear more. You really want the first two lines to directly relate, or at least hint at the song’s title.  Many times, when you give your first verse some clarity the rest of the song follows suit and it makes for easier, more effective songwriting.

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Let’s say the song title is “Don’t Get Carried Away,” and the first four lines in the first verse are:

I’ve been looking at you all night
And I think you know
My intentions can’t be
The answer to your dreams

Not a very clear first four lines! It doesn’t do anything for me, that’s for sure. There’s a lack of focus, and really, the song can take off aimlessly in any direction right now.  So let’s focus!

First, I’ll ask myself what I want the song to be about. Taking the song title, “Don’t Get Carried Away,” I’m thinking maybe this can be a pop or country song. Before I begin, I need to summarize the song’s idea in one sentence. Here are some possibilities:

1. I just met this woman, we’ve hit it off, but she’s not looking for a one-night stand and she wants to retain her respectability at any cost, so she’s telling me to cool it!

2. I’m not ready to commit to a long-term relationship yet, and you need to slow down with all this marriage and babies talk before you scare me off!

Number 2 sounds cool but I’m thinking I’ll save it for another song which means I’ll use number 1 as the song’s idea. Let’s review the first 4 lines:

I’ve been looking at you all night
And I think you know
My intentions can’t be
The answer to your dreams

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“I’ve been looking at you all night” sounds plain and limp. Let’s give that line some life and hopefully everything else will fall into place a little better.

My eyes have been locked into yours all night

Wow, much better!

So what do I want to say in the rest of the first verse?  I want to say I know she’s interested in me, too.

My eyes have been locked into yours all night
Now tell me it isn’t so
Your smile has found me more than once or twice
Enough to tell me all I need to know

Much more interesting and powerful, and quite possibly the start of a solid country tune, written right here in real-time!

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In summary, it’s wise to map out a story line for the entire song, then to break down the story in sections if you have to. Now, I do agree there are times when excellent melodies and lines naturally appear out of thin air!  But if you want to consistently write good songs, get in the habit of mapping out and knowing what you’re trying to say either on paper or in your head before you write it!

Focus on your first verse, make it strong and memorable, and be clear about where you’re going with the song as it relates to the song’s idea. Your songwriting will usually become effortless thereafter!

Lyrics © 2008 SongwriterAdvisor.com All Rights Reserved

It’s actually conceivable to write an actual quality song
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Music is inspired by other music–we songwriters are all a product of our songwriting influences and musical tastes. You’d be hard-pressed to find one great songwriter who won’t cite another songwriter as being their inspiration.  In other words, if you learned how to play your guitar by learning The Eagles greatest hits you are more than likely going to have that Eagles flavor, however slight, show up in one or possibly a few songs somewhere down the line without even consciously realizing it initially. But at some point with all the music filtering in your brain, if you train yourself and just keep on songwriting, you will eventually turn a corner and come up with something totally original by merely experimenting.

Here are some surefire ways to spark your songwriting originality:

1.  While practicing or playing cover songs, concentrate on playing them and singing them in your own style instead of trying to imitate the actual recording.  This can be accomplished in several ways:

a).  Use different vocal phrasing and vary the melody in certain places
b).  Play the song in a slightly different or totally different tempo
c).  Play the song in a different key
d).  Vary the chords used in the original by replacing them with extended chords, relative minor chords instead of major chords(e.g. Em instead of Gmajor), etc.–any chords that add freshness and/or originality to the song!  You’ll find you can even change the whole chord structure of some songs and end up with an effective, entirely original-sounding version of a song.

The bottom line here is that by learning and practicing popular songs you’ll easily expand your chord knowledge and inspire your playing style of whatever instrument you choose.  You’ll even learn new chord progressions that’ll inspire creativity and stay in your subconscious mind as you write new songs.  However, instead of imitating the song perfectly as on the recording, make it your own by exploring your natural ability! 

 2.  Grab a chord book or visit JGuitar.com and begin or continue consistently expanding your chord knowledge.  Knowing at least some music theory is certainly beneficial, especially for jazz music, but it’s not absolutely required.  One of the most important parts in the musical aspect of songwriting is learning chords and how they interact and sound within the key of your songs.  Learn at least one new chord a day by not only learning the fingering, but playing the newly-learned chord until you recognize not only the sound of the chord, but also how it sounds when playing it amongst other chords you know.

3.  Look at your song catalog (completed songs)  and list them under three groups: uptempo, midtempo, slow.  If one or more song categories lag behind the other(s) by a large margin, consider writing the next few songs in that lowest number of songs category, e.g., if you’ve written 15 slow and midtempo songs and have written only 2 uptempo, consider writing the next couple of songs as uptempo songs.  By doing so, who knows?  You may hit upon a totally new, signature sound that blows everyone away!  

4.  Check out your local music scene and you’ll likely find great, undiscovered talent in your own home town that can influence your playing and even take you in a different musical direction altogether!  There are many talented musicians who are perfectly content with not chasing a major label because they’re making a great living playing and selling their own music.  Heck, in many cases, self-contained hometown musicians can make a better living than a major label artist!!! 

If you’re a guitar player, focus on the guitarist and how he or she plays in the context of their music.  Likewise, if you’re a keyboardist, watch the keyboard player and if you’re a drummer, watch the drummer, etc.  Any instrument you choose to focus on while you’re out listening to music has the potential to be the source of inspiration you’ve been looking for to help your originality!  

5.  Take your song catalog and try to listen for similarities between several songs, and ask yourself questions such as:

a).  Are the song intros the same the exact same length (4 bars, 8 bars, etc.)?  If they are, then make a conscious effort to vary the intro length. Try “no intro,” a two bar intro, etc.

b).  Am I using the same song forms for every song?  If so review Inject More Life Into Your Songwriting Pt1.  You may be using the same song forms everyone else is  because it’s “commercial” or you feel comfortable writing in that same style. 

c).  Is my lyric phrasing similar in length or style from song to song?  Vary the length of your lines while you write your next few songs.  You might come across a style that’s totally unique to you.

d).  Have I considered writing a new song with a new instrument or even without any instrument at all? 

6.  If you’re one of the lucky few to be hanging around with proven music industry songwriters, watch and learn how they work.  Pick up their good habits and don’t hesitate to ask them questions when, if at all, possible.  This will help you develop your own personal style as long as you merely assimilate their styles and work habits, and as long as you don’t try to copy their styles.

Most industry executives are looking not only for hit quality songs, but songs and acts that sound original enough to stand on their own!  The same holds true for hardcore music fans!  The truth is, the music world has pretty much shown us everything and “true originals” are extremely hard to find because inevitably, almost every songwriter or artist sounds like and is compared to another songwriter or artist.  If you come upon a great sound that’s totally original you have a distinct advantage in the music industry.  So explore, explore, explore!!!