Songwriter Advisor Blog

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?!!!!

Regardless of their level of songwriting experience, all songwriters eventually fall into a dry spell where they find themselves unmotivated with no inspiration to write songs.  Songwriting can be mentally exhausting, and, in its worst form, songwriters can suffer from what I call burnout drought!  Before you get to this point of “slow return” you can take some precautions to totally prevent your mind from getting stuck at the top of the ferris wheel!

The songwriters who are at most risk of burning out are ones signed to music publishing deals when they’re trying to meet their contractual yearly deadline of however many acceptable songs they’re required to submit, songwriters who hold a job while incessantly trying to write songs in their inadequate spare time, and pretty much any songwriter who works really hard on their craft without taking sufficient break time. 

You don’t have to be paranoid that your brain is going to explode, but understand songwriting can exhaust you mentally just like any activity where you’re forced to concentrate intently on what you’re doing.  The constant channeling of brain energy while trying to find an idea or even a word for the next verse can wear a songwriter down over a period of time, kind of like someone who spends hours on end producing music, engineering a song mix, or even merely sitting at a computer working on their blogs and websites.

So how do we make sure we can “jumpstart” our songwriting minds effectively?  The answer is:  by filling our positive minds with positive, healthy energy, and by separating the negativity from our negative buttons located in the part of our brains where we store frustration and helplessness! 

Next time you feel a little “run down” try these songwriting tips to help you break out of your songwriting doldrums:

1.  You are the only one who can truly analyze and find why you think you’re stuck in a rut.  Is it because you’ve been working long hours at your day or night job, and cramming what little time you have left over on your songwriting?  Are you disappointed in a few song submissions being rejected by music publishing companies to the point where you’ve lost motivation?  There are enough different reasons for songwriters to lack motivation, certainly enough to fill another ten paragraphs or so–the point is, there’s no such thing as a songwriterologist–you know, a doctor who specializes in the field of songwriting ailments, so the first step is to be honest with yourself and figure out the root of your problem.  Once you have at least an inkling of an idea of what kind of roadblock you’re facing, read step 2.

2.  Make a conscious effort to stop all songwriting efforts for at least a week–this includes studying songs while you hear them on your car radio, reading songwriting-related books, engaging in any songwriting-related conversation with your peers, commenting on songwriting blogs, etc.  Don’t even pick up or play your music instrument!  Spend time trying to clear your mind as if you’re wiping out all the unnecessary information off of an overburdened hard drive on your computer!  If you’ve already taken this type of break, move on to step 3.

3.  After a week, even if there are other big stressors in your life,  you should feel at least a little relief from stress if not a lot, and only you can tell if it’s time to reconnect with your songwriting.  You will know when you’re ready to reconnect with your craft when you start feeling that burning desire to get back into your game.  Do not proceed until you feel you are ready.  Another week of rest is not going to kill you!  

4.  Now that your hormones are begging for you to connect with your songwriting, your guitar, or your keyboard,  resist the temptation!  Instead, go out and see some live music acts for at least a night or two and just take the music in!  Listen to music on the radio as well as your favorite CD’s, and you’ll find at this point, if you’re in a relaxed enough environment, you can actually absorb the sound in your heart and soul instead of your mind.  In other words, don’t spend your time critiquing the music–it’ll drain the newfound power out of your brain–merely enjoy it!    

5.  The whole process usually takes 10-14 days.  Now you’re finally ready to reconnect.  You’ll find that songwriting and playing an instrument doesn’t seem like a chore anymore, and you’ll be full of fresh ideas springing from the inner depths of your total being!   

The benefit to your health will become obvious, your songwriting will be revitalized, and you’ll be in complete control of recognizing the warning signs and exactly how to break free from this staleness when it happens (and it will happen) in the future.

Special thanks to Ellen Moraskie, Warner/Chappell vice president, who, among so many other things, taught me how to relax my mind and just take in this thing called life when songwriting became stale and ideas were hard to come by.  This article was inspired by, and dedicated to her.   R.I.P. Mrs. Moraskie,  with love and respect,  Orlando.