Music has always been seen as magical, mysterious language. There’s no doubt it has the power to move everyone, but the skill of songwriting is something that anyone can learn. With a few guidelines and a bit of trial and error, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a legitimate songwriter.
First things first, there is no wrong way to come up with a song. Whether you have a poem you want to put to music or you have a catchy melody stuck in your head, go with it. A lot people enjoy coming up with a great beat first. Whatever you choose, remember to consider each aspect carefully.
Let’s say you are strumming your dreadnought acoustic guitar and come up with a catchy chord progression. If you can hum a nice melody over it, you could have a chorus. Remember, the chorus is usually the strongest part of the song, so many times it is easier to come up with a catchy chorus first and work backwards.
Lyrics are a different beast. While catchy melodies are for the most part universal, lyrics are very subjective. Some are dark and scary others are bright and cute. If you need help deciding your style, just take a pen and some scrapbooking papers and write whatever comes into your head until you like something. Then try sticking that line into a song. It will be a great feeling if it works.
A great beat is what drives many a song. Even if you’ve set out to write a folk tune on your Takamine acoustic guitar, you’re still gonna need a rhythm to strum along too. Decide what works best with the melody and with your lyrics. If you have minor chords and sad lyrics, perhaps a slower tempo would work. Yet, speeding it up would turn into into an angry sounding song which may be what you want.
The most important piece of advice is to never underestimate your audience. Although there are no set ways to go about this, just try think what you wouldn’t want to hear. If you your songs starts to sound predictable then change it around. If you’ve noticed it, then others are bound to as well.
So, as daunting as it may seem, great songwriting is attainable for those who put forth the effort. When first starting out, try to consider aspects like lyrics, melody, rhythm and originality. The more you try, the more you’ll realize what works for you and you’ll be well on your way to being a real songwriter.
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