BASIC ELEMENTS FOR SONGWRITING

Have you ever thought about writing a song, but didn’t know where you should begin? The good news is that you don’t need to be a professional songwriter to start. You don’t need a masterful singing voice, expert music studio, or years of experience. All you need is an idea, creativity, and determination to experiment. The more you practice, the easier it will become to write a song.

Start with an Idea

All songs start with an idea. Don’t worry about creating an entire song, start with one idea that interests you. The idea or inspiration can come from almost anywhere:

• Personal experience
• Relationships
• Past memory
• Something you saw
• A conversation
• A feeling
• A melody
• A hook – catchy phrase
• A subject title

What am I Trying to Say?

The song could be about heartbreak, friendship, family, walking through a park, falling in love, success, failure, freedom, or a meaningful moment in your life. Now try to summarize your song into one sentence.

Choose Your Song template

Choose your song structure or template, this will give you a framework to create the song. For instance:

Verse – Verse – Chorus – Verse – Bridge – Chorus

The verse usually develops your song story and provides new information. The chorus holds the main idea and usually the emotional hook for your song. The bridge adds contrast melodically and a new perspective before ending with the chorus. Some songs do not have a bridge.

Take your favorite song and see which song structure they are using. You don’t have to follow this one. But having this structure makes it easier to organize your song.

Writing Your Chorus

Most songs use the chorus as the heartbeat of the song. The chorus is usually the part listeners remember the most. Your chorus could have:

• The main idea – message
• A song’s title
• Memorable phrase – hook
• Strong emotional moment
• A catchy melodic hook

Write The Verses

Once you’ve written the chorus, you have an idea of what you want to say. Writing the verses support that idea from the chorus.

Begin developing your story and don’t worry about perfection, just write your ideas down on paper. Good lyrics combine emotion with imagery, detail, and memorable lyrical phrases. Use specific details in the verses.

Instead of writing: “I miss you,” write “Your old hat is hanging in the closet.”

Create Your Melody

A beautiful melody does not need to be complicated. A simple melody is easier for listeners to remember. The melody is your musical line that carries the lyrics.

• Hum a melody
• Experiment with different notes and chords
• Play simple chord progressions and sing along
• Record spontaneous melodies on your phone

Write and Rewrite!

Once you have completed your first draft, take a break. Don’t be afraid to delete a line you don’t like. Look for opportunities to make the lyrics more specific and interesting. Look for phrases that are:

• Repetitive
• Vague
• Difficult to sing
• Unnecessary
• Cliched
• Unclear
• Too long

Rewriting is one of the most important parts of songwriting. You may discover a verse needs more detail, or the bridge isn’t necessary. Sometimes the best song is hiding inside the first draft. Just keep refining the song.

In Conclusion

Your song may not sound the way you first imagined. Writing a song is a process of experimenting, creating, editing and rewriting. Dolly Parton said she would get up early every morning and write. She has hundreds of songs that never saw the light of day. The most important thing is to keep writing!