song writing help

song writing help

Songwriting Techniques and Tips

1. Introduction to Songwriting

With the advent of sound recording, it has become an essential means by which the songwriter can communicate his ideas to the listener. Songwriting is often a solitary experience. It is not a given that they will be able to produce songs of high quality. Writers are always looking for new tricks and tools to enhance their writing; the following 4 chapters will be dedicated to this cause.

So you want to be a songwriter? Some of the greatest songwriters had no formal music training – they just started writing and the songs kept on coming. Great songs are essential to the success of a band or artist. The song is the most important factor in determining the success of a recording artist or band. Anybody can cover other people’s songs, but to be a real success you have to be writing your own. Great songs don’t just come out of the blue – they are a result of a finely tuned craft.

2. Understanding Song Structure

Verses typically set up the theme and movement of a song. They are often 4, 8 or 16 bars long and repeat, though this is by no means a rule. A verse is made up of lyrics and often has a “melody” that is the same each time it is sung, though the music they sit on may change as discussed in composing melodies. The verse melody often sits in a narrower range than the chorus melody. This is a key structural device that can build into the chorus giving a sense of lift and direction to the listener.

The deeper understanding of song structure takes years to learn and is often an intuitive process. This section aims to help clear up some confusion about “what goes where” and demystify common practices in popular music.

Structure can be briefly defined as the organization of music and words. It is often through structure that the meaning of a song is enhanced. A well-structured song communicates language and emotions in a way that moves the listener. A typical song structure includes a verse, chorus, and bridge in various combinations. Song structure in non-commercial music is more open and varies widely depending on cultural influences, the individual artist, and the specific song.

Understanding Song Structure

3. Crafting Meaningful Lyrics

Another key aspect to writing meaningful lyrics is your vocabulary. Assuming you are a native English speaker, it is likely that in the thousands of days you have been living and conversing in English, you’ve learned a plethora of words, each with a different meaning. Now think of the songs you hear on mainstream media. You may think the lyrics are simple, but you’d be surprised as to how many “big” words are used in modern songs. This isn’t a shot at the intelligence of the listener, but anything with moderate catchiness will grow on the listener, and they’ll eventually start singing along. By using a wider vocabulary, you are giving yourself more resources to get your point across, and you are able to write lyrics that have deeper meaning. This is not to say you should get out your thesaurus and start every line with “I am,” but it’s an effective tool to use when you want to express something but can’t find the right words. By simple memorization, these new words will become part of your everyday vocabulary, and the change will become noticeable, both in your writing and your speaking. With extensive use of bigger words, it is also wise to keep a dictionary nearby so at any time if you aren’t sure of a word’s meaning, you can look it up. This will help you avoid misuse of a word and its meaning.

This is what songwriters are aiming for. Songs can be written with the intent of being deeply meaningful, and they can also be a string of sentences that sound good or rhyme but have no real intended meaning. This isn’t to say that songs without meaning are bad, but in giving your lyrics purpose, you can create something that will deeply affect someone who listens to it. So before you put pen to paper, decide what you want to achieve with your lyrics. You might want to write a song that’s political and sends a message, you might have gone through a painful breakup and want to use the song as a means of expression, you might want to create a narrative or a story. All of these examples are valid. By setting intent, you are placing an outline for your lyrics to follow, and the end result is a much more concise and focused piece of writing.

In writing meaningful lyrics, the most important step is intent. When you listen to your favorite song, have you ever taken the time to really study the lyrics? Chances are when you have, the song has become even more meaningful to you.

The following guide aims to introduce and assist you in writing lyrics that are not only enjoyable to the writer but those which are understandable, relatable, and actionable. A great song is never forgotten. When a great song is taken to its bare elements, what usually is remembered are the lyrics. Writing great lyrics is the key to making a great song for the listener, and for the writer, a well-written set of lyrics can be a therapeutic release and something that moves the writer on a semi-spiritual level. Lyrics are something that is deeply personal to a writer, and the more you put into developing your lyrical style, the more meaningful the lyrics will be to the writer. So let’s develop your skill, not only for your listener but for the catharsis that you will be undergoing while writing.

4. Creating Memorable Melodies

Rhythmic repetition is crucial in making a melody memorable. If you look at any very popular hit song, you tend to find that it is the rhythm of the vocal line that is remembered and is often imitated, rather than the pitch of it. A good example would be the chorus of ‘Hey Jude’. Now try and hum the vocal line to that melody. Let’s face it, you probably didn’t get very far. But if you clap the rhythm, you will probably do so accurately.

The first thing to do when creating a melody is to start off by at least considering a specific scale. Melodies that tend to wander all over the place and use a variety of notes from various different keys can often sound disconnected or even random as no key has been established. One effective way to make a melody appear more memorable is to have an uneven number of lines to it such as 3 or 5. This possibly works because the melody is not circular and is often more conclusive, so the listener remembers the ending of it.

It is interesting to note that the melody is the aspect of a song which is usually considered the most important element. People often can’t see the difference between a melody and a harmony and would argue that the ‘tune’ of a song is the most important part. The majority of successful songs display a strong and memorable melody in their forefront. There are various things that you can do to generate a memorable melody and there are countless possible ‘formulas’ that you could test in order to see one it works best for you.

5. Adding Depth with Chords and Harmonies

In relation to the triads, chord progressions come into play. These progressions are the order in which you play your chords in a song. Common progressions such as I, IV, V are standard in many genres and sound good to the listener. Good use of relative minors for both IV and V give a nice lift to the song and then back to the root note. Learning and coming up with new progressions will vastly improve your songwriting.

For those who may not know, a chord is made up of 3 or more notes played together. The most common of these is the triad, consisting of a root note, third, and fifth. The most simple chords to learn and play on any instrument would be major and minor triads. A major triad consists of a root note, 4 semitones onto the third, and a further 3 semitones onto the fifth. This gives a happy sound to the progression. A minor chord looks to add a little depth to the sound by taking the third down 1 semitone, giving a root note followed by 3 semitones, and then a further 4 semitones.