10 Things You Can Do To Become a Professional Songwriter

All the successful songwriters have one thing in common: they live and breathe music. If becoming a professional songwriter is your dream, it's not a sacrifice and you're probably already doing it one way or another. So all you have to do now it keep on with it. How? Here is a list to give you some ideas:


1. Write songs every day. You don't have to complete them in a day but write at least a little. Only 15 minutes a day is much better than 5 hours once a week. Even Lady Gaga said: "Some artists take years; I don’t. I write music every day.” If you write only when you feel like it, it'll be much more difficult to make yourself sit down and do it. However, if it's part of your daily routine, it's much easier to get down to work.


2. Read articles and books about songwriting and artists. Keep up to date with events and who the movers and shakers are in the music industry. Read about other songwriters' creative process.


3. Collaborate. Almost all the songs on the charts were written by two or more people. If you have a co-writer, you double your chances. So find a songwriting partner or partners.


4. Listen to music whenever you can. Always be aware of what's on the charts. You might not be the biggest fan of the artists who sell the most records these days but to be commercial, you should steal a trick or two from them. It doesn't mean giving up your individuality.


5. Learn to play an instrument. Some songwriters write lyrics only and think they don't need to be able to play an instrument. Wrong. Being able to play a musical instrument makes it much easier for you to communicate with other songwriters and come up with lyric ideas that will work well with the music. The Learn and Master Guitar and Learn and Master Piano courses are great for this purpose.

6. Learn music theory. Learning music theory might not be the most exciting thing to do but it will help you a lot in your songwriter career. You'll be able to write much more sophisticated and complex music if you know "what it's made up of".


7. Learn to sing. You might hate your voice now but believe me, everybody can learn to sing. The famous singers' instrument is no different from yours. It's just a question of technique. Try Brett Manning's Singing Success, it has helped me tremendously. You might need to sing on demos or showcase your songs at songwriting events.


8. Learn new words. I saw an interview with Eminem about a year ago. We all know that he is famous for his incredibly witty lyrics and rhymes. In this interview he shared his secret: he used to read the dictionary. Literally. He loved words and wanted to know all of them so that when he writes lyrics, he'd have hundreds of thousands of words at this disposal.


9. Learn to record music. If you're a serious songwriter, you'll need to make demos. You probably won't be able to afford to make it in a professional studio at the beginning of your career. But don't worry, these days you can create professional quality recordings in your bedroom.


10. Go out and experience life. That way you'll always have something to write about.