How To Write A Song

There are two main ways to find out how to write a song.

1. Try something you think might work, see what happens, try something another idea, see what happens…
2. Read and learn about the techniques used by songwriters who are already successful. Then try to apply their ideas in practice and see which ones suit your style.

If I were you, I'd try the second option. Learning from the masters is the definite shortcut to making it.

How should you go about it?

✓ There are plenty of websites, schools that offer lessons on how to write a song. Find out who and where they are, and it's one of the most rewarding experiences you will have in your songwriting career.

✓ Learning or reading about songwriting is not only fun. It makes it easy for you to master the most treasured songwriting secrets.

✓ When you read about the best songmakers, you'll notice some habits they share. It's a good idea to integrate these into your life. If they work for them, they will work for you.

✓ There are some techniques which help you learn how to write a song that impresses listeners. One of the most important principles is 'your first ideas might not be the best'. There is always room for improvement in any song. The proper techniques help you take your song to the next level.

✓ You've written some songs, now what? You've probably made one of your family members or friends listen to it. They LOVED it! So far so good. But they are not professionals. They don't know what makes songs easy to digest for the listener and marketable at the same time. Your friend or family member can feel that your song is somehow different from what they hear on the radio. But they won't be able to tell you how it's different or what you should do to make it better. What you can do is either do a song evaluation yourself and/or get a detailed song critique. There are professionals and companies that review your song (usually for a fee) and give you advice on how to improve it. Beware though, some of these are scams.

✓ Another way to find out how to write a song is to read interviews with successful songwriters. There is so much you can find out from these interviews. I like to copy and paste the parts which I find the most interesting and keep the quotations together in a document. Then I re-read them every now and then.

✓ Amazing lyrics are one of the most important parts of a song. Good lyrics are usually about an everyday topic. But they tell you a story in a way nobody has. Learning how to achieve this is one of the most useful things you can do for your songwriting. It takes practice though.

✓ To be familiar with song structure is an essential part of learning how to write a song. And you should be VERY familiar with it. There aren't many types of song structure so it won't be such a daunting task. But it's important because a song with no proper structure won't convey the message you want.

✓ Using rhymes in songs is one of the most controversial topics in songwriting. What kind of rhymes should you use? How much? Where? Although you don't write poems, some of your lyrics might sound a little like one. It should sound good if you read it aloud. Just like a poem. Proper rhyme usage has a crucial role in that.

✓ What's a songwriting hook exactly? Where do you place it? How long should it be? How can you emphasize it with your melody? Since hooks are usually what make us listen to a song over and over, you'll be glad you learnt how to create them.