Making Songwriting Easier

After some time, I have learned different approaches to speed up my songwriting abilities. A few of them are common, a few of them aren't. This is how I approach every song I write. (Some will soon be posted!)


Listen to a lot of music- I don't mean sing along while you are doing something else. I mean sit down, relax, and put headphones on if possible. Choose a genre of music that best matches the song you want to write. Listen closely to the chord changes, rhythm, instruments. Get to know the real science behind the song. Dig deeper into the backbone of it all. After time, you will have more sensitivity to music and a better understanding.

Once you get familiar with it all, THEN you begin writing. If you play an instrument, try playing along. Even if you can't do it right for the first few times, you will catch on eventually. That is one way of training your ears. Take notes about things that stand out in the songs you like. Is it a big drum solo? If so, try writing something similar to it. Just remember, stay yourself!

Learn Your Scales- This one is crucial. Songs will not make any sense, and they would sound awful if there were no scales. Some songs use the same key through the whole song, but some have a few changes. Finding progressions is very easy once you have learned scales.

Remember, a song will always be in tune if you play the chords of the scales. Lets say you are in the key of C, and you want to change chords. You can use:

C Major

E Minor

A Minor

D Minor

G Major

If you don't know how to play an instrument, learn- I was lucky enough to have piano and violin lessons until I was 17. I was able to pick up a guitar easier than I would if I didn't know anything about instruments. If you have an idea in your head for a song, it's great to just pick up (or sit at) your instrument and make a tune. I imagine it must be much harder for folks who haven't had music experience.

Letting The Song Write Itself- Having a bad day? Having a good day? Something on your mind? Write about it when you get an idea. Let the song write itself. Don't procrastinate and say that you will remember the song. We've all done it, later to forget everything. Write it down as soon as possible. It's usually harder to sit down and come up with a song idea that really has nothing to do with your life. If you are writing something (let's say a child's song called C-A-T) imagine yourself in the listener's shoes (which would be a child). Would the music bore the child? Will it get the child's attention? Always focus on the listener's needs.

More Coming!