Generating Song Ideas

There are many different ways of generating song ideas but one of the best is to be alone in a quiet and comfortable space. Most of the time, a new riff or chord progression pops into your head out of nowhere.

This raw music is great for development and can be turned into a really good song quite quickly depending on your motivation. A particularly emotional event in your life, or an understanding of someone else's experiences can bring forth great lyrical ideas. Lets look at these in some detail;

Creating The Music:

A clear advantage in composing a piece of music is if you are able to play at least one instrument. Guitar or piano are both great. If you have a brief tune in your head that you believe you can develop, then sit down with your instrument and play it.

 

This could be a chord progression, a melody or a riff. Play it over and over again while your mind begins to think of different sounds that can be paired with it. Once you have a solid set of chords that you feel are best, then you can move on and start to structure the song around this.

 

Verses, bridges, middle 8’s. If this process begins to frustrate you then its time for a break. Music needs to come naturally, and it shouldn't be forced. It’s always best not to set a deadline for writing a song as it can cause you to lose focus. If you take a break away from writing the song, your mind will kick in at some stage with a solution to the problem you were having before.

 

Lyrical Arrangement:

Artists who write their own songs always have a deep, meaningful reason for why they have chosen the lyrics that made the song. It is simply not enough to choose words that just “sound good”.

 

Taking a look inside your heart to find a muse in which you can tell a story through is key. Because although the music may be the main part of a song for some, a lot of music listeners pay particular attention to the lyrics and the meaning of the song. Getting the correct balance of both is what makes a song become popular.

 

A story in which many can relate to, coupled with an addictive beat is likely to get a lot of positive feedback and channeled in the right direction can mean success.

Lyrics are such an important factor in your song writing. It gives people who follow your work an insight into who you are as a person, how you feel and what you think about the world around you. It helps shape you as an artist.

One of the best ways to write good lyrics are to jot down something that means a lot to you in words. A past experience with a partner, anything that means something to you and influences you as a person. Then, try to mould this story by altering words, think of different ways to pair sentences and before you know it, you have a great set of lyrics to go with a tune you may have thought up at an earlier time.

 

Hooks/Riffs:

Every good popular song has a hook or an addictive riff. Some have many, others have just one. But the hook in a song is essential to grab the listener and keep them listening.

 

A hook can be vocal or instrumental, or even percussive. This is a recurring event in a song that gives it its identity. The hook of a song is designed to stick in peoples heads. It makes them want to hear it the song again. When people hear this hook they automatically identify the name of the song because that hook is in their heads. Some songs use chords themselves as the hook.

 

Creating a good hook is one of the most difficult parts of songwriting and needs to be given a great deal of thought. Some people can generate these naturally, but most would have to work hard to make it happen. In some songs the hook is hard to spot, but they are always there. And they are what make people remember your song from the first time they listen.

 

Collaboration:

Many artists differ on what part of song writing comes naturally to them. In some cases an artist may have pages and pages of lyrics written down but he/she has no music composed because its extremely difficult to piece together chords or notes for them. Whereas others may have a a lot of completed tracks but cant seem to apply the right lyrics to the music.

 

Collaborating with other artists is always good when starting out. To learn from another artists strong points will prove a great help in the future and vice versa for them. Most serious artists will have plenty of contacts who they can call upon for help with various aspects of song writing that they may find difficult. Collaboration is always the best way to make good music. Most number one hits are written by more than one individual and is a proven way to get the best out of all areas of song writing to consult other people about the things you may find more difficult.

 

To sum up, the best piece of advice to have while writing a song is to not try so hard. If you truly believe that music is flowing through your veins then you don't have to worry much, the music will come naturally to you.

Many writers, poets and song writers will agree that trying too hard will only create a mental block. You could be in the middle of something completely different and a great idea for a song will burst into your mind and then it’will be much easier to develop it.

 

Remember, music has to come from your heart and reflect the person you are inside. There is no need to force anything out, it will all come naturally if you allow it to do so and enjoy the process.