How To Write A Song
This lesson will show the beginner songwriter how to write a song.
Keep in mind there is no one set way of learning how to write a song, every songwriter has a different process, but for the sake of the beginner I'm going to explain how I write my songs. Then as you begin to write more and more you will find your own method that works best for you.
Step 1. What do you want to write about?
Before you start messing around with chords and melodies, I find it helpful to have an idea of what I want to write about, this helps me stay focused on one subject and stops my song veering off in too many directions.
You should be able to sum up what your song is about in one short sentence. For example, "A relationship that's on the rocks" or "cheating girlfriend, begging for me back".
Knowing what theme your song is based around is the first step in learning how to write a song, it will help with the future steps of choosing chords and melodies. For instance, if your song is sad you would tend to use more minor chords and melodies constructed using the minor scale.
Step 2. Get A Chord Progression
So now that you know what you want to write about it's time to get a chord progression together. You have two options.
1. Play the same chords for the entire song i.e. same chords for verse, chorus etc.
or
2. Play different chords for verse, chorus, bridge etc.
Both options work perfectly and many successful songs have been written using both methods. Here's some examples you should take a listen to:
SAME CHORDS
"All Along The Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix
"With or Without You" by U2
DIFFERENT CHORDS
"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
"Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" by John Mayer
So lets say you want to use a different chord progression for verse, chorus and bridge. This means you need 3 different chord progressions. Great stuff! Lets start with a verse.
In order to write chord progressions we need to pick a song key. If you don't know how to pick a song key read "how to write music using song keys".
So lets say we are in the key of C. This means we can play "C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor". All you need to do is play around with these chords until you find a progression you like. When you find one, that's your verse. Do the same for your chorus and bridge (if you have one).
That's the foundation for your song down, now you can start working on melodies and lyrics.
Step 3. Creating A Melody
I like to write my melody, well at least a rough version of my melody, first. The reason for this is that when you have a melody sometimes the lyrics just write themselves, certain words have a natural rhythm and melodic tone.
Coming up with a melody is easy enough. Just play your chord progression and hum notes over it. You start to hear a melodic phrase come to life. Sometimes it might take a couple of re-writes but keep at it until you find something you're happy with.
Step 4. Add lyrics To Your Melody
It's time to bring your melody to life by adding lyrics. Read "How To Write Song Lyrics" for some great tips on writing lyrics.
Learning how to write a song is a very individual process so just trust your process and let your creativity flow. There is no right or wrong way of how to write a song so just practice different songwriting techniques and with time, trial and error, you will find your own way of writing songs.
10 Secrets To Write A Hit Song
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What Other Visitors Have Said
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Electric Celebrity
I wrote this song based on the song Celebrity Status by Marianas Trench.
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1.) think of a theme. what do you wanna write about?
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just write what you feel, you WILL come up with somthing.
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when your writing a song,sing from the heart.So if your having a hard time with something, sing about it.Just say what you think of it.
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Keep the beat going , and and make the lyrics make sense
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This helps me a lot, dont know about others. Here's my way.
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