Tips on Songwriting?

[GammaDove 428]

I'm thinking about writing a song. I don't mean like a modern pop song or even a pony based song. Just a song, but I have no idea where to start. Do any of you have any hints, other than getting a Swedish guy to produce it, on songwriting? I would much appreciate it. Thanks.

[Lisa 5,553]

First of all you've got to know what type of song you want to write. What genre is it? How are you going to write it? (On a DAW or with real instruments?) What's the tempo? What's the time signature?

[Taialin 217]

First of all you've got to know what type of song you want to write. What genre is it? How are you going to write it? (On a DAW or with real instruments?) What's the tempo? What's the time signature?

Sorry, CP, but I'd actually not recommend starting like this. At least, that's not how I start! I guess that everyone has their own method for starting songwriting, so I'll just share mine.

 

The most important part of the song—to me, at least—is the inspiration for it. You need a good idea for a song for it to be worth doing. Nice thing about the fact that smartphones have become nearly omnipresent is that you have a microphone on you at all times. If at any point during your day, at any time, you find the inspiration for a song in the form of a melodic nucleus, or a rhythm seed, or anything like that, record it.

 

I find that inspiration is a fickle, effervescent, ADHD thing that will escape your grasp if you don't put it somewhere first. People will look at you very strangely for singing into a phone while on the subway, but if it means that you have your idea somewhere other than your ADHD brain, then that's a good thing. And besides, if when you get home, you find that your idea sounds awful, it probably wasn't a great idea to begin with!

 

After that, expand on your nucleus a bit, and reflect on it. A melody alone does not a song make. What would complement your song? Is it original? Why are you writing this song? Only when you're sure about these questions do you continue with composing your song proper.

 

The reason why I don't start the way that it seems CP does is because the things that she mentions seem like semantics and ancillary information. Generally, when I start with a song nucleus and build off of that, the genre, tempo, time signature, and instruments follow. (The key signature doesn't matter a whole lot. Pick C, F or Am if you don't like sharps/flats in your key signature, though.) If your melody is in 4/4, so be it. If your melody is in 6/8, so be it. If it sounds good, and you're willing to do it, then it's a good idea.

 

No offense, Coco. Just ringing in with what works in my own experience!

[Ponylectric Machine 11]

I agree with Taialin on inspiration. Solid inspiration is great for not only making a song more enjoyable and relatable for listeners, but it can also make a song memorable for YOU! When I go back and listen to songs I've done that were inspired by something, I still can see where I went wrong and should have improved, but it also brings me a nostalgic feeling of that time period when I wrote the song (especially if it was during a time period that I had a lot of fun experiences during; it almost brings me back to the way I felt during that time).

 

Also on Taialin's point of recording the song idea when you get it, I +1 this 1000 times. I can't count how many ideas I've lost because I had them early in the morning on the way to work or college, and by the time I got there, if I hadn't keep repeating it in my head, it was totally gone. If you have an iPhone, I'd suggest the Garageband app. Not only can you play out the melody on a little keyboard, but you can record it too, from anywhere! If that's not an option, try repeating the song/melody over and over again in your head. Eventually, you'll probably just be able to recall it. I do that most of the time, but I usually need to play it on a keyboard to memorize what key it's in.

[Phill 1,287]

I think it's best not to over think things. Usually the best ideas fall into your lap without you thinking about it

[websterhamster 203]

Are there going to be lyrics? Melody or not? The first step is deciding what kind of song it'll be, tonal (having a melody) or atonal (not having a melody, like dubstep for example).

 

If you want to make more songs, I suggest taking a break and checking out Khan Academy or musictheory.net. Knowing even some very basic music theory will make your songs significantly better, I promise.

 

Source: I'm a music (voice) major.

[Plume 922]

Also! Don't get discouraged! Even if your original idea sucks, or you feel like you'll never end up with anything good, keep trying and working at it. The prettiest flowers grow from tender care.