How to Write Songs!
by Chris Sparks
If you want to be in the music business, I think the best place to start is songwriting. So you want to know why? First, there is no better feeling of having someone like your recording of a song except when you wrote that song. Well, except hearing it on the radio. But, we'll get to that one later. Oh, except having the song receive a major award. But, I haven't gotten there yet either. OK, so you want to know how to suddenly transform yourself into a songwriter? Well, let me set down the rules.
Rule #1: I will not listen to anyone saying he/she cannot write or write well.
A lot of people think songs just fall on songwriters. Well actually I feel like they do. But the difference is songwriters have taught themselves to think a certain way and to be open to recognizing good song ideas. I know nature vs. nurture. For over thirteen years I have been writing songs. Now I can just be walking through the house and start singing a new song. I write it as fast as I can sing. But it takes a while to get to that point. You can learn to do anything with practice. I learned to sing. You can learn to write. All people have feelings. Put those feelings into words to which people can relate. So that would be my next tip. How do you learn to do this. OK, first I'm not suggesting that you actually start to write songs yet. You need to get a fresh notebook and notebook paper. No where it is at all times. Every time something in life really touches you, write it down. Keep it to one idea every two pages so you have room to expand. Just simply write out your feelings about that particular situation.
Rule #2: Keep an organized notebook of song ideas (anything that really touches you).
Organization of your thoughts is a very key point here. Try to tell the story in chronological order. Then, you should begin to look at the idea from all different sides. How did other people feel? How would certain people feel in that situation? How did you feel or will you feel about this subject at different points in your life? You can see this in my song
"Born To Ride". It starts when he was a kid and goes to the current time. Notice how the song tells a lot in as few words as possible. It also includes the feelings of his father and mom. The chronological approach is also very evident in my song "Grandma's Song" aka "I'll Come See You Another Day". I'll add the lyrics to this one even though it will not be released until the second CD. Shhhh, don't tell anyone I told you:). The first verse tells about me not having time for my grandmother when I was a kid. I keep telling her, "I don't have time today. I'll come see you another day." The second verse tells about her passing on. I wanted to tell her I loved her. But, I guess I'll tell her another day. The third verse tells about her perspective. She tells me that god said to live life right so I can see my grandma another day. This says two things indirectly. One, I know my grandmother went to heaven. Two, it expresses a revelation I had in my life by writing the song. It is always nice to show or imply (not necessarily "tell") what you learned as a writer or what the main character learned. So remember these three tips about organizing your ideas.
Tip #1: Organize your thoughts in chronological order.
Very rarely do people like to hear a story from end to beginning. Although, flashback can be effective in song writing also.
Tip #2: View the moment from several different perspectives.
Decide who's telling the story and who the story is about. It is important to weave other opinions or feelings into the story.
Tip #3: Try to include the lesson of the story.
It could be what you learned or what the character(s) learned. You don't really have to come out and say it. Just imply it. More on this next.
I would also like to give another little tip here on the subjects of your songs. Write what you know. This may be things you experience, known other people to experience or would like to experience. Obviously, writing about your own experiences is easier to do at first. Take a look at my song, "I Can't Write A Love Song". This is a perfect example. I needed a love song for the CD. I'm not in love. So, I can't write a love song. Hey that's it. So I wrote the song in about fifteen minutes.
Rule #3: Write what you know.
OK, so you've got some good song ideas. Well, what do you do with them now? First, you should be learning an instrument or two while you are learning to write. I recommend piano or guitar. The piano is the best tool since you can play so many different parts. Although, I doubt you can carry it with you to demo songs. So, I would learn guitar also. Guitar is also a great tool for writing because it can be very basic. But, it can also allow you to play several parts. Oh yeah, go take some voice lessons. Even your cat hates you:). Seriously, you can't always have a guitar either. So, you should be able to sing your songs without an instrument. Bottom line, you should be able to sing them with an instrument too. A good singer can make a song.
Rule #4: Learn about music and how to play at least one instrument.
OK, so you can sing and play piano, guitar, ukelele and kazoo. Let's talk about putting your thoughts into a song. You've learned that a picture paints a thousand words. OK, I'll buy that. Let's go ahead an apply quote number one.
Quote#1 (The Golden Rule of Song Writing): Words paint a thousand pictures. --> -->
The Steps of Writing the Song.
By this time, you have some really great notes on some true, heartfelt feelings. Let's talk about how to arrange those into a song.
First, decide what the song is about.
Write this at the top of the page and keep it in mind throughout the whole song. This theme should be evident to the listener all the way through even if it is building to a surprise or revealing ending.
Second, layout the structure of the song.
We will get into specific song structures later. For now, know the normal song structure of the music you like. Stay with this structure. Let's not get artistic yet. We'll start basic with verse, chorus, verse chorus, instrumental, chorus, tag. This short structure will make you write more concisely.
Third, decide what each verse and chorus is about. I've already given you some ideas on writing verses in chronological order or from other people's perspectives. Start by writing down what each verse will say. We just want general ideas here. Make sure verse one sets up what the song is about. The chorus should solidify verse 1 and exhibit your hook which may be your title. In the second verse, tell the second part of the story (if chronological). Or, tell it from another character's perspective. The second chorus can be the same as the first or slightly different. The same goes for the third chorus. The tag usually repeats the last line of the chorus. It is great if this is the main theme of the song.
Fourth, go back and decide what each line is about.
Let's just keep it to four line per section for now. Again, pack it in and keep it simple. Make sure it stays with the idea of that section and the whole song.
Fifth, put your thoughts into song.
This is the hard part. Remember to say as much as you can in as few words possible. One of the best tips I can give you here is to just say what you mean. More than likely, you already have the exact words to your song written in each section. Many times, I can take my exact thoughts and put them to music. These are often the best because they are in simple plain english.
Sixth, continue to revisit the song and improve it.
You may go through several versions or ideas. You might change it to a fast song or a funny song. Feel free to write several songs with the same name. You may also want to go back and add another verse or even a bridge. But most important, keep going back to make improvements.
Seventh, always be a student of song writing and music.
Listen to your favorite writers words and determine why they are good. Determine what makes the song so popular. I listen to music constantly. I try to wrap all of my influences into whatever genre in which I am writing. I love country, blues and rock. I love to mix them.
Well, I hope I have helped you here. Keep writing and learning. I have one last tip for you. Remember the term "Music Business" includes the word "business". Read my sections on the business side of music. They talk about copyrights, trademarks, marketing, manufacturing, etc.
Copyright © Christopher Lee Sparks, All Rights Reserved. Please do not repost this article without the copyright information.