How I Write Songs

Yesterday I wrote a blog post called Songwriting 101. After I had published it I realized I had more I wanted to say so here is part two of my songwriting blog posts. Today I’ll be specifically talking about how I actually write songs.

I started writing songs back when I was a little kid. I remember the first song I ever wrote was called “What I Like About Monkies” It was for my little brother who was learning guitar at the time. Honestly, the song was both funny and terrible. But in reality, it wasn’t bad for a first try. At least it rhymed.

As I grew older I realized if I wanted to actually write music I was going to need to learn how to play an instrument so I began to learn guitar. It took me 4 years to get good enough to be willing to play in front of people at anything besides recitals. I started seriously writing music two summers ago when a vocal teacher at Camp Electric encouraged all the students in the class to begin writing. (On a side note, I got home wrote a song and I got to play that song for him the next year at Camp and he told me if I were like out on a corner singing that song he would have stopped to listen.)

Overall I’m still learning myself when it comes to writing music but here are the things that work best for me.

1. Pick your sound. Do you want your song to sound happy, sad, are you mad, are you going through anxiety? Different instruments give off different sounds and moods. Even your choice of chords changes the mood.
2. Melody first then lyrics. Lyrics can be made to fit a melody. Melody is harder to fit lyrics to. Picks some chords that sound good together and start there.
3. Pick a feeling. Writing songs based on feelings is one of the best tips I ever received. People relate to feelings and if they relate to the feeling you share they relate to your song.
4. Tell a story. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like stories. If you tell a story using music and people see it happening in their heads you are doing it right.

These are all things I do when it comes to songwriting. Writing a good song is hard and it takes practice. I was 18 before I wrote a song I liked. Keep with it and keep on practicing. If you love something don’t give it up ever! You never know when it might change someone’s life.