Songwriting Process

Songwriting Process

The following is a collective summary of ideas from TSF members on how they go about the songwriting process..

They are not intended as a definitive guide to songwriting, and some of them are contradictory!

If you'd like to contribute to this document, please post your ideas in the "General" category, and a Moderator can add them here on your behalf.

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  • General

    Tips

    • There is no single songwriting process that will work for all songwriters, or all songs. 
    • Songwriting is a personal and creative process, and whichever way works for you is the right one
    • Some people start with music, others with a lyric, some with a title, others with a concept or angle
    • Don't worry too much about trying to find a new angle, or writing on a topic that's been done before, just write something that's meaningful to you, or that you enjoy


  • Idea Generation

    Tips

    • First is a strong hook and angle , I always google the hook first , if it's been done it goes straight to trash .
    • Ideas for a song are all around you, train your eye to pick them out. A good exercise is to go on a news site. Click on a news video clip and open up your mind to every bit of information on the screen. Ask yourself this question, "is there anything here I could write a song about?' At first you'll only find a couple but with some practice you will find dozens.
    • Look for cues which lead to ideas which form songs: You're in the shop, outside you hear an argument, you look out, there's two men shouting over a parking space. The cue was hearing the argument, which gave you the idea of men fighting, where? in the street of course.
    • A good source is other songs, I don't mean pinching them, just listen for cues you can expand on and take in another direction. E.g. You are listening to Blackbird by the Beatles, you think flying, fly away. high above the clouds, and so on!
    • Just noodling around on guitar or on a piano can bring out ideas.
    • A lot of my ideas for songs come from simply experimenting with chord sequences on my six string guitar. I might come up with just two or three basic chords to kick off with, but it's at this point that I usually come up with my first ideas for lyrics. The rest of the song will usually take shape in much the same way - playing around with the guitar and adding lyrics as I go along.
    • I use a simple NotePad file to store song titles that come into my head. I use a more advanced notebook app to expand on the titles or other idea sources, e.g. NoteCase or Songpress. Pin these to your Taskbar at the bottom of your screen for easy access. As soon as you have an idea or a title, open up the notepad/book and write it down, at this point don't do anything else.
    • Watch Youtube videos of musicians giving lessons or explaining techniques. Learning something new often leads to a new song idea.
    • There are songwriting prompt generators on the web that may spark ideas
    • Keep a collection of notes, phrases, ideas or just titles that could turn into something, and come back and visit them periodically. Don't  throw things away even if they don't appear to be going anywhere yet. 
    • Record musical ideas even if they are only just good licks or part of a song at this point. Otherwise they get forgotten!


  • Lyric writing

    Tips

    • Come up with a great opening line like Truth or Consequences New Mexico
    • Using your list of ideas, go down and for each title stop and think about what each suggests to you, write or record everything that comes to mind, don't be dismissive, everything! Don't spend more than 5 minutes on each. Read what you have written for each, o.k. now, which do you know and/or feel the most about? Select one, next decide what you are going to say on the subject.
    • If you have some sort of musical groove going, and are looking for lyrics, just sing random nonsense over it, and see if a particular word or phrase feels right in a certain spot and then build out from there. A groove will usually invoke some sort of mood and that will guide the lyric.
    • Focus more on the chorus  first. It's going to be repeated so it should have the best lines.
    • It can be helpful if the title appears in the chorus - makes it easier to remember the song title. The last line of the chorus usually carries the most weight so that's a good place to reinforce a title.
    • Pay off the hook with a poignant twist , it's easy to just write lines with no surprises , but harder to twist them with meaning.
    • Keep everything conversational but interesting.
    • If the song has a narrative/story style, then set a context in verse 1: a setting, something that ties it down to something specific. 
    • The story needs to develop over the song, though it doesn't need to necessarily resolve; ie a problem doesn't need to find an answer, but it does need to evolve in some way.
    • Metaphors and strong imagery are often helpful to generate atmosphere and mood. Use a more poetic or abstract style in an atmospheric song.
    • You need to decide from which Point of View (POV) is the narration, who's telling the tale! Keep the POV consistent throughout the song.
    • 1st person perspective "I" can make a song feel more personal. A love song using "I" and "You" can feel very intimate.  'He/She' can add a little distance and make it feel like you are watching a movie scene - often good for narratives.
    • I type my lyrics onto a word document, but everything else is in my head. I'm not a reader so my music is never scored or anything like that.
    • Co-write with at least one writer , it's too easy to miss things writing alone.
    • I have to be diligent on not using dated lines or overused cliches . Kids talk differently now , it's not 1975 .


  • Editing

    Tips

    • A first draft is seldom the best, be prepared to edit and rewrite!
    • This is what you'll spend most of your time on, a bit like proofreading a book. It's not as boring as it sounds! During this process is when you will learn the meat and potatoes of songwriting! Lyrics need to flow just like music to achieve something that is pleasant to the ear.
    • Look for weaker lines and see if they can be replaced without losing the meaning and flow of the song. 
    • Check that the rhyming scheme is consistent
    • Are the syllable counts for each line in a verse consistent between verses - they all have to fit in the same musical slot. 
    • Is the lyrical style consistent? Am I being conversational in one verse and poetic in another? Am I using words that fit the style of my song?
    • Am I using my pronouns consistently?
    • Have I started referring to someone with he/she before introducing them into the song?
  • Rhyming

    Tips

    • Rhyme schemes are just ways in which certain lines rhyme with others, room/gloom, mate/late, etc. There are quite a few variations of how this is done. Some are simple, some are more complicated. If you're just starting to write songs then start off easy. Your verse is 4 lines long, we'll number them 1 to 4, first line is 1 (doh!) Just rhyme lines 2 and 4, 1 and 3 don't need to rhyme. Again to make it easy, rhyme the last words of lines 2 and 4. The important thing is whatever scheme you use, keep it consistent throughout the song. 
    • To avoid your lyrics sounding too monotonous, change the rhyme scheme in your chorus and/or your bridge, if you're using one. Try rhyming lines 1 and 3 in the chorus.
    • When you get more experienced, move on to more interesting/challenging rhyme schemes.
    • Look at the lyric sheets of songs you like and see what rhyme scheme those artists used.
    • Rhyming aids: any tools to help find that right word are perfectly fine. Don't think it's cheating using websites like Rhymezone, dictionaries, thesauri, etc, most songwriters would be lost without them!
    • Near-rhymes often work better than exact rhymes as they offer more alternatives and can feel more natural and less forced. 
    • Having only some lines rhyming, for example lines 2 and 4 of a four line verse and lines 1 and 3 not rhyming is often helpful as it gives more flexibility, but no specific rhyming scheme is better than any other. 
    • Once you establish a rhyming scheme, stick with it. The ear is very sensitive to rhyming and will pick up on any changes from it.
    • Using a different rhyming scheme in verse and chorus (or bridge) will often work well as it adds variation without breaking existing patterns.
    • Alliteration,the repetition of the same sound, can work very well, so if I have two words starting with the same sound I might try to make it three to emphasize that effect.
    • Internal rhymes work well, though try not to overdo them.

    Resources:


  • Song Structure

    Tips

    • Song Structure, just means how the various song sections are put together. There are a number of options, some easy, some hard! Certain types of songs favour one structure over another. In general, there is a degree of conformity but it is far from fixed. If you're new to this, stick with the tried and tested for now.
    • Verse – Chorus – Verse – Chorus – Bridge – Chorus, or ABABCB ( A-Verse, B-Chorus, C- Bridge).  This is the most common song structure in pop music.
    • A verse tells a story, a chorus reinforces a message.
    • The first verse establishes the context of the whole song, but what you also need to try and do is grab the listeners attention in the first line! Asking questions draws the listener in, waiting to hear the answer. 
    • Avoid shock, e.g. "My leg fell off last Tuesday!" Probably turns off more than it draws in.
    • My strongest advice is to copy what works. Study how the pro's do it. Keep everything simple so you can see the picture easier. Take some established songwriters like, John Denver, Dolly Parton, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. Whether you like them or their music doesn't matter, you're only interested in principles. First off, get a list of their most popular hits and get the lyrics for the songs. Separate out those that have a simple 4 line verse and chorus and study how they tell the story and how they get their message over. Once you have a feel for how they do it, try it on your own song.
    • Build the story usually in a commercial structure , they're more popular for a reason , it's proven methods .
    • For a commercial song, it's recommended to get to the chorus within 30 secs - for a non-commercial song, the choice is yours!
    • Try starting the song on the chorus, provided no previous context needs to be established.
    • The ear needs variation from straight repetition, which can be achieved in a number of ways, including instrumental solos, turnarounds at the end of verses, and a bridge. 

    Resources


  • Dynamics

    Tips

    • Change the energy level / volume across the song. The easiest way is usually to separate the verses and chorus, giving more energy into the chorus. If you need a transition in between then that's where a pre-chorus comes in to give it a lift.
    • Bringing in new instruments as the song develops also affects dynamics and gives a sense of the song building. For example, start with guitar and bass, then bring in drums, then piano/organ, and lastly some highlight instrument.
    • Cutting from a high energy chorus to almost silence gives a real dramatic pause to a song.


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