Tips and tricks: Conquering the Songwriting Process

Original songwriting, like the creation of all musical compositions, concludes with the birth of art, and, as such, its value will always be subjective. So, strictly speaking, there is no concrete method for writing a song that will sound “good” to all ears. Seemingly negative, at first, this realization remains the main thing that makes writing quality songs so rewarding. It’s what makes art and originality worthwhile. With that said, there exist many commonalities among the songs produced both in the past and today. Recognizing and understanding these similarities--these songwriting tropes--is invaluable to a good songwriter, both for their quality of artistic output and time conservation. Here are some tips and tricks that I’ve learned or picked up to navigate the often murky waters of writing a song.

1. Writing a Song is NOT Writing a Poem

Good songwriters put a ton of thought and effort into the quality of their lyrics. It is an immensely important step in the process (more on this later). However, it is crucial to understand that a premium song will always begin with a premium musical idea. Before one will ever grasp your lyrical brilliance, they will have already been enticed or turned off by your musical content. The audio waves in the air are effortlessly perceived and will serve as your song’s first impression on its audience. It’s not always easy.. but the most effective songwriters will often elect not to force a prized lyrical concept upon an incomparable musical idea. Instead, they'll hold onto those world-changing lyrical visions, pocketing them until an equivalent musical idea comes along.

2. In the 2020s, Forget Nonconformist—Go for NONHUMAN

The fact of the matter is the internet has changed music (and a lot of other things) forever. Nowadays, almost with no effort, one can instantly share their musical creations with the world! This is an exciting idea. But the problem is that everybody can upload anything. And it seems like nearly that many decide to, no matter how absurdly terrible it is. Your potential audience must wade through this endless over-saturation of drek to find your music, or anything else they might like. It’s an unrealistic and impossible request. One could (and should?) purchase advertisements and pay for more advantageous placement on suggested lists or websites. But the field goes on and on, even among those employing these tactics. The answer: write something that cannot be ignored. Throw out the box. Think outside the universe that the box exists in. Originality is something imitators and fraud songwriters can never produce. Use yours to separate yourself from the pack.

3. Understand Song Structure

Fully grasping modern song structure can help immensely while crafting a song. The general structure of most modern songs is:

Intro (often chorus progression without vocals)

A (first verse)

PreChorus (optional)

B (first chorus)

2nd Intro (optional)

A (second verse)

B (second chorus)

C (bridge/mid8)

B (final chorus, often doubled)

Outro (optional)

Some songs are unique in their structure but understanding this typical method can help in a number of ways. For example, say you have a chord progression with a vocal melody that you love and you’ve identified them collectively as your “verse riff”. You clean up the melody a bit and scat it along with the groove (or possibly write some scratch lyrics like I often do). Once you’re happy with it, you can basically “copy and paste” the idea (albeit with new lyrics) into the 2nd verse. I will say that not all songs employ an identical verse melody in their second verses, but many many more do. It’s worth knowing.

4. Sounds not Words

When you’re writing parts to your song, sing along without words. That came out wrong. What I mean is to try different vowel/consonant combinations to find what will sound the best. Once you find the best-suited sounds to use—the most complimentary to your melody/groove/maybe your vocal timbre—then find words that fit those sounds best. Having poetic lyrics is important, but having the best-sounding melody is crucial to an elite song and will have your song soaring higher.