StepUp – Songwriting Tips & Tricks

Songwriting 101:

TITLE!
Your title is your biggest asset to your song, It can make or break it.You have to feel your title, you can’t just throw in any words you want. It was to…well fit! Your title must be something that flows from within, and flows good with the song, preferably have the title somewhere in the song. It’s usually in the Chorus, but there is no law saying it has to be!

LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN
To TONS of music, everything from rap to reggae to country to jazz. Exposing yourself to every kind of music will make you a better song writer and make you a more rounded songwriter. I listen to music constantly throughout the day to give me inspiration. If I feel like I’m having a bad writing day I take a karaoke of a song and write whole new lyrics to it and create a whole new song!

WRITE EVERYDAY
Whether it’s a full out song or just a lyric or chorus. Writing everyday will keep your mind sharp and you will improve the more you write. Practice makes perfect, and that means a lot of it! The more time you take to write songs or lyrics the better writer you will become.

EXPERIENCES.
Write about things you know and have gone through. Writing about something that has never happened to you and that you can’t relate to at all will be very difficult, and you won’t be able to express yourself as well and won’t be able to connect to the listeners. When you write about something that has happened to you it becomes a lot easier to make things fit. Try to give it ‘global appeal’ which means to make it a song to which a big range of people can relate to. A subject that is common. Don’t strain yourself over something that you haven’t experienced even if you want to write a song about it really badly. Songs can’t be forced, they come from within.

NOTEPAD OR RECORDER
Keeping a notepad with you at all times is a GREAT asset, or even a recorder if you have one. Lyrics can come out of nowhere and if you have nowhere to write them down or record them, you will most likely forget them. The best lyrics come without notice and almost by accident. Also you can use a recorder if you think of a good beat or chord, you can sing it out so you remember it later on.

BOOKS
…yes books! Books are a great way to expand your mind, there are many songwriting books you can buy that will really help you improve upon your skill. I have bought a few and they really helped me out. Even ordinary books expand your mind and will help you become a better writer.

CATCHY LYRICS
It can be hard but think of things that happen everyday, or something you might say everyday. A phrase that is used a lot will get a lot of listeners attentions and they will remember it easily because they say it all the time.

USING OTHERS TO HELP
You can learn a lot from other song writers, and even other in general. Team up with some other song writers and make a song together. Almost all of the Best All Time songs have been written by more than one person. One mind is good, but 2 is even better!

DON’T BE SO SERIOUS
Don’t get to caught up in the song writing. Try not to get frustrated if you can’t finish a song when you want to. It has to flow out of you. Have fun making a song, if you take it to seriously you will stop writing and it won’t be a fun thing to do anymore. It can be stressful if this is your job, but you have to step back and relax a bit, you could come up with your best song ever by calming down a little.

INSTRUMENTS
Even if you don’t really know how to play one you can just strum some chords and try to come up with something or play some keys on the piano. I got some of my best rhythm and beats from messing around on the piano.

A QUIET PLACE
Being somewhere you are alone and in peace will help you concentrate on your song and it will flow out of you better. If your somewhere around a lot of people it becomes more difficult to concentrate without getting distracted.

DON’T GIVE UP!
If you just can’t seem to finish that song…Don’t give up! Just give it time and a little rest, you can’t force the song out of you, or it will be all wrong and won’t fit together. If you get frustrated and upset, just leave it for another time. You don’t want to turn your favourite hobby, or talent into something you despise!

Kristen G.

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