How to Write a Song

Writing a song can be as hard or as easy as you want it to be. It can be difficult to write a song if you're not musically inclined, but if you put in the effort and read this essay you should be able to write a song no problem.

First you need to stop thinking about writing a song and write it! Listen to a lot of different music actively to a lot of different types of music. If you want to write a really good song, you're going to have to work for it. Start today. Commit to writing a certain number of songs per week, the way successful authors commit to writing a thousand words a day. Good writers read several genres of books. Good songwriters listen to genres of songs. As you listen, think about what you like about a song.

You don't have to have a degree in music theory to write a good song, but you should have an understanding of how songs are built. This includes a basic understanding of harmony, melody, and rhythm. Harmony, having to do with chord arrangements having harmonic qualities that blend with both the rhythmic feel and the melody of the song. A beginner would want to look into basic major and minor keys and chords which pertain to the given key they are working in.

Now you have to start writing lyrics, think about something that really touched you or changed your life. That special someone, someone who gets on your nerves, or a bad breakup. Think about it and describe it. That's one of the most important steps of writing a song. You can usually record yourself a memo on a cell phone, and if not, you can call yourself and leave a message of your singing or humming on your voice mail.

This is a way you can hear yourself sing and know if you sound good singing your song. (Hannah, J)

Now it's time to Figure out what you've got. Once in a while, inspiration will hit you, and suddenly you have a full song out of nowhere. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper for a song to surface. Once you get a start on writing and you have a topic for your song, you need to establish what instruments you want to use in your songs.

It's easier to start writing a song by thinking of a topic that can tell a story. Make sure your music fits the story. If it is sad, then you may want your melody to evoke sadness (by slowing it down or adding some minor chords, for example) or you might want to add a twist and combine sad lyrics to upbeat music in order to create a sense of tension and ambiguity .

A song can get by with poor lyrics, and you have a better chance of writing a really good song if your lyrics are great. This does not mean they have to be serious, but they should not be cliché or ho-hum. Write your lyrics as though you are talking to somebody who you want to impress or to someone toward whom you feel some sort of deep emotion. (Hannah, J)

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