Song Writing

Song writing is a very personal thing and there is no set way of writing songs. Some people write songs with very little or no formal musical training at all whilst other people will have some musical training behind them. And, some people simply write song lyrics, others write the music and some people do both.

Most song writers will agree that to write a successful song you need an idea. This may be a musical idea or a lyrical one. Some songs are successful because of their lyrics, some because of the music and, again, some combine the two very well indeed!

So, songs appeal to listeners on all kinds of levels. Some of the more common elements that will help you write a good song include:

A catchy, sing-along or distinctive melody
Lyrics that appeal to listeners (usually on a personal level)
The ability to hook in the listener (both lyrically and musically) from the first listen

Most song writers who have succeeded in this field will tell you that being able to play a musical instrument will help here - even if you aren't particularly good at it. This will help you identify melodies and so on. It might be worth while taking some music lessons or teaching yourself an instrument here.

And, lyricists will also tell you that the key to writing songs is to write as many as you can. Some will work and some will never see the light of day but practising here can be a big advantage. Many successful lyricists will also carry a notebook round with them where they will jot down phrases or lines that come into their heads at odd moments or that they see and hear during everyday life.

Often song writers will end up with a successful song that is pulled together from music and lyrics that they wrote for numerous other songs. They will also generally listen to a lot of music from which their own ideas will form. Adding their own music and/or lyrics that mean something to them is also a good way of writing here.