CaityJayMusic

When I first developed an interest in music, songwriting was something I was very keen to break into. However I was 14 or so at the time, and I was fresh from music class where they taught me that the only way to write music is to have a staff, lines on a paper and years of theory under your belt. Ten years and many songs later, I know this is definitely not the case!

So how does one get into songwriting? In truth, there are so many methods out there, and different methods work for different people. I’m going to share with you what I’ve tried in the hopes that it might spark an inspiration. If any of you have some more tips or thoughts, please add them in the comments section below!

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TIP ONE: Have a base.

When songwriting, it’s a good idea to develop what I call a ‘base’. This is the method through which you will construct your song. When I was 15, my ‘base’ was my friend playing random chords on the guitar while I created spur-of-the-moment melody lines on top of what she was playing. Now that I have some guitar skill of my own, I usually play my own chords and sing whatever is on my mind that fits. Trust me - you don’t need extensive music knowledge for this. Theory flies over my head. So long as you can be creative and think of a tune of your own, you can write a song.

There are other base methods to try. Some people use a piano instead of a guitar. Music software can be used, and these can create MIDI chords and melody lines (beware: some of these have a steep learning curve). When I was ten years old, I created songs just by singing melody lines into thin air. Do what works best for you, but try to experiment to keep your mind open as to how you will write your song.

TIP TWO: Seek inspiration.

I personally don’t think you need to have an idea, musically or lyrically, before creating a song. For my song ‘It’s You’, I pulled it completely out of thin air (or rather, from the depths of my imagination) and it happened to be based on a town I had just visited. I didn’t know what I was going to be writing about before I started, but I’m pretty happy with the result.

If you are having trouble starting however, think about something that inspires you. Sometimes the best songs come out of events you have strong feelings about. I remember someone telling me once about a musical couple who broke up before a music competition. They both wrote their best songs about the break-up, and ended up placing first equal with those songs. Kind of a funny and coincidental anecdote, but it demonstrates the point.

In a musical sense, you can absolutely craft a song based around one melody line that has popped into your head. I’ve done it before, and it has the potential to work extremely well.

TIP THREE: Believe in what you produce.

I am guilty of this one. I will write a song one day, be very excited and want to release it straight away, and then the next day I will absolutely despise it. I think it’s a trap that is more common than we realise. I’ve grown to believe that, for me at least, I need to release a song as soon as I write it for fear that the next morning I will bury it and it will never see the light of day.

I think though that if you can honestly say that your song has come from your heart, you can believe in it. It’s true, some songs you produce will be better than others. At the end of the day though, what constitutes a ‘good’ song is so subjective. My favourite song I’ve written is ‘It’s You’, however many people have told me they prefer ‘Going It Alone’ – a song I’ve relegated to the b-sides of my songwriting collection. You never know what people will think, so why not give it a shot?

TIP FOUR: Try new things.

Every musician has a tendency. A ‘tendency’ in this sense means a melody line they automatically default to, or a style to which they subscribe. I think tendencies are worth fighting. If you feel like all of your songs are sounding the same, maybe it would be worth looking into shaking it up and trying something completely different.

When I first began songwriting, sometimes I would try writing a broadway tune or something jazzy just to try something different. I wouldn’t write those kinds of songs seriously, but it’s good to have that sort of practice and flex your musical chops.

TIP FIVE: Always carry a recording device.

This is an absolute staple. I have lost whole songs and pieces of inspiration solely because I didn’t have a method to take them down. Usually the human brain is not forgiving when it comes to tunes you have created yourself. If you think ‘I’ll remember this tomorrow’, in my experience, chances are you’ll forget it as soon as you hear another piece of music.

It’s a good idea to carry around a small tape recorder, or if you have one, a smartphone to make a quick voice memo. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve written a song on a bus before simply with my voice recorder and a rhyming dictionary. You never know when an idea will strike, so it’s imperative to capture it when it does.

TIP SIX: Discover when you write best.

I had a teacher once who told me the following:

“When you are in your prime, you can do an hour’s worth of work in
10 minutes. When you are struggling, it can take 10 hours.”

Do you ever find that you can concentrate, be more creative or have more brainpower during certain times of the day? It’s certainly true for me, and I’ve learned to seek my ‘prime times’. If I’m writing a song and it is a lot harder than usual, I’ll abandon it for another time. If I’m writing a song and it is a lot easier/better than usual, I’ll try to write as much as I can during that time. The human brain can be a fickle thing, and music can either be a fulfilling or frustrating experience. Thankfully, this can be worked around.

TIP SEVEN: Don’t necessarily follow rules.

I mentioned above about how when I was in school they taught us set methods and theories to write songs. If you work best under those types of restrictions, that’s great. For me however, without a shred of musical knowledge or theory aptitude, it was incredibly restricting.

I write on instinct. You can too, if that’s how you work best. If you’re more creative than logical, give instinct a go. Songs aren’t necessarily limited to verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. Try to write where you think your song is leading you.

TIP EIGHT: Consider writing with other people.

I have written most of my songs by myself. I have however, written a couple of songs with other people, and usually other people will suggest things that can defeat your tendency (see above: tip four). I have a song I have not yet recorded that is by far the best song I have in my early catalogue, and that was written with my sister.

Writing with others has drawbacks, however the advantages can definitely offset these. Consider finding some musical friends and making an afternoon of it. Not only can it be very productive, but it’s also a lot of fun too!

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That is what I have learned so far. Do you have any tips? How do you write a song? Anything I have missed? Leave any comments or questions below!