How do you write a song, you ask? Do you start with the lyrics, or the music first? Where do you find inspiration? All questions that I have been asked as a singer-songwriter! You might wonder why you should trust me. The truth is, I am not asking you to. I am not telling you to follow the rules, because there is no such thing as rules in any creative process. (Rule #1: There are no rules, but I will suggest basic ones that will help you on your way). All I aim to do is share some of my “knowledge” with you. Let me tell you something about myself: I have been writing songs for 6 years on my acoustic guitar. I have written over 100 and counting. Some people even say that they like my songs! That gives you no more reason to read my How to, and nor does it make it any more useful. But if you do find something useful, even if it’s the littlest thing, then that makes me glad. It’s all going to come from my head, and my heart – because there is no point in me writing something generic, I want to write about my own experience, hoping that it might help you. However, I do recommend plenty of further reading. I wish you the best of luck.

1. Do you start with the lyrics, or the music first?

The answer is: start with whatever feels natural to you. Personally, I do it all at once. I sit down at my guitar, I strum a few chords, I think about something that’s bothering me, and I start singing. I think about the structure: I will write a verse, or a chorus. Sometimes an opening line comes to me first, and then I will pick up my guitar. Rarely will I have a whole page of lyrics that require music, but this is still OK. If you have written some lyrics that require music, then you need to experiment with chord progressions. Try something simple first: perhaps G C D, or Am C G. I recommend The Song Writing Sourcebook: how to turn chords into great songs. Different chord progressions convey different moods, so think about whether you are creating the right one for your lyrics. Don’t worry if you write a song with only 3 chords. Remember: some of the best songs ever written are the most simplest of songs.

Collaboration: You could always ask a friend that plays an instrument to help you, or even find a youtuber to collaborate with. The youtuber jugnutgut for example, has befriended musicians on youtube that have created music for his lyrics. If you have a chord progression, and need some lyrics, then you need inspiration!

2. Where do you find inspiration?

The best advice I ever read was to “combine inner motivation with outer observation”. (Songwriting for Dummies). What does this mean? This means you can find inspiration everywhere and nowhere. When inspiration is not unexpectedly shocking you naturally, then it is still possible to get out there and find it. You must be determined, and you must look at everything with an open mind. Great advice for any beginner: carry a notepad everywhere you go, and don’t forget to keep one under your bed either. Try reading some of my case studies at the end of the article, to see where inspiration hit for me. But for now, here’s a few ideas:

// Books and newspapers: read, read read // Quotations and poetry // Films // The news // Stories // Nature: try finding somewhere solitary and silent //Your relationships, and heartbreaks: sometimes you just gotta let it out //From that song title you came up with //From the opening line: sometimes the rest naturally follows// From a rhyme // From a bottle of wine, or a cup of tea // Being angry, or sad, or happy // Your dreams for the future // Your soul

3. How do you write a good song?

Think about what makes a song good for you. Think about the hook. This is an essential songwriting term. It is often repetition that makes a song catchy and enjoyable, and the hook can refer to any part of the song that is repeated. The hook can be in the lyrics, or the music (usually both) and there can be more than one: sometimes, the more the better. It might be that you have a main hook; such as that catchy chorus you can’t stop singing. It is here that I will announce further rules:

Rule #2 Remove your inner critic

Unscrumple that piece of paper, and throw your doubts in the bin instead. So what if you write a “bad” song? What’s the worst that can happen? Besides, something you write could come in use later, so always store away your lyrics. Hide them away and pretend you never wrote them if you must. The truth of the matter is that you’re not going to write amazing songs straight away: it takes practice. And in order to practice you must complete songs, and you must continue to write over and over again.

Rule #3 Practice, practice, practice.

I once heard the expression “Write 10 songs a day, throw away 9”. Of course you don’t have to do this literally, but what this expresses is the imperative to just keep on writing. If you come across writers block, then there are a bunch of things you can do to break away from this.

Rule #4 Further reading is essential.
Try the other hub articles on songwriting and buy a few books. Songwriting is an art, something that can sometimes only be sparked by an inspiration that starts in your soul. But I believe it is something that it is within us all, but some of us need that technical kick-start. I believe this is true being someone who has written hundreds of songs, but also read the book Songwriting for Dummies 6 years ago. If you have more questions, I am willing to write another entry, so please do ask. Now, for my case studies.

Case study 1: The Bastard Song

I had just been dumped. The kind of inspiration that lights up your soul, shoots straight to your mind, and moves your pen in wonderful ways. In the Bastard Song, I told it how it was. I strummed the chord sequence G Em Cmaj7 and D, and sung “I’m starting at my phone/I want to call you/I want to say I miss you/Why’d you break up with me, you bastard?” This song had a further 6 verses. However, you might want to try the classic structure first: Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge Chorus. “Sounds like a terrible song!” you might argue. But some people may think that the straightforward anger comes across as humorous, further helped by a subject that so many people can relate to. A successful song performed live, only because some people can shout “You bastard” and let all of that pent up anger out.

Case study 2: Blessings

I was feeling awful about appearance one day. I was on facebook looking at pictures of this “perfect girl”. I also had a crush on a certain boy. I wondered: if I had one wish, what would it be? And out came the lyrics: “If I woke up tomorrow in a different body, would you like me more? There’s this girl you see, as beautiful as anyone could be, and I’m so far from that”. I was playing the chord progression C F Am G, with a capo on the 3^rd fret (My voice feels comfortable there). I needed a chorus. I decided to look up quotations on self esteem and jealously and read the quotation “Jealously is the art of counting other people’s blessings instead of your own.” My chorus was created: “I need to count my blessings, cos I can’t go on hurting, need to treat myself like I would treat a friend, I need to count my blessings.” In order to create a difference between the verse and the chorus I used to the same chords but a different progression: Am G F C.

The art of counting your blessings may seem a bit cliché, but the song turned into a straightforward song, dear to my heart and many other’s. For me, it is conviction and truth that matters in the lyrics of a song, over anything else.

Steph Stephenson

Reminder of the rules
#1 There are no rules
#2 Remove your inner critic
#3 Practice, practice, practice
#4 Further reading is essential