Preparing To Write A Song
To some, it comes naturally. To others, it requires a bit of work. For some, it requires inspiration, while the next person may just need peace and quiet. Regardless the process, writing a song is truly a work of art. As for me, my inspiration is dependent upon the subject of the song. Sometimes, without plans to write anything, a situation will occur that will influence me to have a quick date with my pen and paper.
So you might think, "songwriting can't be that hard." I mean after all, it's just a bunch of words accompanied by music right??? Wrong! Writing a successful song has to be either catchy and simple to sing, or packed with feelings and emotions for the listener to relate. There are typically the ingredients to what we consider hit songs. In today's society, without much emotion, most songs are just easy to learn and sing. While I do enjoy a song that I can begin to sing along before I'm even done listening for the first time, I prefer to write ones that make you think.
The songs that I write are usually due to something actually happening in my life or someone else. It will either simply tell the story of the scenario or either be encouragement to myself or someone else that may be going through some things. For example, after a long day at work, and my boss may have jumped on me about something that wasn't my fault... I may begin writing a song entitled Time For A Change. I'm sure that I would not speak exactly about my boss and myself, but instead, I would create metaphors that would relate to my situation and would also cater to similar situations of others. In order to write a song like this, I would need to physically place myself in an uncomfortable environment. Now of course the workplace at that point would be uncomfortable, but I definitely can't write the song while on the clock. That's sure to add fuel to the fire! Therefore, when I get home, maybe I would sit in an uncomfortable posture or maybe even set the thermostat to an uncomfortable temperature. This would help me inspire my thoughts for writing because the environment around me would be directly related to the title of the song.
While my method is not the only method for songwriting, it is what works best for me. What works best for you? Think about it for a second. What makes your creative juices flow. According to the article Learn How To Write A Song by Robin Frederick, "If a song genuinely express your feelings, then it's a good song. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks." While I believe exactly what this statement says, we must remember that just because it may not appeal to everyone, it doesn't make it a bad song.
Through this blog, I hope to not only make you think about songwriting from a different perspective but to also gain a new respect and appreciation for songwriters. Go back and listen to your favorite songs and analyze them. Do they make you feel specific emotions? Is it just easy to sing? Or is it the beat and the music that gets you going? After that, maybe consider writing a song of your own. Not with any intentions to publish, but just to better understand the task at hand!
When writing your song, decide what audience you want to reach. What things do they like? What are the popular instruments from their era? Songwriter or not, challenge yourself to write a song in the near future. Think on a Billboard level. Carefully plan it out and present it to some friends and family (the honest ones) and see just how challenging this task can be!
Tell me your views on what you consider a successful song! Thanks for reading!
Source:
http://robinfrederick.com/learn-how-to-write-a-song/