Assuming you want to be the best songwriter you can be, there are certain habits you need to form if you’re going to improve.
Too many people blame great songwriting on talent. I beg to differ.
You can improve your songwriting. But you need to add some habits to your life. Without them, your songs will stagnate.
I don’t claim to be the greatest songwriter who ever lived, but I’m committed to the craft. I’m committed to learning and observing and becoming better.
Here’s are 7 tips:
1. Study Songwriters
Stop trying to be original. Instead, listen to successful writers. Take notes and observe what techniques they use.
What makes their songs successful? Then go and test it out. Without plagiarizing their content, mirror what they do. Put your own spin on their template. This will cause you to grow like crazy.
2. Critique Less, Just Write
How about this for advice: in the beginning stages of writing a song, add as many cliches as possible. Go to town with the cliches. Use and abuse them in your first draft.
Here’s why: we critique too early. There are phases to writing a song. If you critique before you get your ideas out there, you’ll kill your song before it has a chance to develop.
3. Hold Your Ideas Loosely
We’ve all used the hyper-spiritual songwriting trump: “God gave me this song. I’m not changing it.” BS. Don’t blame your lack of hard work on God.
I once heard Brian Doerksen say, “God gives the seed. It’s our responsibility to see it grow.” God may have given you a song idea, but the song is now in your hands. The hard work has begun. Hold your ideas loosely and don’t take them too seriously. Be open to change.
4. Generate Tons Of Ideas
The more the better. The more crappy ideas you draft, the greater the chance you’ll have of producing a diamond in the rough. Capture your ideas (I use Evernote). Don’t discount any idea. You may return to one in a couple years and turn it into something brilliant.
If all you’re doing is writing one song a week or one song a month and utilizing all your first ideas, you’ll have weak songs. Generate ideas all the time. Look for inspiration everywhere and capture it.
5. Co-writing
We all have our comfortable chord progressions – our common themes. We reside in our comfort zones. That’s why we need to co-write. Nothing will be more frustrating and beneficial than co-songwriting.
But don’t just co-write with anyone. Some co-writes will be a waste of your time. Aim for those who have experience – someone who is better than you. If you’re great at lyric writing, find someone with a better ear for melody. If you typically write worship songs, try writing with someone who’s great at a different genre. It’s amazing what you can learn.
6. Write What You Live
A challenge for all creatives is to create art that stems from our lives. Do you live a life beyond your computer screen? Are you investing in relationships beyond Facebook and Twitter?
That’s where the true artistic gold resides – beneath the surface of your beautiful, fractured life. Write what you live rather than just trying to live what you write.
7. Put It Out There
There comes a time when you need to arise from the shadows. You need to put your songs out there. Great songwriters don’t just write and sing their songs to themselves. They give themselves deadlines and eventually release it.
Whether through a recording, or singing it in church, or performing it at a concert, they ship it. Even though they could tweak for a few more years, they say enough is enough.
Don’t keep it hidden. Find a way to put it out there. Soon.
Question: What else makes you a better songwriter? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
All of these are sound advice, 2 more I’d like to add are:
– Take feedback from other songwriters
– Write from the heart first and then apply technique. Too often a song gets lost in trying to make it a ‘hit.’
Good additions Victor. Taking criticism can be tough sometimes because we can take it as “not good enough”, which I guess is a flesh-ish filter. But, it’s something we must learn to do. And I agree with the technique thing. It’s like getting caught up in things that sometimes don’t matter at all.
Write from the heart. Great advice, Gangai. As for feedback, how does that work for you? Do you take advice from anyone or only a select few?
Most times it’s a select few…starting with my wife.
Once I tried posting a song in a songwriting forum and I did get some good feedback, so that can also work. It’s personal preference I guess.
A songwriter should also develop a really thick skin for this…a work-of-art for the songwriter can potentially be a lousy song in public!
I think this post is more insightful than it seems at first glance. But this applies to many things really, not just songwriting. When we do get a chance to write, our worship pastor will most of the time have lyrics, but he usually looks at me and says “ok, now write a cool riff for that” to which I laugh and say “haha, ok sure”. But God moves and it usually comes out better than I could think. All that to say, from a musician standpoint, I use many of the same techniques.
What guitarists/drummers/keyboardists interest me?
Just play, play, play. Something will emerge that fits the lyrics.
Hold on loosely -> Show people how to play your riffs and progressions, be a resource.
Play with other musicians and singers. I think JAM sessions are more valuable than people think. Iron sharpening iron anyone?
Write what you live -> play what you feel. (I think Elevation is a perfect example of these concepts. Many of their songs are based off of what God is doing in their church and city.)
I don’t mean to go on, but these are great concepts that when glanced over seem typical or shallow, but really have depth if lived out and applied practically. Thanks for the advice!!
Thanks Jason. Great tips as well! I’m in need of a jam session, actually 🙂
Reading Scripture….it’s a must…if you’re going to imitate…imitate…the psalms…
Write about the unchanging God!
He is the same yesterday today and forever!
I’ve been writing for about 10 years now…
I’ve writtend about everything! LOL…
my life growing up, my family, hardships…about christian fellowship…you name it…Worship…
and I love it…but the thing that always sticks and satifies…is writing about HIM and his attributes…his character…His son…His Cross…His sacrafice…
It all comes down to HIM…
Scripture based worship songs definitely resonate with me! They remind me of the Bible verses that go along with the words of the song and become apart of my prayer. Thy Word have I hid in my heart…
So true, Arny. That’s a great point that whether you’re writing worship songs or everyday life songs, root your outlook in the Scriptures.
It’s not a habit, but don’t leave out the anointing. When someone was anointed in the Bible “the Spirit of God came upon this person, to qualify him or her for a God-given task” (Wikipedia) It’s necessary to effectively create something that’s pleasing to the Lord and will minister to people. Of course you can write for fun and entertainment without it. I’m speaking of writing for worship or to minister.
The term “anointing” has always mystified me a bit. Is that something we can pursue or is it totally something God does in His sovereignty? With this post I was trying to get real practical about doing the work of songwriting. I’m just wondering, is there an action we can take to guarantee the anointing? Hmmm… thoughts anyone?
I personaly think that if it is christ-centered…on the gospel…it’s already anointed…
The Holy Spirit moving in corporate worship…it’s anointed…
when we cry Holy, Holy, Holy…..it’s already anointed..
it’s accepted…
it’s honored…
it’s chosen…
If we sing about the anointed one…that it’s anointed…
Great tips, David. I especially love #3. I lost count of how many times people have said to me “God gave me this song, so I’m not changing it.” Haha, and I think “BS” is about as appropriate a response as any!
And I’ve been trying to co-write with a good friend of mine over Skype, but he keeps blowing me off. Something about buying a house and other things…. Should I be more persistent? 🙂
Haha! Let’s schedule this!
Another helpful post, David…I can always count on a prod from the Holy Spirit when I read your blog! As an amateur songwriter who has been given plenty of seeds but rarely takes the time or initiative to make then grow, I could use a suggestion. Being little more than a basement guitar player, what would you suggest is the quickest way to work up a demo of said songs? Imagine me starting from pretty much nothing and having little money to put into it…now GO. 🙂
Do you have songs you’ve written or are you just now starting to write?
I would honestly recommend using an uber simple setup to get yourself started. Use garageband, buy a cheap mic, a cheap audio interface, and go to town. It may take you a little while to learn everything but it will pay off in the end.
I’d go for this too. Garageband is great for this, and it has the basics down. Use the heck out of its loops to fill out your demos.
Agreed.
It you’re starting out writing…take the psalms verbatem…word for word…if you can…make it simple…
If you have STRONG melodies…you can’t go wrong!…
just my two cents…
I have learned that as a songwriter, I have to get used to the fact that not all of my songs will have a ‘home’. There will be songs that no one ever hears, that never get sung or recorded. And you can go on to the next song without feeling guilty. Sometimes a song is there to be the pump-primer for the next song…
really convicted by #7. here are some less conventional methods…..
melodies: a buddy suggested this. turn on the radio and find the *intro* to a song you’ve never heard before. then just as the lyrics are about to start, turn it off and sing a melody that would fit with that riff/intro. write your own words, your own chords around it and bam! it’s your song!
lyrics: two sites – thesaurus.com and rhymezone.com. pick a few words you *think* you want to write about and look them up in the thesaurus. you’ll find words better than yours – jot them down. then take those thesaurus words and put ’em into rhymezone one at a time. half your song will be written 🙂
You might like to check out this post – 45 tips for skillful worship songwriting: http://goo.gl/i5bxh
Great list, Gangai. Thanks for sharing!
I am taking a beginning song writing class working towards a certificate in Worship Arts. What tips can you give to someone who has never written a song.
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your blog.
Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility issues?
A few of my blog audience have complained about my site not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome.
Do you have any suggestions to help fix this
problem?
Ah, these tips have a flavour that comes from someone with legitimate experience.
Thanks heaps!