Step by step
Songwriting is a lot like talking to your best friend. The topic is always interesting, it’s conversational and you get direct feedback. It’s also similar to public speaking. Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and tell them what you told them. Here are 5 simple steps to writing a song.
Step 1 - Determine the Topic.
This is all about choosing a title for your song. Some things to consider. You can write about a popular theme such love, loss, Friday night (think the work week is done kind of thing), overcoming a challenge or something nostalgic like a great memory from the past. You can also choose to write about something totally random. Write down a bunch of possible topics in bullet form and settle on one. This will be your song title.
Step 2 -Create the Content.
Take your title and develop potential content for the song. One thing I like to do is write down everything I can think of that supports the title. These can be in simple short phrases in bullet form. Next, type your title into Google and click on the image tab. Look at each of the images and describe what you see. This is where you get to describe what you see using your five senses, see, touch, taste, hear and smell.
Step 3 - Develop the Story.
Take all the information you have assembled so far and order the pieces, you won’t use everything. Think about how you would tell the story to a friend. Usually, it’s best to set the groundwork first by providing the background information on the main character. This may include the location in general or specific terms. How should the story progress? If the song is about rising to a challenge, the order might be the initial situation (challenge), how they overcame the challenge and the end result. This is also the time to try and organize these into the structure of a song. The most common song structure is 16 bars (each bar has a count of 1,2,3,4), and 4 to 8 lines for a verse. The chorus should target 8 bars and 4 lines. Don’t be afraid to build multiple verses and choruses. This will help you in the end.
Step 4 - Choose the Rhyme scheme. Some of the most common rhyme schemes are AABB, ABAB, AAAA, ABBA and ABAC or ABCB, where letters represent which lines have similar sounding words (rhyme) at the end. The most common rhymes used in songwriting are perfect rhymes (like roam and foam) and family or close rhymes (like show and more). Close rhymes sound more conversational and avoid sounding cliche. Modify your lyrics and adjust as necessary to fit your rhyme scheme. Use a different rhyme scheme for the verse and chorus to add interest.
Step 5 - Put it All Together.
Assemble the most appropriate verses and chorus together. The final song structure should be V-C-V-C-B-C, verse - chorus - verse - chorus - bridge - chorus. What’s a bridge? Look at your verses and find the one that doesn’t belong, chances are, this one can become the bridge. A bridge normally takes the song in a slightly different direction and is normally 2 to 4 lines and 4 to 8 bars. Choose a different rhyme scheme for the bridge.
Review your completed song and check the syllable count. The verses should maintain the same syllable count line to line and the chorus and bridge should maintain the same count within their individual sections. The last thing is to make sure it’s singable. If you’re not a singer, call a friend. This is just the first step to starting your songwriting journey. Have fun, keep writing and learn from listening to other artists.