POETRY AND SONGWRITING

Songwriting is telling short stories. But instead of 15 to 20 pages, it's three to five minutes. - Tyler Childers

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INTRODUCTION

In the mall, on the bus, while drinking tea at the local coffee shop, when walking down the street, we are bound to encounter music. It is everywhere nowadays from old classical pieces, rock songs, the legendary pop music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s all the way to more modern electronic music.

Some of these classics are so well known that hearing the first chord floods us with remembrance of the good old times. Such well-written songs were written by amazing songwriters who managed to write hits that will be remembered forever. They have impacted many a soul. And they will live on well after the artists depart from the world. A legacy that will carry on.

THE DEFINITION OF SONGWRITING

Songwriting is an art. It is the act or process of writing and creating the music and words of songs through chord progression, melodies, and lyrics. (2, 3). It also includes coming up with ideas and working on the song structure. (2) At its core songwriting is all about connection similar to poetry. (4)

Julian Casablancas finds songwriting to be ‘slow-motion improvising’.(5) Others agree. There are no rules to songwriting. Every artist has their own set of rules they follow when creating their masterpieces. Still, there are common elements we can find among all successful songs.

KEY PRINCIPLES TO SONGWRITING

To craft engaging, lasting songs that will impact people for generations to come one needs first of all a strong song idea. (2)

Secondarily one needs engaging lyrics (2) as lyrics are the queen of songwriting (4). For maximum impact though we need to go even beyond. We need prosody (6).

Prosody is the agreement between music and message. Music is the body language of our words. A lyric takes its meaning from the music that underscores it. (6)

An essential part of every song is also a moving melody (2) - the king of songwriting (4). A catchy melody introduced in the first 30 seconds of the song is key for catching attention. Once we do manage to catch the attention of the crowd, for a lasting impact we also need momentum. (6)

Momentum is the consistent, forward movement of the song through time. It is not tempo, and it is not meter. Rather, it is the pace of the song that always delivers on time every time. (6)

Lastly, we need a strong song structure (2). Restraint (6) happens to be important as it ensures that the song rests in the essential elements. Simplicity does go a long way.

TIPS TO SONGWRITING

The process of songwriting can become tedious. Here I will list some tips that will help you on your journey toward a melodic masterpiece, hopefully one that will leave a mark in history.

COME UP WITH A SONG IDEA

It all starts with a great song idea. How does one come up with one, is the question. There are different ways people use to spark their creativity.

Tom Waits listens to five radios at once intensely for the interesting overlaps. Others prefer silence. They opt to stare out the window for some time. That way they nullify any distractions that would snuff out their creative flow. Attentively they listen and feel for any songwriting prompts. (2, 7)

There is the option of using only LANDR samples in your first song-crafting attempt. (7)

The hidden glosa technique can also come in handy. It encourages writers to take four lines from an existing poem and intersperse them within an entirely new work. (7)

SET AN ABSURD TIME LIMIT

Setting up an absurd time limit before beginning the process of writing songs has been proven effective. Put yourself under some time pressure and just let yourself flow. (7)

GIVE YOUR SONG A NAME

Once an idea has been birthed, we need to name it. By naming your song, you give the song a clear framework to work around. It will help you stay on track. (2)

CREATE CHORD PROGRESSION AND MELODY

Now that we have an idea, pull out your instrument. It is time for some experimenting. Start by creating compelling chord progressions and the complementing melody.

Explore different keys and sounds. You can help yourself with the stream-of-consciousness technique and simply play what comes to mind. After a while note any melodies, or chords that struck your interest and have been repeating themselves. (7)

Before you begin the process, you can opt to listen to some Mozart music. It has been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on your focus. (7)

Do not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and the traditional ways. Use some extended techniques when playing your instrument. It might lad to amazing ideas. (7)

If stuck you can choose to learn a new scale or new music theory concepts. It will broaden your horizons. (7)

Taking a walk can also prove to be beneficial in your songwriting. Take in all the sounds on your walk and record them. In other words, choose to go on a sound walk. Can they be used in your music? (7)

When creating your melody, try humming over your progression or play your instrument while your chord progression is playing in the background. (2)

WRITE A HOOK

Start with a powerful hook, or chorus, that will stand out from the rest of the song with its memorable melody and lyrics. Keep it simple and repetitive. (2)

DECIDE ON A SONG STRUCTURE

Decide on a song structure that works best for your song. For beginner songwriters, it can be helpful to follow a basic song structure. A common way to structure a song is verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. (2)

WRITE CAPTIVATING VERSES

To keep things exciting and interesting write captivating verses. Let the verses be longer than the choruses, yet less busy than the hook. (2)

Do not forget the simple rule of ‘less is more’. Limit the use of words and keep it simple. (4, 7)

You can help yourself with the layover or cut-up technique. In the layover technique imagine yourself writing a postcard to a loved one after a layover at the airport. What would you write to them? (7)

With the cut-up technique, write out all the words that come to your mind, cut them up, and rearrange them into ideas. (7)

When stuck, bust out the rhyming dictionary or opt to use ChatGPT. (7)

CREATE AN INTRO, OUTRO AND BRIDGES

No song would be complete without an intro, outro, and bridge. It is suggested that the intros be kept under 10 seconds. The outros can be longer, but the use of less energy and instruments playing after the last hook is advised. (7)

As for the bridge, use drums or some other instrument to give the chorus a stronger impact when every instrument comes back in. (7)

RECORD A DEMO

After the melody, lyrics and chords have all been combined, it is time to record a demo. (2)

MAKE IMPROVEMENTS

Take a step away from the song and come back to it after a while. Relisten to the demo and make any desired changes and improvements. (2)

CONCLUSION

Songwriting is art. It is the process of writing and creating the music and words of songs through chord progression, melodies, and lyrics. Every artist has their own set of rules when writing songs, yet there are basic principles we need to follow to create a memorable song that will have a lasting effect: strong song idea, engaging lyrics, prosody, a moving melody, momentum, strong song structure, and restraint.

SOURCES

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Soundtrap. Songwriting Tips: How To Write Incredible Songs. Available at https://www.soundtrap.com/content/blog/songwriting-tips-write-songs-in-any-genre
Dictionary Cambridge. Songwriting. Available at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/songwriting
Kevin Lee Palmer. The Art of Songwriting. Available at https://www.kevinleepalmer.com/articles/the-art-of-songwriting
Julian Casablancas. Brainy quotes; Songwriting quotes. Available at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/songwriting-quotes
Andrea Stolpe. 3 Principles of Songwriting. Feb 28, 2024. Available at https://www.andreastolpe.com/articles/3-principles-of-songwriting
LANDR. 23 Ridiculous Songwriting Tips That Actually Work. Jan 9, 2025. Available at https://blog.landr.com/10-songwriting-techniques/

Until next time!