How To Write Songs
Songwriting is most definitely a skill. Here’s three good rules.
These should save much time and frustration to transform songwriting into an easy process .
Rule number one – Write it down
Get in a regular habit. It’s important to work on feeleings. anger, pain, sad, happy, excitement, nervousness, anxious, misery, impatience, relaxation, goofy, sophisticated, annoying, frustrating, antagonising, fancy, sexy, cool, pretty, smile, etc, etc… you get the point
Even if you’re not in love with your idea or word, write it down anyway. It is so much easier to work with “something!” than “nothing!” A blank piece of paper, can be very intimidating, particularly for the new writer. It doesn’t have to be a great idea to get you started — just write it down!
Rule number two – Don’t move on if you don’t like it
So, you have something written down, don’t move on to the next word, line, chord or whatever form you’re working, if you “dislike” what you wrote. You don’t have to like it, particularly, or think it’s the best you have ever written, you just have to not “dislike” it. Chances are if you dislike something right from the beginning, your feelings are not going to change.
So to restate, if you don’t “dislike” what I you wrote, then move on.
If, however, you do “dislike” what you wrote, then you stay there and work alternatives until you find something that you don’t “dislike” before moving on to rule number three.
Rule number three – Never change what’s on paper unless it’s absolutely, without a doubt, better
This one has saved a great deal of time. When you first start out you may be changing and never finishing what you were working on. So in order to stop all that inner struggle (and remembering that basically anything can work, if you work it) stick with your original idea and move on unless you are absolutely sold that a new idea is better.
Now, if you’re not satisfied with what you’ve got down on paper and you’re undecided about a new idea, you “try it ” for awhile. You still don’t change what you wrote on paper, but make a rough note in the margin, to remember your new idea. Then for a while, every time you play the song, or that section, play this new idea and see how you like it. (And so while you’re trying on this new idea, for a few days, a week, whatever — you move on in writing your song.)
These three rules are from John Pape.
Learn chord progressions.
