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Most music lovers have the urge to take up
songwriting as a hobby at some time or other in
their lives. If you have felt it too, then now
is the right time to get started. While there
are no actual rules to song writing, there are a
few fundamental points that will help you become
the sort of songwriter you want to be, or just
get better at the skill. Who knows, your song
could be on everyone’s lips tomorrow! So let’s
talk about some basic information that you
should know about
when it comes
to songwriting.
What Makes A Successful Song?
You’ll agree that the song must make an impact
the first time it is heard. Then, you’ll need a
melody that grabs the listeners. Next are the
lyrics. Anyone listening to the song must be
able to relate to it – and also feel like
singing along. Attention must be paid to the
structure of the song so that it flows and feels
complete. How about genre? Does it fit the genre
you are writing in? Are the sounds right and in
tune? And finally – who’s singing it? Is the
performer doing full justice to the song?
Now, let’s look at the basic must-have aspects
of a song if it must pull in the listener. An
interesting lyric is essential. It must be so
catchy that it sounds great to the listener –
rather than like a monotonous reading. A good
sound structure must complete the song. These
three aspects will lay the foundation for the
success of the song. All of these must be strong
for the song to have mass appeal. You can get a
pretty good idea by looking at successful songs
and analyzing what makes them so popular.
What
Makes Up The Structure Of The Song?
Every
song has a verse, a chorus, a hook and a bridge.
The chorus is a group of lines that are repeated
and make the song sound catchy. The chorus can
be the same or have small changes every time it
is repeated through the song. Here’s where you
will find the song’s hook. The hook could be the
title of the song. While most songs we hear do
have a chorus, it is not mandatory. The bridge
of the song summarizes the song’s message, or it
could give the song a memorable and sudden
twist.
Writing The Song
Start with a strong song title. This can be done
through a brainwave of your own – or by jotting
down appropriate words on a pad. The next step
is to choose the form for the song. You could
pick from the verse-chorus bridge form or the
verse-verse-verse form, or even the
verse-verse-bridge depending on the kind of song
you intend to write.
You would need to work on a catchy, melodious
hook with chorus – featuring the song title. The
beginning and end of the chorus are two good
places to put the song title in. Then, work on
the verses. Here, remember that the first and
last line of the verse is what your listeners
will recall first. You could also create the
lines before the chorus so that they sound more
interesting and attention grabbing. If you are
planning to add a bridge, make sure that it is
unique and different – distinctive in how the
words are phrased. One way to turn your song
into a great one is to really carry the
listener, building up the tension, so that at
the final chorus, they get enthralled ad
excited. Another way to jazz up your song is to
include a rap. You must carefully think about
where it will feature in your song. Some songs
have a beautiful instrumental bridge that’s
memorable and identifies the song.
With your song almost ready, all you need to do
is keep tweaking it, honing it to make sure that
you are in the right genre with it. Now is the
time to judge whether you want to edit some
parts of the songs or make additions.
Okay, now let us summarize the salient parts of
a hit song – there could be variations depending
on the type of music, but you can assume that
these will more or less fit most types of music
like country / pop/ rock.
·
Hook the listener at the starting line, making
them eager for more
·
The song must be hum-able after the listener
hears it a few times
·
No complex words – the lyrics must be easy to
pick up and sing along. Let the words flow
naturally
·
The lyrics must be authentic and from the heart.
·
Concentrate more on song meaning.
·
Rhyming is not mandatory – but it is certainly
one of the elements that make some songs really
memorable and easy to remember. But don’t overdo
it. The worst thing is to force an overdose of
rhymes into the song and make it look contrived.
·
Make the theme or idea of the song with as much
mass appeal as possible. The more people that
can identify with the song, the better
·
People should not have to think too hard to
figure out what the song means. Forget clichés.
·
Let the song be roughly three to four minutes in
length.
·
As far as possible avoid songs that depict
pathetic males or females. Songs that keep
imploring or begging are also preferably
avoided.
·
Focus on a specific idea. You can make the
bridge unique, but otherwise stick to one idea
·
Let the title of the song be obvious in the
beginning and repeated so that people can recall
it easily.
·
Great lyrics help the listener visualize the
song
·
Let the song and melody be easy to recall after
it is heard once.
·
Songs with a bit of mystery are also good
sellers.
One of the best ways to get truthful feedback
about your song is to is to play it to strangers
and see how they feel.
Songwriting is an exciting craft and takes a
good amount of effort and constant practice.
While some people end up writing a song’s lyrics
in an hour, some fabulous songs take days before
they take shape and become ready to be sung. The
important thing is to remember what makes a song
successful, and keep learning as you go along.
This
information is basically to get you started. You
will find lots more information and tips to help
you build on your song writing skills at the
following website. You will also find
instructional videos and some terrific books to
give you a more in depth knowledge of about song
writing and its various aspects. Check out the
valuable links to find out all you want to learn
about song writing. Go pick up that pen and get
in touch with your muse!
more
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So you want to become the next Neil Diamond? Becoming a songwriter begins with a love of music and the power or
lyrics. Many songwriters channel their emotions into songs and end up
creating lyrical masterpieces. To get started you don't need anything
more than a simple desire to write songs. Below are a few great places
where you can find beginners tips on writing great songs and even the
business of songwriting.
