Do your songs generate excitement? Or do you find yourself writing songs but ended up feeling stuck?
You may feel frustrated somewhere in the songwriting process, but the great news is that you may already be making good melodies, chord progressions and lyrics. You already have the right components in place -- your problem lies in putting them all together. Coming up with a nice theme for a song doesn't mean that you are on the right track.
I have been a musician for years, and I have heard many of my contemporaries lament how songwriting causes great anxiety and how that anxiety outweighs the feeling of contentment or gratification.
Have I just described you? If yes, then get a load of these top 3 tips for writing songs:
1. Structuring is a top priority. This stuff not guesswork, nor is it magic. This simply means getting chord progressions to work. A tall building would crumble if its load bearing walls; its structure isn't properly in place. In like manner, songs that have fragile progressions won't hold together.
2. Form is equally important too. Form in music pertains to how all the song components blend in together. Most songwriters have all their individual components down pat, but when put together, it sounds like the song is wandering aimlessly. The intro may be great, but it doesn't seem to be begging for the chorus!
3. Make your lyrics sparkle. Your lyrics should jump out at your audience. Do your lyrics fit the melody perfectly? Learn from the Masters. If you can, go to the public library or to your local music store and browse through the song books. You can always bet on timeless songwriters like McCartney, Lennon, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, James Taylor and Paul Simon to incorporate good songwriting principles into their songs.
Keep in mind these tips for writing songs and you'll never go wrong. Remember, writing songs is an art form. Learning never stops, so it wouldn't hurt to keep on practicing to hone your craft. Making smart lyrics and catchy melodies entails a lot of practice. As you learn more about the basic songwriting principles and rules of the game, you will become more adept and skilful in bending those rules. Listen to the pros, and you will eventually master the art of songwriting. Listen to them; take note of the different techniques they use, and you won't miss out on the key ingredients to enhancing your skills.
Jim A. Byrne is a musician and recording artist who has been writing songs for over 30 years. As well as writing songs for his own Folk and Country Blues albums he has written songs with other people including the pop star Marti Pellow of Wet Wet Wet and Jazz singer Carol Kidd MBE.
Visit Jim's website for more tips and to download two of Jim's latest songs for free: http://www.songsbyjimbyrne.com/freemp3music/index.html
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