How to become a good song writer.....

Who is a songwriter?

A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. That is to say, a songwriter is a lyricist, a composer, or both. The word
"songwriter" is however more commonly used to describe one who writes popular songs than to describe a writer of art songs.Songwriting is a very slight form of artistic endeavor - compared to writing a great lyric poem - with all its layers of meaning. Or writing a great novel or symphony.
I think it is something you acquire skill at, the more you do it - and to be honest you need some modicum of success to become a serious player. Because otherwise you would give up. Most of the best writers I have known, give up. the dullards just beat them into the ground and take up all the creative opportunities.

Been a good songwriter has nothing to do with writing a good song. The melody can turn horrible lyrics into a great song. But without a great melody sometimes great words can have no meaning because the song just doesnt have the perfect mix of both.Good songs have interesting tunes (sometimes simple but they carry story well), imagery that's fresh, specificity in subject matter helps, a point-of-view that's consistent with the character that's singing or being sung about, well-constructed with scancion (sp?) from stanza to stanza, a subject that is universal in its appeal, one that lasts over time because it has the elements of good writing, in some cases accessible and in some cases not because it requires time for people to catch up to it, sometimes a product of careful editing, a timeliness about it that makes it relevant, is it utile (in a show or express and idea that people want to hear)....other than those qualities much is about subjective opinion.

Some of the best songwriting came from the early Renaissance period in Europe (Dowland, Campion etc.), the American Broadway musicals of the 30's through early 70's (so many wrote great songs as a team or as individual composer/lyricists and the "craft" writers from Tin Pan Alley and the movies. The Pop Sixties were interesting too with Joannie Mitchell, Paul Simon, Burt Bachrach and Hal David, some of the Motown writers, Jim Webb, Dylan, Prine, and Christopherson. Some of it came from jazz with Duke Ellington and his protege Billy Strayhorn in the Forties. The Chanson of Jacques Brel and contemporaries were good. Can we include Pete Seeger also? Woody Guthrie for sure.How do you feel about Steve Earle, John Gorka, Don McClean? I think they qualify.The areas mentioned above make all of these writers exemplary.The reason why I bring this up is that if you want to be a good songwriter, you have to do your homework and study the "masters".

There are many mysteries in life. One of them is songwriting. We could ponder for days where the inspiration and ideas for songs come from. With only 12 notes and only so many chords to string together, it’s a wonder any of us can write something new! Leonardo Da Vinci referred to music as “shaping the invisible.” That’s what music and especially songwriting is to me. It makes the world tolerable through an invisible shift. It changes how we feel about people, places and ourselves. When we write a song it is like giving the world an imprint of your soul at that moment. If we record it, we leave behind a permanent piece of ourselves that will hopefully enrich other people’s lives in ways we cannot even imagine!

At some point in your life, you woke up in the middle of the night with a song or melody spinning around in your head. This article intends to help you capture those free-wheeling melodies and harness them so you can call upon them whenever and wherever you want. It is not a technical how-to on the art of songwriting but rather an essay on the ways to open your own muse flow channel.
A Songwriting Quick Reference

Songwriting can be broken down into these four components:

* Melody
* Lyrics
* Rhythm
* Chords

You can start writing a song from any one of these or any combination. A lot of beginners will find it easiest to start with a melody and then work the chords around it. Hum, play it on a guitar, sing it out loud, plunk it on a piano and experiment with your melody until it sounds right. If you can’t play any instruments at all, find someone who can and is willing to help you. Or get yourself a cheap mini-cassette recorder and sing your melodies into it. Listening back to your ideas is a great way to gain a critical ear and figure out what works best.When you let yourself relax, the muse finds its way into your melodies and lyrics. Don’t try to write what you think people want to hear. Write what feels natural to you! A good song is a good song no matter what style it’s in or what musical trend is currently on the charts.

Inspiration

How many times have you heard artists say that no one can explain where inspiration comes from? They probably think this makes them look like they have some special powers. The reality is that inspiration comes from carrying an emotion, a feeling in your subconscious and needing to exorcise it. For some people, venting an emotion requires breaking dishes. For others it’s crying. I’ve even once seen someone exorcise an emotion by twisting her head all the way around! Others, still, have some other way of doing it. For us, it’s through songwriting. The inspiration comes from the fact that we need to vent our emotions and, usually, don’t even know that we have emotions to vent.

Now that you know where it comes from, you probably realize that you can create the climate for inspiration. Watch the Discovery channel and look at the cute baby koalas (with the 6-inch claws). Go for a drive, but don’t yell at the idiot who will cut you off. Call your mother and tell her you’re wearing dirty underwear… and that you’ve just been in an accident. Talk to your friend who says you’re stupid to think you can make it in music… It’s unfortunate but negative emotions make you more creative. That’s why songwriters tend to be very active right after a breakup. However, I don’t recommend you break up with your girlfriend just to be inspired.

You can also try more positive emotions, laughing for example. It may work well for you. Another thing you can do is reminisce. Although that can go either way depending on the particular emotions involved.

If you want a good example of transferring emotions to music, rent the film Immortal Beloved, where Gary Oldman plays an excellent Beethoven (and he’s really playing the piano parts). This film was written around the music, rather than the other way around as is usually the case. You’ll understand what it truly means to be inspired.

WHAT IS THE NEXT THING TO DO?

How do you feel? With your first few songs, you’ll feel exhilarated. Since you’ve never written before, you cannot compare you work. Don’t try to compare it to what other songwriters have written. They are not you and cannot write what you write. And vice versa. And you’re not hearing their first songs either.

Your first song probably won’t be any good. But don’t worry. You’ll probably think it’s good for a while. Until you start writing better ones. But it doesn’t matter, it’s all part of the process. Just remember the first time you picked up a guitar, you probably couldn’t do very much with it. But by playing more and more you’ve become better. The same is true of songwriting. Although, you might write one of your best ones early on. Justin Hayward (the Moody Blues, for the younger crowd. They were big in the late 60’s and early 70’s) wrote Nights in White Satin at 16, Greg Lake (King Crimson in 90s and Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the 60s and early 70s) wrote Lucky Man at 12.

Once the song is finished and on paper, make a copy of it. On the bottom line put the international copyright symbol © (Alt-0169 if you’re using a computer) followed by your name, the year, and your address. (ex: Ben Dover, 2000, 123 Anystreet, Sometown, USA) Put that copy in an envelope, write on the back of that envelope the title of the song, address it to yourself (don’t forget to put a stamp on it!) and mail it to yourself. I also get someone to sign across the seal, but that’s not necessary, although it does show that it hasn’t been tampered with. When you receive it, don’t open it! File it away somewhere safe. You now have copyright protection.

If while you are reading this you have 30 songs sitting around at home and haven’t protected them this way, get up and do it immediately (immediately after having read this article, that is!).

Experiment

You’re not being graded. Even if you write a lot of bad songs, it doesn’t matter. But try different things or else you’ll bore yourself to death. Try rhythm changes, pattern changes, no chorus, starting the song with a chorus, no verses. Try writing on a different instrument. Can’t play the keyboard? Get yourself a cheap second-hand one, press the keys and see what happens.Try something that won’t have drums. Play half of the song with a classical guitar, then switch to a distorted electric.You’re stuck on two songs? Try putting them together (that’s how Justin Hayward wrote the Moody Blues’ Question).

HOW TO ARRANGE YOUR SONG?

Not upfront. There are actually a lot of songwriters who can’t think out arrangements. They just write the chords and the lyrics and let someone else handle the arrangements. That’s where playing unplugged comes from. There usually just playing the songs the way they wrote them.
Some people do compose the arrangements right off the bat, though. Some people do both. I find that in the case of a very simple song, the arrangements are usually a lot more difficult to handle. When you’re used to writing something complex and that you have to go into simple, it can be a nightmare.

Sit down with a guitar, bass, drumkit or piano. Or get the pen flowing across the paper. Are you ready for the best part? You don’t have to write a song today. Just make the effort. There. Ya see? That relieves the pressure.
By giving ourselves ridiculous demands we make it impossible to live up to our own expectations. Remove them. Just get yourself to write a bit when and where you can. A song will emerge when it’s good and ready. The joy of songwriting comes from the act of doing. There will, of course, be those moments of frustration when you create something close to a song but it doesn’t quite come out how you thought it would. The experience of writing music is where the creative satisfaction comes from. Not every song will be a masterpiece but they will be your songs.

The biggest push to get your muse going is to start! It’s very easy to say we could have done something if only we’d had some assistance or been around someone who really believed in us. Believe in yourself. Get off the computer and pick up an instrument, start singing or begin your lyric writing session! Now!.