How To Write Songs

Category: Chorus Writing

  • Learn the Ultimate Method to Writing A Chorus

    You’ve probably heard it said — or even thought it yourself — that the chorus is simply the part where the lyrics repeat.But that’s not quite right. If the chorus was just the repeating part, that would be like saying your favorite TV show is “the bit where people talk to each other.” Technically true, but not remotely…

  • What’s Your Song’s Focus? Find Out with The Campfire Test!

    What’s Your Song’s Focus? Find Out with The Campfire Test! Imagine you’re sitting around a campfire with a bunch of your friends. The sun is setting, and someone hands you a guitar. As you go through your list of songs trying to choose something to play, you’re also asking yourself the question “Which one of…

  • 3 Expert Tips to Write Killer Choruses Instantly

    3 Expert Tips to Write Killer Choruses Instantly Crafting a memorable chorus can feel intimidating for many songwriters – even the most experienced ones. But what if you knew the formula for writing an amazing chorus? In this post, we’ll unpack three radically practical tips that will help you write a knockout chorus every time.…

  • Unlock Powerful Rhythms with These 12 Fingerpicking Patterns

    Unlock Powerful Rhythms with These 12 Fingerpicking Patterns If you’re a songwriter who uses guitar as your main instrument whilst songwriting, you may have run into the problem of not having enough rhythmic variation in your song. After all, strumming is great. However, when used too much, strumming quickly transforms from great to repetitive. We’ll…

  • Uncovering Songwriting Techniques with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”

    Uncovering Songwriting Techniques with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” Joni Mitchell is a songwriting legend whose techniques continue to inspire musicians and lyricists around the world. In this article, we break down one of her biggest hits—“Both Sides Now”—to reveal six signature songwriting moves that you can incorporate into your own creative process. This article…

  • Make Your Songs Twice As Good with Power Positions

    Make Your Songs Twice As Good with Power Positions Every songwriter dreams of creating lyrics that not only tell a story but also resonate emotionally with the listener. What if a simple concept could take your lyrics to the next level, and make them unforgettable?  In this article, we’ll dive deep into the concept of…

  • How to Write a Song – 5 Simple Steps

    How to Write a Song – 5 Simple Steps Have you ever struggled to turn your lyrical or melodic ideas into a complete song?  Whether you’re an experienced musician or just starting out, finishing a song can be one of the biggest challenges in the creative process. In this post, we break down how to…

  • Write Stunning Lyrics And Melody With This Remarkable Technique

    One of the hardest technical and creative challenges for songwriters is creating a natural relationship between lyrics and melody. In our tutorial on our YouTube channel, I break down how to master the rhythm of your lyrics, so that writing lyrics and melody together becomes natural – no need to sacrifice one for the other!…

  • The Zoom Method: Secrets to Better Lyrics Under 10 Minutes

    What does the classic Joni Mitchell song, ‘The River’ (1971) have in common with neo-RnB song ‘Super Rich Kids’ by Frank Ocean (2013)? These are 2 songs from wildly different artists, genres, and eras. And yet, when we look into the inner workings of how the lyrics deliver the ideas and emotion of the song,…

  • Musical Onomatopoeia – The Secret to Writing Amazing Hooks

    Musical Onomatopoeia – The Secret to Writing Amazing Hooks If you’ve ever heard a catchy, relatable hook from a songwriter you like and wondered how you can write like them, know that you’re not alone. This is a common question asked by many songwriters. Fortunately, we can study these techniques, and emulate them to create…

  • A Guide to Finding the Perfect Chords

    A Guide to Finding the Perfect Chords It’s very common for songwriters to come up with great lyrics, but then become lost when they reach the stage of finding the perfect chords for their song. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can find a basic chord progression, and then make it more interesting from…

  • Write a Song Within an Hour

    Write a Song Within an Hour A lot of songwriters often talk about how they can’t finish songs. You hear it all the time – tales of abandoned notebooks, lone voice notes and old sticky notes on the wall. Well, this blog post will help you solve that problem by showing you a 5-step process…

  • Songwriting Tip #7 – Using Unconventional Song Forms

    Songwriting Tip #7 – Using Unconventional Song Forms In songwriting, it’s common practice for most of us to adhere to common or popular song forms such ABAB or AABA. However, this doesn’t mean that these are the only song forms we should ever use. Through analysing Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, we’ll discuss how using…

  • Songwriting Tip #6 – Keep It Short

    Songwriting Tip #6 – Keep It Short A common issue that songwriters often struggle with, is how to determine the length of their song. In this blog post, we’ll learn the importance of song length, by studying Queen’s famous rock anthem, “We Will Rock You”. This article is a summarised transcript of the sixth part…

  • Songwriting Tip #5 – Listening to Your Audience

    Songwriting Tip #5 – Listening to Your Audience As songwriters, we’re often focused on the details of our songs and the creative process. However, it’s important for us to remember that our audience deserves to feel like they’re a part of our songs as well. Through analysing Queen’s song “We Will Rock You”, we’ll discuss…

  • Songwriting Tip #4 – Turning the Chorus into an Anthem

    Songwriting Tip #4 – Turning the Chorus into an Anthem The goal in most songs is to shine a spotlight on the chorus, and really ensure that the hook sticks in our listener’s minds. In this blog post, we’ll analyse how “We Will Rock You” by Queen turns their chorus into a powerful anthem. This…

  • Songwriting Tip #3 – Moving the Story Through a Timeline

    Songwriting Tip #3 – Moving the Story Through a Timeline A common problem that songwriters face is not knowing how to structure our verses. Through analysing Queen’s hit song “We Will Rock You”, we’ll learn one of the ways we can develop the storyline of a song. This article is a summarised transcript of the…

  • Songwriting Tip #2 – Using the Voice as a Percussive Instrument

    Songwriting Tip #2 – Using the Voice as a Percussive Instrument Usually when we write songs, we focus a lot on using a good amount of variation between our verses and choruses. This is so that we can create a build-up of tension, followed by resolution in the chorus. However, it’s entirely possible to place…

  • Songwriting Tip #1 – The Power of Simplicity

    Songwriting Tip #1 – The Power of Simplicity As songwriters, we try hard to distinguish ourselves and create memorable songs. Unfortunately, many songwriters often feel as if things need to be complicated in order to stand out – this is inaccurate. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the power of simplicity through studying Queen’s classic…

  • Songwriting Tips to Learn from Queen’s “We Will Rock You”

    Songwriting Tips to Learn from Queen’s “We Will Rock You” “We Will Rock You” by Queen is arguably the greatest rock anthem of all time. In this blog post, we look at some of the songwriting secrets buried within its seemingly simple form. This blog post aims to summarise our video “How to Write a…

Weekend Songwriting Intensive - January 4-5

Ignite 2025 with an immersive weekend of songwriting, led by Keppie and Benny.