Tag: how to write a song
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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…
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Songwriter Habit #4 – Getting Feedback
Songwriter Habit #4 – Getting Feedback Songwriters are often solitary creatures. Most of us like to work away at our projects, treating them as our babies and ensuring that they never reach another person’s ears till they’re complete. However, one of the most crucial habits that distinguishes highly effective songwriters from the rest is their…
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Let It Go – A Lesson in Songwriting
Let It Go – A Lesson in Songwriting The song “Let It Go” from the Disney musical Frozen is a song that solves an age-old problem that songwriters face: how to repeat something, but make it get more interesting, not less interesting. So, whether you’re into Disney or not, take a moment to read this…
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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…
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Songwriter Habit #5 – Stepping Away
Songwriter Habit #5 – Stepping Away Songwriting isn’t just about writing songs. It’s about how we find inspiration and ensure that we can write not only consistently, but also regardless of whether inspiration jumps out at us or not. Here, we’ll discuss a part of that process: Stepping away. This article is a summarised transcript…
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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…
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Songwriter Habit #6 – Thinking Like An Anthropologist
Songwriter Habit #6 – Thinking Like An Anthropologist It’s easy for us as musicians to say that we listen to lots of music. However, what differentiates the way we listen to music from the way popular songwriters listen to music? In this blog post, we’ll discuss what we mean by thinking like an anthropologist when…
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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…
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Songwriter Habit #7 – Listening to Lots of Music
Songwriter Habit #7 – Listening to Lots of Music As musicians, we often fall into the trap of listening to things that we’re used to. After all, the familiar is safe and comfortable. However, this is actually something that might be detrimental to your growth as a songwriter. Here, we’ll discuss why listening to lots…
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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…
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7 Traits of Highly Effective Songwriters
7 Traits of Highly Effective Songwriters It’s one thing to be able to write a great song. However, it’s an entirely separate thing to be able to write great songs consistently and be a great songwriter. In this blog post, we’ll countdown what we think are the 7 traits of highly effective songwriters. This blog…
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Study Your Heroes
Study Your Heroes The importance of studying your heroes is often overlooked by most when learning the art of songwriting. Through this blog post, you will learn why studying your heroes is important, as well as how to use what you’ve learnt from them in your own writing. This blog post aims to summarise the…
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Balancing Truth and Fact
Balancing Truth and Fact A common struggle among beginner songwriters is the notion that they can only write about experiences that have personally happened to them. Here, we discuss how to walk the fine line between truth and fact when songwriting. This blog post aims to summarise the second part of our video ‘New to…
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How to Write a Song – Stand Out with The Bridge
How to Write a Song – Stand Out with The Bridge In the world of songwriting, the bridge holds a special place. It acts as a contrasting section within the song, introducing a new dimension and adding depth to the overall composition. In this article, we’ll explore the art of writing bridges and how they…
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How to use simple chords to write great songs
If you want to learn how to write a song, understanding how chords work is essential and in this video we look at how you can create interesting and impactful chord progressions using the basic concept of HOME and AWAY functions. This fundamental piece of music theory is a valuable tool for songwriters of all…
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Top 5 Songwriting Exercises for Coming Up With Great Song Ideas: #5—Chorus Writing Prompts
What a Chorus is not I have some important news about a Chorus—news that took me way too long to properly understand: If I had realized this a little sooner in my songwriting career, it would have saved me 10 years of learning the hard way. One other thing that the Chorus is NOT: Thinking…
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Why write it as a song?
It’s a question I ask of myself all the time. Why write this idea as a song, and not as a poem? A short story? A blog post? An angry rant to a neighbour? What function does a song serve that draws me to it as the vehicle for an idea? One answer is that…