Songwriting Notes

Songwriting notes…

• There are no rules in art. There are techniques you can learn, but you must mold them to fit you. Art is different for everyone, and it’s our individuality that makes it special. Don’t try to be anything but yourself.

• For years I held the limiting belief that I was not a songwriter or musician, only a singer. Don’t waste time not believing in yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to and dedicate time to. Nothing is perfect right away, it takes practice.

• Like any writer, you will procrastinate trying to find a brand new idea that hasn’t been done before. The truth is, everything has been written about. What’s new is your perspective. Your unique experiences are what make the song yours.

• A story can be told in many ways, it’s up to you to decide how each one should be told.

• You can use rhyme schemes or avoid rhyme completely.

• Sometimes simple really is best.

• You don’t need to be a guitar hero or a trained singer to tell a great story through songwriting.

• Songs can start in many ways:

  • a chord progression

  • a single sentence

  • a melody you hum

  • a full poem you set to music

  • or even just a feeling.

  I usually work section by section, often jumping between songs because I struggle to stay focused on one for too long. Something sparks, like a theme, sentence, progression, or riff, and I build on it to see where it goes.

• A form chart helps give structure.

• A story map can help guide both lyrics and flow.

• Listen to loads of music, and don’t just hear it, feel it.

• Lyrics can be direct, cryptic, contradictory, poetic, blunt, paradoxical, whatever best tells the story.

• Above all, good storytelling in songwriting requires honesty. Raw truth resonates.