Beginner Songwriting: Tips, Tricks and more...

Take the mystery out of writing songs by learning the basics of beginner songwriting.

Learn basic song structure and free songwriting tips from other artists and the professionals.

Get helpful suggestions on your musical and lyrical creations.

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Are you a songwriting beginner?

Glad you found us! You can learn all the basics of beginner songwriting here.

You will find ideas on how to construct songs, how to write lyrics, and receive inspiration and help from an ever growing community of aspiring songwriter.

Already have some songs written?

Gain some fresh suggestions and help from other songwriters in the forum. Find outlets and avenues to sell your songs.

Beginner songwriting things to remember.

Writing songs can be highly fun and rewarding but at first you may find it a bit frustrating.

Songwriting is a skill that takes time to develop so be patient with yourself. Even seasoned songwriters find the whole process to be a lifetime endeavor.

Where to begin.

A great place to start is by listening to the songs of successful songwriters.

If you analyze the structure of hit songs you will learn much about how they are structured in terms of the placement of verses, choruses, and bridges.

None of the beginner songwriting suggestions are written in stone but you would do well to study the material contained in this site on common chord progressions.

Many hit songs have been and will be written using variations of these classic chord progressions. The next one could be yours!

Lyrics

Except for the "once in a while" hit instrumental song, most hit songs will have some sort of lyrical message.

Usually they tell a story about some common human experience or emotion. Often they will have a catchy play on words.

It is a good idea for a new songwriter to carry a notebook or better yet a small portable digital recorder to catch ideas as you hear them or they come to mind.

Melody.

So what happens when you get a lyric idea? How do you go about finding a melody that will fit?

If you are writing at the piano it will be helpful to know or review the information on music scales as well as the pentatonic scale. It is helpful to speak your lyrics as if in regular conversation.

This will help with finding the short and long notes needed to fit a melody and give you an idea of emotional context as well.

Which come first? Lyrics or melody?

There are times when as a songwriter I will get a lyric idea and then try and add a melody but just as often I will be sitting at the piano and come up with a melody that is catchy and then try and add lyrics.

There is no real set answer to the question. My best advice for beginner songwriting is to just write something every day.

I believe I read that bit of advice in an interview with the prolific songwriter Paul McCartney.

He explained that often he would come up with melodic or lyric fragments that days later he would be able to fit into some song he was working on. Record or write down all your ideas for later reference!

Find a songwriting partner.

It is often helpful to find someone to collaborate with if you are a beginner songwriting songs.

Many of my best creations have been joint efforts with other lyric writers or musicians. Each writer or musician can bring something unique to the process no matter how accomplished.

One person may have a talent for lyrics and the other for melody and can come together and create something neither would have been able to alone.

Invest in recording.

n this day and age there is no excuse for any serious songwriter, or musician for that matter to not be recording their ideas and music.

Many times a good idea for a lyric or melody will be lost if it is not recorded.

Another benefit is that listening back to recorded ideas can help you evaluate what is good and what is not so good.

Listening to your creations WILL improve you performance and style as a writer. Multi-track digital recorders have become very easy to use and not at all that expensive.

Do it daily!

As with any skill it is going to take practice and repetition. Write something every day. You may not come up with the perfect melody or lyric everyday but you will find that some ideas that may seem less than your best will fit nicely into place on another day.

Get started now!

Collect as much information about songwriting as you can and this is a good place to start. Explore the links below. They cover a wide range of song writing related topics such as song construction, lyric writing, inspiration, creative tools, songwriting software, how to sell your songs and much more. The topics are in no particular order so shop around and see what interests you.

More Beginner Songwriting ideas. Explore this article regarding a 4 part process which may help you better understand where songwriting ideas come from. Click the link below.

Songwriting ideas, Where do they come from?

Songwriting collaboration and Patriots Gospel. Working with others songwriters can be helpful to both parties. Gain insight into the process and comment on an original song, Patriots Gospel..Click the link below

Songwriting collaboration and Patriots Gospel

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Use the form below to create your own web page on this site. If you are working on a song and need feedback, other visitors can comment on your work and you will be notified when they do.

Perhaps you can give helpful tips or tell us your songwriting process. How it is for you.

You will be placed on our preferred contributor list and receive exclusive content updates and discounts on music related products and services. Writing a song? Want feedback?

Share your experience! Are you working on a song. Need some feedback from other songwriters?

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You will be sent a link to your own personal page and be able to receive and send comments to our growing community of musicians and songwriters. You can add photos and let me know how to link to any audio or video you may have. Just get creative. I challenge you!

Best Home Study for "Ear Players"

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