I’m not a huge fan of writing song lyrics. I think they’re usually boring and never feel right. Then I got the brilliant idea of combining my two biggest passions together and creating my own words to music! The results were fantastic and I’ve never looked back.
It’s a fun hobby and a great way to connect with your audience. However, it’s not a simple process. You need to know the right stuff beforehand in order to create the perfect lyrics that accompany your music. Luckily for you, I’m a huge geek when it comes to guitar and music theory. So, in this article, I’m going to tell you exactly what you need to know in order to start writing song lyrics.
Guitar Basics
Even if you’re not a professional guitarist, you need to know the basics in order to start writing music. These are the four basics I suggest you learn:
1. How to Play Guitar
It’s not that you need to be able to play guitar in order to write songs. You certainly don’t need to be able to play guitar in order to write songs. But, you will need to know how to play if you ever want your songs to sound nice. There are many different guitars out there, and each one has its own sound. However, not all guitars are created equal and not all sounds are nice. If you want your music to sound a certain way, it is a good idea to look for guitars that can replicate that sound. If you think you’re lacking in the guitar sound department, then consider upgrading your instrument. Also, playing guitar requires a lot of practice, so don’t be afraid to get started on that right now!
2. How to Scratch / Code Guitar
You can find software that will help you create your own music with songs you’ve written yourself or that others have written for you. The great thing about this software is that it allows you to scratch guitar solos and patterns into your song. This way, you don’t need to go through a traditional learning curve if you don’t want to. You can just dive right in and start creating. If this is something that interests you, look into getting a guitar pad with built-in software so that you don’t have to run around with your laptop all the time. This will make a huge difference in your productivity as a songwriter!
3. How to Read Music and What it Means
This point goes hand-in-hand with learning how to play guitar. If you’re ever curious as to how someone else’s music sounds, you can always read the sheet music. This is the easy way to find out, and it can also help you figure out the correct way to read and understand guitar music. With some time and patience, you’ll be able to read music and figure out what all the notes and symbols mean. This will help you become a much better guitar player, and it will also make it much easier to write music.
4. How to Record Your Own Guitar
Recording your own guitar is an essential part of any guitar player’s toolbox. Many top guitarists and recording engineers say that taking guitar recordings seriously is a road to musical success. The great thing about this step is that it provides you with a permanent record of your talent. No one will ever have to hear your songs the same way again once you’ve recorded them! This is also the step that allowed me to finally get my music out there, and it introduced me to a whole new audience. I would encourage you to get started on this as soon as possible. It will take some time to get used to, but once you do, it will be well worth it.
Once you’ve mastered all of this, the next step is to get into songwriting. But, before we get to that, it’s important to note that there are some similarities between learning to play guitar and learning to write songs. For instance, both require patience, and they both can be quite challenging. If you’re looking for a skill that will take considerable time to master, then consider adding songwriting to your toolbox. It’s not an easy task, but once you do, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner!
The 4-Step Songwriting Process
If you’re looking for a concise, step-by-step guide to songwriting, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s the process I use to write a song:
- First, I gather myself. I shut off my phone, turn off my laptop, and get nothing else out. I just want to be alone with my guitar and my blank notebook.
- Now that I’m completely alone, I start playing. I start off with simple strumming and gradually increase the complexity. Sometimes I’ll use a capo, other times I’ll use whammy bars, and sometimes I’ll use both. When I feel like I’ve arrived at the right place, I start writing.
- I try to write down every little detail I can remember about my guitar playing. I make notes about which strings I’m using, whether I’m using a capo or not, and what kind of effects I’m using (if any). I also write down the lyrics and the melody.
- Once I have everything down on paper, I compare it to what came before. I want to make sure I haven’t completely lost my mind and gone crazy.
If you’ve ever tried to write something down on paper but struggled with making it precise, then this is the step for you. It may take you some time to get used to writing things down, but the benefits will be worth it. Once you do, you can’t go back. You’ll wonder why you didn’t write things down sooner!
Where do I find the words for my songs?
You can either look for them yourself or ask someone else. There are many tools online that can help you find the exact words you’re looking for. Some of these tools are quite expensive, so you might not want to buy them all at once.
I usually start out by looking on YouTube for videos of people singing my song. Then, I’ll either find the lyrics or the melody on Google or by listening to the recording. If I can find neither, then I’ll have to go with some rough lyrics or a vague melody and hope for the best.
Songs from the Heart
When I was younger, I always used to wonder what it would be like to write music. Every time I felt inspired, I would put down some notes and eventually ended up with a complete song. Sadly, that never happened. I never felt confident enough to actually commit my most precious thoughts in song. Not until recently. It took me a long time to understand what was stopping me. Why did I feel so guilty about putting words to music? Why did I feel like I had to hide my talents? Why did I think that my songs would never be good enough?
I wish I could tell you that it was just a matter of time and patience. That once I started writing songs, my talent would spark and the music would come easy. Believe it or not, that’s not how it works. For some reason, my brain just wouldn’t let go of the fear that I would hurt someone’s feelings if I showed them my music. In the end, my talent wasn’t enough. I still didn’t feel confident enough to show my work to others until…
One day, I was scrolling through YouTube and came across a pianist named Rosabelle. Her music videos always stand out to me because they have such an emotional connection. In one of the videos, she had written a song called “Songs From the Heart” — and it was about ME. The video showed snippets of her life back when she was first learning to play the piano. At first, I didn’t know what was happening. I thought maybe I had watched the video in the wrong order or skipped a section. I kept watching, waiting for it to make sense. Eventually, it did. I was dumbfounded. It took me a good while to process all of this. Why had this unknown piano player picked me out of all the other videos? How was I supposed to play the piano with such emotion when I wasn’t even technically proficient?
The answer came when I found the lyrics for the song. It was incredible! I was finally starting to believe that I could write music and someone else could sing it. So I started off by writing down the lyrics and then, a few days later, tried out the melody on my guitar. It was exactly as I remembered! There were no wrong notes, and I didn’t have to worry about putting too much emotion into it.