For the past 5 years of my life, I have been writing music on and off. It really helps you get along whenever you are confused, pissed off, or just angsty. In this guide, I'm going to try to relay my technique in song writing to you, in hopes that it will help start you on your way to writing meaningful music! (ex. Not Jonas Bros/Pop Syndicated garbage)
Generally, when I write a song, I have a powerful emotion brewing inside of me. Whether it's anger, melancholy, or a strong feeling of indifference to certain things. Anyways, I usually start off writing a song by sitting down with my guitar and just blurting out what I want to transcribe over a simple chord progression. For example, I was quite upset with a friend of mine for not letting me talk to a girl he liked, so in my frustration I sat down and came up with the chorus in one try:
Hey brunette beauty with your hair let down
I'm sick and tired of waiting around now
If he won't step up then I'll jump in
I've got just as much right and just as much feeling
You lift me up from the floor to the ceiling, now
Aren't you excited for something new?
While this isn't the most profound piece of music to date, it was a good start (plus I recorded it and the girl heard it and she literally cried! God I'm a baller) This song was written during a more juvenile period of my song writing so it could be misconstrued as Pop syndicate garbage (which basically proves that a 14 year old can write just as well as as the professionals who write for Hannah Montana).
I have matured in this short time period, as I am now 17, and have started to touch upon more serious topics, or at least more realistic ones. For example, One of my more recent songs included the verse:
Keep your mind on the reason, for all the things you do
You have always had a treasonous capacity in you
State of mind, slowly leaning, towards the quiet kids, not you
Cruelty loves its company, but I've heard misery does too
As you can see, I'm much more angsty now. Anyways these are just some examples of how easy it is to just sit down and quickly throw out what you really want to say.
Also, A Quick Rule Of Thumb
Never write a song just to write a song! Make sure you have actual passion for what you are writing about. If not, you will end up frustrated, and have an uninspired piece of garbage. For example, I haven't really been inspired by anything in a while so I don't even bother writing. That's why most bands' later albums blow, because they are just making a deadline. Take as much time as you need to perfect your song. Just think of it as a piece of art, you wouldn't consider it finished until it looks just like you want it to.
As for Rhyming, remember that you don't always need to rhyme. Sometimes it is more appropriate to write blank verse. But if you do wish to rhyme, always have a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary handy! I always just use rhymezone.com and thesaurus.com. It can really help you out of a jam and can allow you to fit a line in much better into a song.
Well, there is not much else I can say about song writing. The most important things you must remember are:
Write what you know and make sure you are writing music for the right reasons, that is, if you want to write anything decent. And please promise me you won't start writing music because you want people to think you're cool. Write because it's what you love to do. Otherwise you'll end up like Greg Brady, or should I say Johnny Bravo.