Song Writing Basics

So I have been writing my own songs since I was probably 13 or 14 and I wanted to share with y'all how I learned to write.

First you should probably learn to play an instrument. For me, it all started with the trumpet in middle school band. I got a music bases and then I went from there to teaching myself, guitar, a little piano, autoharp, ukelele, and the tiniest bit of violin. The last one didn't last long.

Second you should figure out your style of music. I thought I wanted to be a country singer when I first started and the first original song I have on my YouTube channel, which is fairly new, is proof. It's pretty country but it's one of my first songs ever. I pulled a Taylor Swift somewhere in there.  

                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIWlTVEGxnY

Third, learn from your favorites. For me, I did learn a lot from Taylor Swift and Loretta Lynn. One thing I learned is a basic song arrangement is one that goes:

Verse

Chorus

Verse

Chorus

Bridge

Chorus

Chorus

Writing like this is a good way to learn who you are as a writer and how to evolve from that. Then you can do whatever you want in any order you want. Have two verses in the beginning. Heck! Take out the chorus.

Fourth, still learning from your favorites, take away some keys to the melodies of their music. I learned that really you don't need a million different chords or notes to make a good catchy song. Some of the greatest songs only use four chords and usually, those four chords are G, D, Em, C.

Those four chords make up a lot of the greats. But you can even use only three or even two chords, it depends on what you like. 

Just remember to be original. A lot of songs (Let it Be, Tim McGraw, Hey Soul Sister, Someone Like You) may use the same chords, but they definitely don't sound the same. Find what you like.

Fifth, there should be a build up. By the time you get to the bridge, it should be a little faster, a little louder, and a little catchier than the rest of the song.

Sixth, there should be a wine down. The bridge is the climax, but you still have the rest of your song. I mean you could end it there. This is just basic, but it's really up to you.

Seventh, write for you. Write a song that you can sing, not what you feel like only Alicia Keys can sing. Write the lyrics for you. What you want, what you miss, what you dream of, and what you love.

So those are my basics for song-writing. Let me know if you have any questions and what you thought in the comments below. Please Check out my YouTube channel! I will be adding a lot more to that over the next few months.