Understanding the elements of songwriting will help you create memorable and moving songs. These songwriting tips will help you get started on your musical journey.
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- 10 Techniques for Writing Memorable Songs
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10 Techniques for Writing Memorable Songs
These ten tips will help you to create new lyrics and music.
- 1. Create a catchy melody. Millions of songs share the same progressions with three and four chords. Why do we get some songs stuck in our heads? It could be the melody. The melody is key to creating an earworm. Successful melodies usually move in a stepwise fashion (up or downward, a half-step or a full step), with a few jumps (up and down any larger interval). A high note is often used to anchor the melody.
- 2. Use any chord. You will limit your musical possibilities if you stick to a few chords. For a richer and more interesting sound, try composing songs with all kinds of chords, including major, minor, diminished, augmented, and dominant.
- 3. Create an unforgettable rhythm. The rhythmic motif is the reason why many of the most memorable songs, from country hits to hip-hop gems, are so popular. Take note the next time you listen to your favourite songs. A funky or syncopated melodies or backing tracks can be the most catchy part of the song. Then, get creative when creating your rhythm.
- 4. Create your song based on a riff. You can create riffs for an entire song, whether you are a guitarist or pianist. Riffs are a powerful tool. From Tom Morello’s funk-metal lines on Rage Against the Machine’s “Bombtrack“ to the Timbaland-produced Synth lick in Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,“ riffs carry a song. They’re also one of the most powerful tools for songwriting.
- 5. Create a song that you can perform live. Music production software allows songwriters today to create digital symphonies at home. The digital audio workstation software (DAW) is an amazing tool for making music. However, you should also consider how you will perform your songs in real life. Record companies want to know how well musicians can connect with live audiences. Your music should, therefore, be as captivating when performed live as it would be in recorded form.
- 6. Take a break from your instrument and write. The common logic would be to have you write songs at the piano or while holding a guitar. This works most of the time but can lead you to fall into a songwriting slump if you fall back on old tropes. You can also try to write melodies and rhyming patterns in your head by putting down the instrument, walking outside and going for a walk. Sing your ideas into the voice recorder of your smartphone if you’ve got some great ones. Return to your instrument to learn how to play the songs instrumentally.
- 7. Be ambitious when it comes to song structure. The majority of songs have a combination of these elements: an introduction, a verse or two, a pre-chorus, a chorus, a bridge, solo instrumentals, and a coda/outro. You can challenge yourself by writing a song which does more than toggle between the verses and chorus. Try the standard song structure of verse/chorus/ verse/chorus/ bridge/chorus. This structure is used in many hit-pop songs.
- 8. Write lyrics with spontaneity and structure. It isn’t easy to write lyrics. Plan your lyric writing process, but allow for some spontaneity. You may already have some lyrical ideas and an idea of the general theme for the song, but you should let it come to you, just as a poet would. You might be drawn to certain lines by the consonance or assonance in words.
- 9. Use rhyme to help you. A rhyme scheme can make lyrics more memorable, coherent, and easier to remember. Rhyming may not be necessary for all songwriters. If a rhyme cannot adequately express an idea, then follow the idea and not the rhyme.
- 10. How to overcome writer’s block. To combat writer’s block, it is important to change your creative process. You usually write lyrics first, then music. Try it in the other direction. Do you typically strum chords and then improvise on top? Start with a melody, riff or other improvisational element. Try writing a tune on an unfamiliar instrument or genre. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone in order to boost your creativity.