How to start writing songs

A step by step guide to writing your first song

The lights are bright as you step onto the stage. You hear the audience cheering in anticipation. You play a few covers and you hear the audience somewhat sing along. You take a deep breath and brace yourself. The count comes in: 1,2,3,4..

Before your can even exhale your voice from your stomach, you realize something. Something unforgettable. The audience, they know the lyrics? They sing your original song. They know the words better than you do and sing it with such confidence.

This was what happened when I played my first original song infront of a crowd. I never would have imagined my Youtube video travelling across the screen to a point they would know the lyrics by heart. It has always been one of the best feelings in the world and why I think you would love to try it out yourself. Let's get started.

1. Structure

Without going too far into the science of songwriting, we should begin with something easy to understand. Think of yourself as the person listening to this on Musicoin or Spotify. Can I understand what the song means easily?

Decide on a structure. If you had attended any writing or language classes, you probably had to write essays. These essays are based on structures which usually is thought within the first class. Think of songwriting in the same light. Let's use the following structure:

2. Opening Line

The opening line is a key element to making people interested in the story. If you naturally watch a video online, start realizing how much time you give the video before you start to scroll along. The opening line is your 15 seconds of attention. Make it count!

It should resonate like paint falling from the top of a wall. Here's the link to an article I did on Bleeding for a more in depth look:

To put it simply: Your opening line should be simple, relatable and entices curiosity (use a metaphor to create suspense).

3. Catchy Chorus

Everyone has their own opinion on what a chorus should be so let's define it before we begin: A chorus is a group of people saying the same thing at the same time. With that said, I believe in making choruses simple, percussive and most importantly, easy to sing-along.

As you write your chorus, bare in mind that you will need to include the summary of your entire song within the last two lines of your chorus

Let's use a well known simple example:

Love me like you do, Simple and catchy
Percussive > Lo-love, love me like you do,
What are you waiting for? > Meaning of the song summarized

4. Bridge

The bridge is where you say what you want to say without worrying so much about what people think. It's a place where you leave your lenses behind and completely surrender yourself to the music and get things off your chest. This brings the song into a vulnerable state eventually preparing the audience for the climax of the song.

5. Climax

The climax also known as the final chorus is where singers and musicians release all their energy and create a loud athem-like sonic thunderstorm. Normally, you will hear a group of people singing the last chorus whilst the singer takes the lead and sing runs above everyone, bringing out emotion and energy. Don't forget to be genuine! that's the key to a good climax.

Summary

Let's look at the equation:

So what are you waiting for? Let's get to work, trust me it'll be worth it. We have also left a secret step in the comments below. Head down there to check it out!