My top Tips for Songwriting
By Dan McCalmont
Before I ever decided to pursue my degree in songwriting, I had always believed it was just sitting down at a piano or with a guitar and writing another “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and the skill to do this was innate, that it was ingrained in those lucky enough from birth. I couldn’t have been further from the mark. Songwriting is a personal expression of who you are, through lyricism or instrumentation, it is how musicians affect people’s lives and it is an ever changing discipline! I learn more and more everyday, from those around me and the music I consume and it is through listening to others that we develop ourselves as writers.
When it comes to music, and all art for that matter, everything is subjective. We all interpret the messages of art in our own ways, even if the artist had an intended message behind the piece. Some people love Bob Dylan and others really don’t, but it is important to acknowledge every songwriter's place within the world of music creation as there is room for all of us!
Baring all this in mind, I would like to offer some tips and advice that has served me well in my artistic endeavours to this point - these will not work for everyone but it is always worth trying to know what doesn’t work as well!
Look for your sound.
This may seem very vague or very complex in its intent but what I mean by this is to listen to the music that makes you happy, the music you find the most emotionally rousing and learn about how these songs are structured. Are they folk, pop, rock? Does singing along to this make you excited? 99.9999%* (*this number is completely made up but the point stands!) of artists that we listen to are a byproduct of all the artists that they loved and admired!
2. Embrace your emotions.
No, this is not any attempt at psychology but it is an important factor in creating music that is personal. Going through emotional times, may that be happy or sad, is a large part of the shared human experience and it is something that we all can relate to. Many musicians are known for writing very dark and emotional music, such as Elliott Smith or Phoebe Bridgers and other musicians are great at creating upbeat and happy music such as Harry Styles or Sabrina Carpenter, and guess what? They are all loved in their own right and by many of the same people! Creating art out of the experiences we have is what makes our music so personal to us and it is a way of speaking for those who may not feel like they have a voice.
3. Write down everything!
There is nothing more frustrating than coming up with a lyric that you really like when you’re lying in bed at 2am and waking up with no recollection of what it was, you might think you’ll remember in the morning but I promise the chances are slim. I like to use my voice note app and hum a melody or sing a line that I came up with and come back to it sometime in the future when I feel creative.
4. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
I think this is the most important tip I have for those reading this. Making music, writing songs, these are meant to be fun and exciting activities but where there is passion, there is frustration. We may go through a period of time where picking up the guitar is too much effort or playing the piano sounds like a cat screeching but that is so okay. Music is a process, it requires dedication, writer’s block may rear it’s ugly head but this is all part of it. Allow yourself the space to make mistakes, to sing out of tune and to get bored for a while and the love you have for music will reappear and you will be back to making music you are proud of.
5. And finally.. Start writing!
There is no better way to start songwriting than to sit down and write some lyrics! They might be terrible, as could the 10 songs following it, but the only way to get better is to keep practising, keep singing, keep writing. The skill will develop as you learn more about the art and about yourself as a musician. Remember, music is subjective and there isn’t a song on this planet that EVERYONE loves but that doesn’t take away from the impact your music may make on someone’s life, and that is why we do it. So, get writing!
Feel free to get in contact with me about anything music-related or to talk about all things songwriting! My contact email is dan.mccalmont@queensradio.org.