Songwriting 101
By Debbie Ridpath Ohi, N2Arts Correspondent
Want to write a song? Advice for new songwriters
 

ave you ever found yourself listening to a song on the radio and thinking, “Hey, I could have written that”?

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Listen to songs with a critical ear.

  Start REALLY listening to your favorite songs. What specifically do you like about them? What turns you off? If a particular song makes you feel a strong emotion, try to figure out what it is about the song that is making you feel that emotion (lyrics? melody? rhythm? etc.).

• Sing in the shower.

  I bet you think I’m kidding. Hum, warble, sing...sing other people’s songs you like, make up your own nonsense songs. Who knows? You might get inspired.

• Keep a “brainstorming” notebook for your lyric ideas.

  Whenever you do get inspired, write your ideas down right away. Ideas could consist of a song title or topic, a phrase or rhyme you like, a few lines that pop into your head. Write everything down, even if you’re not sure if it’s good or not.

• Use a handheld tape recorder or other recording device to keep track of your melody ideas. Or if you know how to read music, you can write your melody ideas on manuscript paper. Unless you have an astoundingly good memory, you will need to find some way to record your musical ideas. (Warning: don’t take your tape recorder into the shower with you!)

• Decide what kind of song you want to write.

  Think about what you want to say in your song. Do you want it to be happy or sad? Do you want to tell a story? Create a certain mood or image?

• Consider co-writing with a friend.

  If you have a musical friend who is also interested in songwriting, why not try writing a song or two together?  This can be especially helpful if your friend can play a musical instrument or read music, and you can’t.

• Get a rhyming dictionary.

  This can be an invaluable tool while songwriting. There are also several good online rhyming dictionaries like RhymeZone.

• Learn to play an instrument like guitar or piano.

  It’s not essential for a songwriter to be able to play an instrument, but it certainly helps, as does knowledge of basic music theory. It can also be more fun performing your songs for people if you can accompany yourself on a musical instrument.

• Write a one-minute theme song about yourself or a friend.

• Take a familiar, simple song (like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) and make up a new melody.

• Do the same thing, except use the old melody and make up new lyrics.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is a Toronto-based freelance writer and photographer who has several online comic strips and performs with the music group Urban Tapestry. Her Web site can be found at http://www.inkygirl.com.