How to Write a Song

Or rather, at least the way I started

By Vince ColiamPublished 3 years ago • 6 min read

So you're beginning to feel the creative itch that so many others before us all have felt over the last several millennia. I hear ya. I've been there and understand that all too well. I have had the desire to write songs since I was a young boy and more than once during my childhood I made my attempt and fell flat on my face. But when I revisited the concept during my junior year in high school, I finally started to gain some ground. I wrote countless songs over the next several years, composed a score for a local symphony, and my works have been performed from Washington State to Texas.

But where do I even start? I asked myself that so many times. During my unsuccessful attempts as a child, I often began by placing my hands on one of the cheap keyboards I was able to get my hands on back then. There was nothing wrong with that; it's a very legitimate way to start. The only problem was that I didn't know how to play piano/keyboard at that point in my life. So that brings us to point #1:

Before you try to write a song, you should know how to play an instrument

It doesn't have to be a guitar, a piano, a wind instrument, or so on. We were all born with an instrument inside us and that is the voice. In fact, even though I knew how to play an external instrument in high school, my first songs were written with my voice. I don't claim to be a phenomenal singer, though I do sing on a stage regularly. But I can carry a tune, and for anyone that would use their voice as the primary instrument for songwriting, that ability is essential.

The next step may be quite obvious, depending on what you're wanting to write. If classical is your genre and the intent of your composition is to be an instrumental, then humming or singing the notes of your song with "la" could potentially work just fine. But like me and most others, your vision of a song probably would include a lyrical message, which would bring me to point #2:

Begin with the lyrics

If you're new to songwriting, it can be helpful to begin by writing the lyrics to the song. The syllables to the words in a song can help shape its rhythm, and the message of the song can lead you to melodies that will create an appropriate tone. For instance, a happy upbeat lyrical message would obviously not pair well with heavy, dark moody music such as music written in minor mode with diminished chords. And on the flipside, a song with a dark message wouldn't pair well with cheerful melodies full of major chords, at least in theory anyway. There is another article about writing song lyrics that you may find helpful right here.

So now you've got a set of lyrics that you're happy with. It is now time to add melodies to the words. This isn't the only way to do that, but it was helpful when I wrote my first songs. I had a mini-cassette voice recorder (Yeah yeah I know. I'm giving away my age.) and I simply began to sing my lyrics into the device. The first recording that I made was by no means the final product but at the very least, it gave me a place to start. If singing isn't your thing, then record yourself while playing an instrument as you assign each note to a syllable in your lyrics. Hence, point #3:

Make sure the notes match the syllables-it saves time later

You may have to do several takes, but if you keep at it, you'll come up with something. And once you have it, I would highly recommend seeking feedback from another musician, preferably one who is experienced. I say this because it is very common for songwriters to unintentionally plagiarize a song that they are familiar with on the first few attempts. If you don't catch it yourself, another set of ears may help.

The rest of the process requires at least a basic understanding of music theory. Some musicians are such naturals that they have the practical parts of the theory ingrained in them. I certainly was not that fortunate, so here's point #4:

Learn some music theory. It really helps.

Once you have lyrics and a melody, it is necessary to build harmony by adding chords to the song. It is possible without a knowledge of theory to find the right chords, but that will only work if you have the "ear" for it. Otherwise, you will need to identify the key that your melody is in, or to make it easy, create that melody in the key of C Major or A Minor, especially if you used a keyboard instrument. These keys only utilize the white keys on the piano. Once you have done so, you should identify the three "pillar" chords of a song. These chords are named after the first, fourth, and fifth notes in the scale of their key. So in C Major, these chords would be C Major, F Major, and G Major.

The "pillar"chords can harmonize almost any song in the most basic way. There are many other chords that can be used. For instance, the D Minor chord can usually be substituted for the F Major chord. But always remember, that theory is theory. The most important thing is that the chord has the sound that you need.

Once you have lyrics, a melody, and chords, you now have the blueprint of your song. There are other things to consider such as the rhythm and timing of your chords, the instruments that will play them, the possible presence of a counter melody, and of course, a proper bass line. The bass note will often be the same as the name of the chord, but that is in basic cases. As always, nothing is written in stone but is subject only to your own creativity.

So for all intents and purposes, once you get to this point, you have a song. It could be good or possibly not; it may or may not be the next hit single but whatever you do, don't stop. Don't get me wrong, I haven't made a ton of money in the music business. I have made it farther down this path that most ever do, but not without years of rejection letters before anything I had written was accepted. But even my rejected songs are still close to my heart and I enjoyed writing them. So the most important point of all is this:

Don't get too caught up in whether or not you ever "make" it. If you are writing songs that you and others enjoy, then you are already enjoying the success that really matters.