Enjoy writing your song
Writing a song should be a pleasure for any singer-songwriter out there, but it requires a lot of commitment and effort. Concentration, observation and imagination are elements that contribute to a good composition. So how does one become a good storyteller who draws his listeners into a disconcerting song?
Every composer is a storyteller or writer. Professor Andrzej Klimowski of the UAL Short Course Leader of The Graphic novel. Storytelling asserts the following about storytelling:
“Telling a story is not a simple task, but it can be so if you keep some tips in mind. For example, as a writer, you should start from a starting point and conclusion. The rest revolves around composition, tone, color, speed and tempo.”
Present your song as if it were created as a message just for your listeners. Your song should capture the imagination.
Make sure your listeners understand and remember your song. According to Frijters, storytelling is nothing more or less than getting people to watch an inner movie that captures the imagination through descriptive stories. So storytelling takes your listeners into a story. It creates impact.
In other words, it’s like a childhood fairy tale that you can even remember today.
Finally, Frijters makes one last comparison : that between storytelling and asking for directions:
“You can compare storytelling to asking someone for directions when you don’t know how to get somewhere. If someone says first right, third left, then second right, fourth left and left at the end. Then that takes a lot of effort for you as a listener to remember. But DESCRIBE someone tells you the way then it sounds very different.”
source: Pieter Frijters: https://spreek.nl/wat-is-storytelling/
Storytelling is the art of sharing. Just as you share something on social media, the same goes for music. You share your deepest feelings and expose yourself. New themes and ideas score well with audiences every time. Take a look at the incredible musical work of the great songwriters such as Taylor Swift, Tiesto, Timbaland, Elton John or Paul McCartney. These masters of song scored one or more songs at the number one spot in their country or several countries.
A song does not get there in 1 day, but are often created spontaneously when writers are not thinking about it or just sitting in the car, their bed or bath. Having a good recording device or cell phone on hand can result in these new songs being preserved. Fantasy comes from experiences in our own love life or simply arise from a new theme. These can be positive feelings or negative emotions. A love breakup, the death of a loved one or family member.
A funny element like 2009’s The Crazy Frog and the Eurovision song Europe pa in 2024 can be an instant hit because of their sense of humor that goes into the lyrics and video or act. These successes are often just a one hit wonder. Standing out and standing out above the gray mass of songs are the formula for success here. Controversy also lures a larger audience. Humor can be seen as a recipe for reaching the masses and really scoring in the music business. Both act de présence and playful appearance can contribute to creating a monster hit.
Writers do not work on the run, but often struggle with writer’s block. This too can be a theme as in the movie A star is born with top singer Lady Gaga and newly discovered singing talent Bradley Cooper. Struggling with your own feelings that you cannot put into words can be intense.Dropping new ideas and combining them with a strong melody line is no easy task. Writing music is a uniquely creative process. As a beginning songwriter, putting down a song is a process in which it is best to follow a few steps. Creating a song spontaneously is almost impossible unless you have received musical or literary training. Thus, there are known techniques for songwriters. According to Kate Brunott, a good song consists of a balance of word and rhythm: “Most songwriters are self-taught, but there are some tricks of the trade that can help you incorporate great lyrics into your own music from the start, even if you haven’t written songs in the past.”
Musicians tell a story. Usually this is their own story. You can compare a song to a short story that has a classic story structure. This structure consists of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution or catharsis.
Writing music becomes a success if you pay attention to the title, content, melody, chorus and rhythm of the song. Rhythm and melody can be tried out on your guitar, piano and even with your feet or your glass. Humming your song is also a workable method.
Create your own song. Feel free to take inspiration from others.
Talk about your greatest and deepest experiences in your own words. Go deep to land high. Choose a theme. Verses are about events while the chorus is about emotions. Rhyming is not necessary, but can make your song more beautiful. Stylistic elements such as alliteration and repetition can make your song sound good. Ultimately, all of the song should sound melodic. Metaphor or imagery also makes your song strong. Make everyone sing along and understand your lyrics. This is writing for an audience. Know that music is listened to and watched on PC, cell phone, Youtube, in the car… Watching and listening to other people’s music has its advantages. Listening and watching your own music with a critical ear and eye also helps.
Try to work on your melody or even change it. Improving yourself can be good. Change is inspiring, which is why music creators like to change environments when they experience writer’s block. The creative brain works better in a low-stress environment. In a quiet place, the mind can relax. Connecting yourself with other musicians can help you get more ideas. So if you feel like you’re stuck with your song, take a break and find other places. Creativity has an aspect of spontaneous inspiration that attracts artists, and that has its benefits. However, subjecting your inspiration to limitations can stop your creative process. Define characters, a short story, a limited number of chords that give a direction and make composing easier.
How do you find feeling in music? We love how it makes us feel, but we also try to understand the writing process of others and yourself. How did the composer feel while composing? Was he optimistic or dejected?
What musical instruments did he/she use? How important is the voice and is there repetition? What melody is chosen? Is there any use of samples? Is there any influence from past artists or is the song unique? Which video helped the song to score with a wide audience on music channels and on youtube.com.
Here I illustrate my questioning with the mega-success of Freddie Mercury and Queen as the band that lasted more than 30 years at the top and invariably finished at the first spot in the charts spanning all years. The British singer became timeless with his funny videos and unique music choices. Do you want to become as great? Realize that writing music starts with writing assignments.
A writing assignment lets writers have to write about a particular topic in a personal and precise way. It can be a fun challenge to your mind to get inspired and get everything out of yourself. Sometimes thinking about that one song for too long prevents us from coming up with that one hit! Work both on the how and why of the writing task.
Therefore, writing something else by definition removes the blockage because you are writing, and broadens your horizons to new patterns of thinking. In the end, you will return to your songwriting with a fresh mind.
Many websites offer writing assignments for both professionals and amateurs. Try it next time when you have a writer’s block. A cure for writer’s block, according to many experts, is change of place or travel. Exploring new horizons and meeting people will help you find inspiration. Also, listen to other songs and pick out words that you then incorporate into a new song. Also do brainstorming and work out an idea. Do you have any tips of your own to improve your songwriting? Send them to me!