How to Write a song (lyrics)

The most frustrating part of writing a song can be the writing the lyrics. Here are a few tips to get you started on writing your masterpiece.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper
• Pen, or pencil
• Musical instrument

1. Subject. Every song needs a central idea, try to think of one that you know a lot about. You can write a successful song about anything, from tacos to relationships (which is what most songs are about). You should just pick something and try to get rolling on it, if it becomes to hard then put it aside and try something different, the subject will eventually become clear. DO NOT ERASE YOUR INITIAL IDEAS, you can come back to them later and apply them to the song in other ways.

2. Content. Once you have your idea try to write a poem about it, since that's what songs essentially are. Don't worry about it rhyming or fitting in with the music yet, right now your main focus should be getting content down. If writing a poem is not your thing then try writing a letter or essay about the subject, you can always break it down later. If you want the song to be funny, or serious then you should reflect that emotion in your writing.

3. Title. Every song needs a title, try and sum up what you have written into a two-four word title. Your title should capture the emotion of your lyrics as well.

4. Plug it into the music. Start simple. Take your favorite lines or passages from your letter or poem and just plug it into the music you have written. Do not worry about it rhyming yet, once you start singing the lyrics with the music it will start to become clear which words don't fit and what needs to be changed. Remember; The most important thing in the song is the message, not every song needs to rhyme. In fact, there are great songs out there that do not rhyme at all, so don't get hung up on that, it can waste a lot of time!

5. Remember that simple is key. If you are having trouble plugging your lyrics into the music you have written then try plugging it in to a simpler song. For example use a simple guitar riff, or a riff to a song you already know and plug your lyrics into that, the less you have to think about playing the more you can think about your lyrics. You can always expand on the lyrics, start simple and then evolve your ideas

6. Once you have your main verses established you are going to want a chorus. This is one of the hardest parts of writing a song. You need to think of something that you can repeat over and over, but it relates back to each individual verse, as well as the title and central idea, and emotion of the entire song. Once again you must keep it simple! start with one or two lines for the chorus, and expand if necessary. If that is to much then, start with one or two words for the choruse, or just use the title as the chorus. Remember the simpler it is the more relatable it is to the verse before it. Also, if it is simpler it can have multiple interpretations, a good thing for a song to have.

7. Put everything together and hopefully you have a great song, it may still require a little polishing but these tips should at least get you started on the right track. Remember when you are writing music there are no rules or boundaries, make it your own and if it sounds good then do it, it's as simple as that.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember if your stuck you should try and simplify your thinking!
• Don't get discouraged, writing lyrics can be frustrating, don't try and force it!
• The song you write should reflect your personality, it's a lot easier to write that way
• Everyone is a critique, if you like it then forget what anyone else thinks, it's awesome.

[ramamohan]

on 10/19/2009 Thanks for ur guide lines these are very helpful 2me...

[marieh56]

on 9/1/2009 Thanks this really helped! 5*