How to Create a Rock Song

Rock 'n' roll guitar player

There is no recipe for writing a hit rock song, but a few simple guidelines exist to help you get started. The best way to write rock is on an electric guitar, but an acoustic guitar will be fine. Just pretend it's an electric. One thing to remember when writing music is that you can copy someone else's song idea all day, but it won't attract the attention that a unique-sounding rock song will attract.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar or piano
• Amp
• Pick
• Pad
• Pen or pencil
• Capo (optional)

Instructions

The Writing Process

1. 

   Come up with an idea lyrically and musically. Decide if you want the song to be heavy or soft, loud or quiet. Also decide on a theme for your lyrics (your theme might influence the sound of the song). Write down your ideas or song lyrics. Musicians draw ideas from lyrics from a number of places, including relationships, family, friends, trips, tragedy and so on. Find your area of inspiration and write about it. If you're stuck in the lyric-writing process, think of something going on in your life _ even the smallest thing _ and brainstorm ways to make it interesting. This should put you on the right track.

2. Write a hook. The hook commonly comes in the form of a catchy chorus or bridge, often repeating and wielding a memorable tune and lyrics. The lyrics should be insightful but not too in-depth; catchy is the key word when it comes to hooks.

3. Write the verses. Verses are the parts of the song that tell the story of the song, lyrically and musically. Write the verses to complement the chorus, or hook, you've already written. Your verse lyrics should be more in-depth than the chorus lyrics and tell more of the story.

4. Write a bridge. The bridge of the song is the part that is different from the chorus and verses but still fits with the song. The bridge should not be an afterthought. Spend as much time as you need writing a good bridge. The bridge will give people a refreshing break after a song full of similar riffs, so it needs to be good.

5. Structure your song. Every song doesn't have to be verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge, even if that's how you write it. Your rock song can have any structure you want it to. Arrange your song in a structure that makes sense to you, lyrically and musically. Your song should tell your story, so put it in an order that most effectively does that.

Tips & Warnings

• *Don't copy other songs. Draw inspiration from people but be original. *Write honest lyrics. If your lyrics are generic and shallow, people will see right through it. You will be much more respected if your lyrics are compelling, honest and straightforward. *Rock is a broad genre of music, so choose your style and go with it. It doesn't have to emulate Ozzy or KISS. It can be your own brand of rock.

References

• Ultimate Guitar
• Songs for Teaching

Resources

• Sing 365