If you want to be a more effective song writer, there are some things that you will have to bear in mind when you are writing songs. You definitely do not want to make any terrible mistakes as it will take out a lot of your time and effort. Here are the 3 things that you have to consider when you are writing songs.

1) Be Aware Of Your Target Audience

This is the first thing that you must do as you will want to identify the group of people that you are targeting. If you are writing a song for old people, you will want to make sure that you have a song that will communicates in a way that they can understand your message. There is a saying “The Simplest Things Works”. You do not have to over complicate the whole process as simple song might be better.

2) Be In A Environment Where You Will Have Inspiration

You will want to identify the environment that will trigger your inspiration and you will be creative. For example, if you feel that you get the most inspiration during the night, you will want to make sure that you have a good environment around you so that you can be creative. Do make some effort to identify the best time and places where you get the most inspiration and you will be surprised by the creativity that comes from you.

3) Do Not Be A Perfectionist

The biggest mistake that people make is being a perfectionist. If you are going to keep on going through the process of creating the song, nobody other than you will be able to listen to your song. If you feel that your song is 85% ready, you can try to ask for opinions from your friends or even to the major video directories where you can get valuable feedback. This will greatly helps to improve your songs better.

Here are the 3 things that you will have to consider when you are writing songs. Do follow it through, closely, and you will be able to write good songs fast and effectively.

Writing songs on the keyboard or piano.

As a song writer, you will always end up with a method that works best for you, whether or not you learn the art of songwriting from a professional songwriter.

I can only speak from my own experience as far as songwriting is concerned, so for myself, playing the guitar and a little piano has helped a lot in my own personal style of songwriting.

For someone just starting out with songwriting, I would suggest buying a small keyboard to help get ideas down.

The nice thing about the piano or keyboard is that if you stick to the key of C, the chords are very easy to play.

Another very usable feature for writing songs on the keyboard is the auto accompaniment function. Setting a good beat and style for a song before you write it can work very nicely towards getting inspired.

A note of caution though, is to remember not to use the one finger feature when creating chords, as you won’t know what it is that you played.

Why I write songs on the guitar.

The main reason why I write songs on a guitar is because that’s my main instrument. Many people who play guitar, even if they are novices at it, somehow, like myself, seem to prefer it as a song writing tool.

As a fairly advanced guitarist, and I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet here, heck, I don’t even own a trumpet.

Okay, where was I now?

Oh yes, I can use guitar riffs, off beats and various other little music nuances to really get the song happening.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it really helps to have a good mastery of the instrument when writing songs.

Be that as it may, the essence of a good song, and I’m talking from a commercial appeal point of view, is good melody, chords that sit nicely on the ear (no funny pictures please) and a good beat.

How to write lyrics.

Now this is the real scary part, mostly because a lot of people thing they are good lyricists, when in fact they aren’t.

I need to make a very clear distinction here between poetry and song lyrics. They are not the same.

The thing with song lyrics is that they don’t have to be that good, they still need to be meaningful though.

Good song lyrics communicate a feeling or concept in easily understandable words that have a tendency towards rhyme.

Writing lyrics for songs is a bit of a black art, if you ask me. Listen to the greatest lyricists of our time, and try to get a feel for what they did that was so powerful.

One thing that they do very effectively is communicate. Listen to Bob Dylan, he’s very clever and a natural.

Looking for some tips on writing songs or maybe you are just starting out and need some inspiration. When you decide that you would like to write songs you often look for inspiration but are often unable to find it. The dreaded writers curse writer block has arrived.

If you would like to consistently wright catchy melodies , lyrics or just be able to plan your songs’ structure the is always a place for some inspiration. Song writing uses many skills, the most important being your creativity. Looking to maintain your creative flow with some inspiration, turn those ideas into songs or just simply giving you a new insight is where this article will prove helpful. Here are tips on writing songs.

Writing songs means you have something to say. Write about the things that move you or are important to you. Don’t forget that your song is a journey, take your listener some where interesting, show them something new.

Don’t lose sight of exactly who you are writing that song for. If you are taking some one on that journey make sure you know exactly who that person is and write the song accordingly.

Set your self a goal of writing a new song every day. Now they are not going to be masterpieces but even if it’s only a 40 second song the practice will eventually pay off. Train your brain to write songs-the more you do it the easier it will become.

Think back to a time in your life when you were moved by something, first love, lost love, birth or death, whatever memory has affected you emotionally. When you connect with you listeners you are trying to connect with them emotionally and I suspect most people will have encountered what you are trying to portray in your song.

Don’t ever try and over complicate your songs is a great tips on writing songs. A popular song is just that- popular, and the majority of you audience has only basic understanding of music. If your song is too complicated they will just turn of. If they cannot relate to it and understand it then you will lose them as a listener.

If you find your self on a role with some great ideas flowing bear this in mind. Not all your ideas will work in one song. Be honest . If the latest great idea does not fit then put it to one side. On a side note Write your ideas down or record them somewhere. That ideas may not fit into that song but hey you will have a great supply of new ideas for your next song.

If you buy a new toy for your songs not all of you new songs need to have one. If you have just invested in a new wah-wah pedal for your guitar not every song that you write needs to have a wah-wah. Think about what your song needs not what you want

Your inspiration for your songs should come from your real live experiences. Get out there and live life. Go to a museums, read a book, watch some sport or walk the mountains. It matters not what you do as long as you do something. Make it different and you will be inspired by what you have just experienced. how that for tips on writing songs

Get inspirations from other peoples work. Listen to there songs and try and uncover what the magic is. Try and understand what has made this song popular. Now don’t go and copy that but use the ideas as inspiration.

Having just said that about other peoples work and trying to uncover their tricks to discover a new way of writing don’t for get what most great writer have said through out the centuries which is “be yourself”T he most important thing about a song is its truth. No one else can be who you are, experienced what you have, lived the life you have. You should say what you say in the way that you say it. So do not let respect for other song writers stand in your way of expressing yourself. You are unique and never forget that.

What is songwriting? What is composing? Do you really compose when you write songs or are you just copying?

If song writers make a living on their writing it will put a lot of pressure on them. Some song writers are constantly listening for what’s popular and are trying to imitate hooks in songs.

I can see two ways to go as a song writer:

1. Listening to a lot of hit songs and trying to write similar songs. By listening to songs and reading a lot on what’s up trying to feel what type of songs will be popular in the near future.

2. Trying to be yourself and just work on creating songs you like yourself in the hope that others will feel the same.

The last method is for me the most rewarding way to go as far as personal growth is concerned. I feel good and happy when I am creative as a song writer and feel that the process involves something about knowing myself better.

In the long run it might also create the best hit songs too. The song Yesterday is just one example of a different hit song.

Writing songs can be a very rewarding activity and the level of originality depends on how you write your music. You can help the creative parts of your brain to be activated or use the more calculating parts or a combination of both.

May I share a few tips from my own song writing experience:

1. Sit down with your guitar or at your piano singing or humming without expecting to create something brilliant. When you allow yourself to wander away a bit from your calculating parts of the brain and into the exciting forests of imagination and creativity you can come up with fantastic things.

2. Limitations can help your creativity. Give yourself some limitations by for example using a chord progression like G Em Am D7. Many songs use this progression but there will be room for more. You can of course use a more odd one like E C C#m G#m.

3. Record yourself playing around humming with your guitar or piano. Listening to what you have come up with a few days later can help you find interesting melodies or hooks to use in your songs.

Sometimes you can feel that you are not able to write songs like the song writers you like but they can’t write songs that is you. A comforting thought, isn,t it!

To make this article more useful, gather up your 3 strongest or most recent titles, hooks or choruses, so that you can apply what we’re discussing to the “real world” of your material.

Tap Into Your Personal Experiences For “Nuggets of Truth”

It’s my firm belief that the old adage, “write what you know” is applicable to songwriting as well as prose. Although some of us prefer to believe we can write about anyone and anything, our most meaningful and successful songs usually spring from “real life” experiences, and our responses to, and interpretations of, those experiences. Each day we spend on the planet, observed through the prism of songwriting, offers innumerable creative possibilities. The seeds of brilliant songs often lie just beneath the surface, but the writer must be willing to nurture their growth.

Let’s say you’re starting with a blank slate: germ of an idea brewing, recording device turned on, and instrument, voice or blank page ready and waiting. How do you go about extracting the proverbial Killer Hook from your precious “nuggets of truth”:

• First, ask: what is true, real, intensely felt RIGHT NOW in your life? Be attentive to those flickers of realization, your “aha! moments.”

• What experiences do you have a burning yearning to share?

• What contribution do you want to make to the world?

• What makes your angle on life unique, compelling, interesting?

• In the movie “Walk The Line,” Sam Phillips asks Johnny Cash what song he’d sing if he was dying in a ditch on the side of the road and only had 3 minutes left. What hook would you sing in that situation?

• How can you arrange words and/or musical notes to get your “soul” down in song?

• Get crazy, be bold, bare your deepest truth or your silliest notion.

• Your job as a songwriter is to express what others can’t express. Go overboard!

Now take a few minutes and blurt out what comes up for you. Really dig in there and fearlessly sing, write or play something, anything, as long as it rings true. This is a great exercise to try any time you have 10 minutes to spare.

Next, start to put that spark of inspiration into song form. Stay connected with the essence of your personal experience as you begin to experiment with lyrics and music.

Ways to Enhance the Impact of Your Song’s Hook(s)

In the Verse/Chorus song form — the most common form these days — the chorus, and especially the hook, is where you “deliver the goods.” It’s the equivalent to the summation to the jury, the punch line of the joke, the revelation on the mountaintop. Every verse, every pre-chorus, every bridge, every line and every note leads up to this ultimate payoff. A great hook (and chorus) is packed full of meaning, fun, passionate intensity… or all three! It can’t be overemphasized that your hook has to really Rock Their World. But first, it has to rock YOURS. It has to ring true to you.

• Boil your Big Idea down into the smallest possible expression of its essence: your hook.

• Stay simple-yet-elegant. Less is usually more.

• Don’t pussyfoot around. Be bold and risky. Always take a strong point of view!

• A great line bears repetition. If it’s worth saying, it’s usually worth saying again.

• Make your song move rhythmically. People want to be SWAYED in more than one way by your song.

• Think of it this way: your hook is the hub of the wheel, and the other song elements are the spokes.

• Marry your melody to your lyric so that each intensifies and deepens the other.

• If you are thrilled by your hook, “they” probably will be too. And if you’re holding back, they probably will too!

• Show off your “money” note, your slammin’-est groove, your cleverest line, your most unusual concept in your hook. Aim for the bleachers, emotionally and creatively.

Give Your Hooks Mass Appeal

Singles are distinguished from album cuts by their catchiness, accessibility and freshness. And the hook is the key to that mass appeal. Most listeners and People Behind Desks couldn’t sing all of a song’s verses back to you if they tried. But most CAN remember a killer hook or chorus. For those of you who are driven by thoughts of financial gain, singles are also where the money is. (But remember: selling doesn’t mean selling out!) When you get to your main hook, hit us with fresh language, chords and melodic movement to wake us up physically, emotionally and spiritually. The might mean:

• An impassioned title or lyrical line: a twist of phrase, an unforgettable image, or an emotional outpouring that rings true

• A peak moment for the vocalist. This could be a high note, a long note, a rhythmically cool pulse or movement, a fresh interval, a repeated pattern or melodic sequence, etc.

• A catchy-as-hell instrumental riff or chordal pattern

• An underlying rhythm or groove that sweeps up all in its path

• Enough repetition to be catchy without becoming boring

• A striking contrast to whatever comes before and after (verses, pre-choruses, bridge), so that your hook stands out in an obvious way

Remember, more Hooks-Per-Square-Inch is better! In this day and age of sensory overload, listeners thrive on intense songs that cut through the clutter. We WANT to be moved on all levels. We’re hungry for depth, for truth, for emotion, for humor. Strive to discover the universal within the personal, the specifics of real life. Make your song paint a picture or create an environment people can live in.

By following these guidelines, and learning from songs that are hits in your chosen genres, you can make your songs more accessible, satisfying and commercially viable.

Happy songwriting!