Songwriting is a special way of not only expressing yourself but for different emotions. By writing lyrics you can put these emotions into something more literal, which is a great way to cope with these emotions as an additional benefit. But how do we do that? Here are the exact steps you can take to help with the songwriting process:
- Set a tone and overall story
- Brainstorm emotions
- Write rhythmic lyrics
- Consider adding melody
- Focus on the chorus
- Wrap it up with an ending
Set a Tone and Overall Story
Before beginning anything in the writing process you need to set a tone for your song and an overall story or purpose. You also have to consider what you want your song to make your audience feel.
Don’t make the emotion too complicated because it may not be able to come across in your song clearly. Stick to basic emotions such as happiness, anger, love, sadness, and other basic emotions.
These are also physical words you can use in lyrics to get your audience’s attention. This also helps your audience understand the story and message more clearly by using these words. They are powerful words so be sure to find the right spots to put them into the lyrics that appropriately suit the song for the impact of the message or story.
By thinking of the words to physically incorporate or metaphorically incorporate is an efficient starting point for this process.
Brainstorm emotions
Once the tone is decided it is time to brainstorm. For emotions, it may work out to write down the emotion on a piece of paper. Looking at it can let you really take in the word and what it means to you.
Once you feel like you have thought about the word a lot and what it would mean to your music and lyrics write down words or scenarios that correlate with that emotion. Don’t worry if these scenarios are long and cannot be turned into lyrics, you may find a way to put them into your song in a different form.
If you’re not sure how to begin, start by writing the main idea or topic in the middle. This will connect all the points and smaller ideas together, and keep your song centered to one overarching theme. Then, you can write the most related words down and link them to the main idea. These stems are most likely very broad, and are just the starting point of expanding your ideas.
Finally, keep extending each of the ideas until you fill-up the page. This may take a while, but the time you spend brainstorming will help you write a much better song, much faster. Note that not all of the words will be used, so don’t worry too much about if it’s suitable for the song. Instead, focus on relating and joining the related words and ideas to get them on paper. It is essential to keep everything you write even if you don’t like it at the time, it could work for you later on.
Write rhythmic lyrics
The rhythm of the song helps set the tone of the song overall, along with the lyrics. The rhythm is important to flow the words together and assisting in setting a tone. Each of these song components compliments one another, which is why they are equally important.
You want to pick a rhythm that flows with your lyrics as well as helps clearly show the story or purpose of the message of the song. Don’t choose a rhythm too overbearing for the lyrics.
Consider adding melody
Although you may be just a lyricist, adding melody to your lyrics will help visualize the flow of the song. The notes you choose are a huge part of the tone of the song. Commonly, many artists use long notes that have been used over time to show more emotion. This can be an option in chords and melodies.
On the same side of things using short notes can also be powerful depending on how and where you use them in the song. The decision is up to you and how you think an audience may react or feel when listening.
Focus on the chorus
The chorus is very important to the song, and can also help you to figure out where all of your other lyrics may go or what they consist of. You may want to start on the chorus first because it is the most important part of the song and the focus on the song as a whole.
Having the chorus done may help you find inspiration for other lyrics and what exactly you want your song to tell and have the audience feel. Another way that can help you with the chorus is having a strong and meaningful title. Having a powerful title can give you inspiration and ideas of just exactly how you want the song to go.
Remember the title is the first thing your audience sees, so it needs to be memorable and meaningful to you and the audience. This will not only help you feel more confident about your song, but it will intrigue your audience to want to listen to the song from the start.
Wrap it up with an ending
The ending of the song is important to wrap up the story and the emotions you want to convey. The ending of the song is usually calmer to bring the story to an end smoothly. Just like any other point in the song you want to keep the chorus in mind when ending it.
Usually, the chorus is the main event of the story the song tells, so just like any story the ending brings it all together and concludes it. A conclusion is very important because it is the last thing your audience hears, so do not take it lightly.
Put time into how you want this story to end because it is completely up to you. You decide how you feel and how you want your audience to feel at all times.
Conclusion
Songwriting is something many people have been doing as a hobby or profession for decades. It is a way for people to express their creativity and emotions through music and lyrics, as well as impacting the people around them.
There are many ways to write songs and these are just a few tips and tricks. The biggest thing you have to keep in mind during this process is that no one is the same in how they write lyrics or music.
You have to find the ways that work most successfully for you and what that entails and go for it!
