Academy: (626) 963-1300

Main Academy: 165 N. Glendora Ave. Glendora, CA 91741

Register NowBook Trial Class

How To Write Your First Song

null

There is no wrong way to write a song. This is simply a way to get you started. Songs will come differently every time you write one. Sometimes melody and lyrics come first, sometimes a title or theme idea. Also, these tips assume that you can play four or more chords on an instrument or in some kind of music editing program.

1)      Stick To Form

Most pop songs follow a certain form. Usually Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus. Verses are the parts that tell the story. The chorus is the part that repeats the same every time and usually has a catchy melody. The bridge is usually an instrumental solo of some kind and uses different chords or a different rhythmic pattern than any other place in the song.

2)      Choose Your Chord Progression

Chords and the order they go in cannot be copy written, only melody and lyrics can. For your first song it is okay to use the chords from one of your favorite songs. C, F, G, am, dm, em in any order sound great together. Keep it simple and play only four or five of them for each section of the song. Make sure you use the same progression every time that section repeats.

For example your song should go something like this:

Intro – C, G

Verse 1 – C, F, G, am

Chorus – C, G, F, G

Verse 2 – C, F, G, am

Chorus – C, G, F, G

Bridge – em, am, C, G

Chorus – C, G, F, G

Ending – G, C

3)      Come Up With A Short Title

Your title can come from anywhere; a newspaper story, book title, I especially love the poems of Shel Silverstein for inspiration. Try to limit it to one to four words. Your title will also give you the theme and topic for your song, Adele and Taylor Swift and great examples to study. Here are some random words from titles from the books on my shelf to get you started: Star Machine, Guilty, Teardrop Romance, Nobody, Penny Road.

4)       Write Your Lyrics

Using your title as a topic, write your lyrics sticking to your form. Here is an example using the poem “Nobody” by Shel Silverstein:

Verse 1

Nobody loves me, Nobody cares,

Nobody picks me peaches and pears.

Nobody offers me candy and Cokes,

Nobody listens and laughs at my jokes.

 

Chorus

But yesterday night I got quite a scare,

I woke up and Nobody just wasn’t there.

I called out and reached out for Nobody’s hand,

In the darkness where Nobody usually stands.

Verse 2

Nobody helps when I get in a fight,

Nobody does all my homework at night.

Nobody misses me, Nobody cries,

Nobody thinks I’m a wonderful guy.

Chorus

But yesterday night I got quite a scare,

I woke up and Nobody just wasn’t there.

I called out and reached out for Nobody’s hand,

In the darkness where Nobody usually stands.

Bridge

Then I poked through the house, in each cranny and nook,

But I found somebody each place that I looked.

I searched till I’m tired, and now with the dawn,

There’s no doubt about it- Nobody’s gone!

Chorus

But yesterday night I got quite a scare,

I woke up and Nobody just wasn’t there.

I called out and reached out for Nobody’s hand,

In the darkness where Nobody usually stands.

5)      Come Up With A Riff

Pop music writers like to include a riff or hook in the song. It is a pattern of three to six notes that is memorable and repeats throughout the song.

6)      Keep Rewriting

Like any other form of art it takes lots of reworking and layers upon layers to make a masterpiece. So keep writing and reworking your song as needed. It will get easier every time you write a song, so keep doing it!

Related Posts

by Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy
on February 15, 2016

Where Your Money Goes

As a non-profit 501(c)3 our staff, board members, and performers are all owners of Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy.