Songwriting Tips with Lisa Hawkins
Hello!
Music has always been a part of my life, From a young age, I’m told I was creating my own melodies and singing my own little tunes. As a listener I was inspired by artists who wrote their own music and soon aspired to do the same.
I performed my first complete original at a talent show in year 10, and since then I’ve been writing songs that reflect my personal experiences and perspectives. I love using words to create unique sounds and express my message through music.
When it comes to songwriting, my advice is to have fun and explore. It can be challenging at times and require patience, but it's important to not judge yourself and enjoy the process. I found inspiration by spending time playing my guitar, listening to music and following my musical instincts, rather than sticking to a set formula. This allows for a more personal and artistic approach to songwriting and can lead to discovering your own unique sound.
Structure is important, but the heart and emotion of a song is often what truly resonates with others. Once you grasp an understanding of structure, it can be enjoyable to experiment with unconventional ways of composing a song, beyond the standard formula.
Here are 5 songwriting tips to get you started
Just Start! Get the song out, don’t overthink it too much
There’s not one way to start a song. Inspiration can come from a range of sources, it could be an emotion that sparked an idea, an observation, a captivating melody, a catchy song title, or even a chord progression that you adore.
Here are some ways to get your creative juices flowing:
Listen to other music: Take note of why you like the song
Questions you can ask yourself:
What is the song about?
What parts of the melody are most memorable?
What are the chords of the song?
Do you hear any instruments that you recognise?
What emotions does the song make you feel?
What is the structure of the song?
What is your favourite part of the song?
Is there a lyric or line that stands out to you?
What do you like about the song overall?
Asking yourself these questions can assist in gaining a deeper insight into your personal taste and preferences. This can foster inspiration and jumpstart your own creative process.
Find a chord progression you like; such as a simple 4 chords, then try different melodies as you listen to the progression. To get started, you can use placeholder lyrics or improvisational noises until you find the right words to convey the meaning of the song.
Start a list of song titles; you can come up with them yourself or use a random word or title generator; keep adding to your list and when you want inspiration come back to the list and see if anything inspires you.
Here are some song title examples:
“Lost in translation”
“Starry Night Skies”
“Wildfire Heart”
“Stormy Love”
2. Brainstorm your ideas!
Getting stuck in a creative rut is common, brainstorming can help you overcome it. If you have a starting point, a potential song title, a word you like, a concept, or even just a fragment of a song, start generating ideas through brainstorming to break through the block and get some ideas flowing.
On a piece of paper write your title or concept in the middle of the page
Write down any thoughts or related ideas that come to mind surrounding the initial idea
From there, you can use the surrounding words you've written down to continue the brainstorming process and further develop your thoughts
Here’s an example:
3. Free Writing
A great way to spark ideas is free writing, a technique to capture your thoughts by writing down whatever comes to mind without overthinking, letting your ideas flow freely onto the page. This is a great way to spark inspiration, It’s similar brainstorming, but with a focus on forming sentences and paragraphs without interruption.
Free writing can be done at any time, but is best in the morning just after waking up. During this time, your brain is fresh making it more open to new ideas and imaginative thinking.
Get something to write with and a blank piece of paper
Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes
Once you have your page or your paragraph read it over and see if anything jumps out and could potentially inspire a song.
Don't worry if your free writing doesn't result in any song ideas. The practice of free writing itself is valuable, regardless of the outcome. It can help with writer's block, as well as teach you to let your thoughts flow without self-editing.
4. Follow the Rhyme
A well-crafted rhyme scheme can make a song more memorable, cohesive, and appealing to listeners. Rhyming isn’t always necessary and It’s important to avoid forcing rhymes just for the sake of it but a good rhyme can be really satisfying and help inspire the next sentence and lead to new ideas.
Some ways you can find good rhyming words:
Using a rhyme dictionary; you can find this online by googling, my personal favourite is an app called Rhymers Block. You can type your lyrics into the app, and it will provide suggestions for rhyming words after each word.
Rhymes don't have to be exact; feel free to explore similar sounding words and if it sounds good go with it.
Start your own word bank; write a list of words that sound similar, then you can come back to it as you need to and keep adding to it.
Use two words to rhyme with one word; Instead of finding an exact rhyme for one word you could try finding two words to rhyme with each syllable of that word.
For example:
Allow yourself to explore and experiment with different sounds, rhyme schemes, and different options don’t feel trapped by making it rhyme exactly. If something isn’t working try changing it, swapping lines around or rearranging the words to a different place in the line, giving you a new word to rhyme with, think outside the box.
5. Object Writing
This is similar to free writing but instead you choose a specific object to write about. It can be something in the room you can see or you could get a friend or a parent to choose an object for you to write about.
Get some paper and something to write with
Choose an object
Set a timer for 10 - 15 minutes
As you write about the object, consider these elements
Taste: imagine it’s flavour
Touch: describe it’s texture, is it smooth or rough
Sight: reflect on it’s appearance, does it remind you of anything
Smell: describe its aroma and any associations it brings to mind
Sound: contemplate what sound, if any, is associated with the object.
This exercise is a great way to tap into your imagination, unlocking memories, stories, and metaphors. It can help you form a clear image in your mind, which you can then use as inspiration for a song. It's a fun way to explore your imagination and spark ideas for your music.
This exercise can also be enjoyable when done with someone’s else. Afterwards, you can compare your interpretations and observations. It's always interesting to hear how others perceive the same object and how their thoughts can differ from your own, providing a unique glimpse into the workings of different creative minds.
I hope that these tips will serve as a useful starting point for your songwriting journey. At the end of the day making music should be enjoyable. It's a great way to express yourself, delve into your own thoughts and showcase your creativity. Although there may be difficulties along the way, remember to approach it with a playful attitude and trust your creative intuition.
- Lisa Hawkin