It’s not always easy to come up with creative content that connects with your audience. In this blog, we have compiled a list of songwriting tips that will help you practice.

1. Always record your thoughts 

There are a lot of times where ideas come to you when you least expect it. You could be travelling and you hear some random sounds that actually can be tweaked into a melody. You could immediately take out your phone and record those phrases for future reference, because you’re afraid you just might forget what you heard. 

This also works in the case of lyrics where you might read a billboard somewhere and it might be a phrase that you would like to use in your song (in your own way) so you quickly make a note of it. 

1. What comes first. Lyrics or Melody? 

“Do I write the lyrics first and then compose a tune, or vise versa?” Well it works both ways. You aspire to write your own song and sing it and hence as a musician you would always end up composing as you write. You will tweak the words a bit so that they rhyme or fit in particular rhythmic meter. There can be times when you come up with a very catchy chorus line first and then you weave a song around it. The possibilities are endless, so keep improvising. 

1. Get Inspired

A lot of songwriting comes from personal experiences. You tend to write about your feelings or your story. But there may be times when you hit a roadblock. This is when you can indulge in stuff that inspires you. Like listening to songs by artists you idolize, watch movies, go on a long drive or a short vacation, talk to family and friends, read a good book, or just revisit your old compositions.

1. Avoid Rushing and take feedback

Take it slow. Never work on a deadline or try to complete a song ASAP. Like it might start with just the 1st line of your chorus and eventually you will build on it. This is a creative process and it takes time. Also you will keep revisiting what you have come up with and might actually make some changes for the better. It is also good to keep sharing your work with others for feedback. But it has to be with those who give an honest opinion.

1. Mix and match 

This is a fun way to compose. You basically write down the chords of an existing song. Then you change the melody while the chords remain the same. Now that you have a new melody, you can alter the chords and you have your own composition. You can tweak it a bit too where the original chorus can be your verse or bridge. At times you can retain the same chords and just change the melody. This works best for those who are just getting into songwriting.