Writing Music

 I’ve been thinking about writing this article for a while, and it’s always seemed pretty daunting but the writing process is something I get asked about a lot so it’s clear that people are interested to know. That said, obviously there’s no right way to write music so I’ll just be speaking from my experience about how I write and stuff that I’ve found helpful to do that. 

For me, the first thing is always the most annoying part about my process, which is that I need to be in the right headspace. I’ve sometimes managed to write small guitar lines outside of this headspace but lyrics is an absolute no-go. Generally this is signified by me reflecting on past memories and feeling a little disconnected from myself because this space allows me to see my own experiences from a different perspective. Of course, this means that my writing can be quite vulnerable at times but I live by the rule that people project what they want on to music, so you never need to tell anybody exactly what it is that a song is about. 

Once I’m in the right headspace, it’s all about getting the first line down. For me, I work in my notes app and generally work lyrics first so this can be a pretty daunting task. Sitting staring at a blank page is intimidating, so my next tip would be to get down a basic idea, anything as quickly as possible to build off. From there, it will be much easier to follow your train of thought, brains are all unique and the way you think is epic, so write down your thought process. After you’ve done that, you can pick out the key lines and try and group them into some kind of structure. This is usually where I would read the lyrics out loud to check their flow and make any obvious adjustments to syllables or rhyme schemes. 

At this point, it’s time to pick up an instrument if you have one. If not, try to find a melody within your voice to put it to. For me, I noodle a lot on guitar so I usually will have a few fragments of chord progressions and stuff to try out. Failing that, just put a quick progression together and sing the lyrics over it, adjusting it until it feels right. There’s no shame in having quite a simple chord progression, especially if you’re just starting out. I use the guitar mainly as an instrument to aid in my songwriting and performing but if you’re a more devoted guitarist it might be an idea to find room for an instrumental in your structure so you can show off your skills a bit. 

Lastly, the most important thing is to show people. Even if it’s just a snippet on your Tiktok or sharing a rough demo with a friend, other people’s feedback will help you take your writing to the next level. Remember that nobody’s perfect, and you will get better. Even big artists and bands are evolving their writing style all the time, and the best thing you can do is find time to write as much as possible because that practice and flexing that muscle is exactly how you get better. Again, I don’t claim to be an expert in this but just wanted to share in case it helps anyone who’s struggling to get started. Good luck!