How to Write Songs

Nov 14, 2018

So you want to learn how to write a song and make it big on YouTube, or maybe just serenade your secret crush… or what about writing a song you can rap at the school talent show? Singing a song is one thing but writing a song is another. Let’s learn some methods how to do it…

Start off Simple

Your first song you write should be nice and simple. Start with rhyming words and then put them into short little unique sentences:

If I would be
A bumblebee
I’d buzz your tree
For your honey

Hey, that’s a pretty good start. We’re singing about “love” and I don’t think anyone else has ever written these lyrics. It’s important to be unique.

The more you write little rhymes, the better. Try to have a notebook to write your lyrics down. Doodles are a great way to remember your lyrics with drawings, patterns and shapes of the letters.

Keep a notebook with you to write down all your ideas

Wherever you are and whatever you do, try to think of some rhymes of how you feel. Write down real stuff that happens in the moment. Songs that come from the heart are the best.

Rock Those Rhymes

To make your rhymes into a song, it’s very important to give your rhymes some rhythm. Notice that our bumblebee song has exactly 4 syllables every line. That makes it really easy to sing the song with a specific rhythm.

Notes

If your rhymes don’t match up perfectly, figure out how to change the rhythm. Here are some ideas:

Give a word an extra syllable (lo-ove)
Add words like (cause, yeah, oh, mmm)
Repeat major words (Baby baby)

Technique and Technical Theory

Once you have written out your song, you got to pull it together with some music. Whether you decide to sing it acapella or play it with a band, it needs some musical notes and some structure. You can either figure it out by singing it different ways until you like how it sounds or you can work with musical theory to find the right sounds.

Chord Structure

Most songs follow musical theory. Musical theory is the study of what notes and chords work well with each other. An example for a rock and roll song’s musical chord theory looks a little something like this:

G Major (4 beats)
C Major (4 beats)
D Major (4 beats)
G Major (4 beats)

Band

Verse Vibrations

Most popular songs use verses and a chorus to make the song complete. Give your song a few verses and make sure in between your verses, you always repeat a chorus. Here’s an example using our original rhyme:

Verse 1

If I would be, a bumblebee
I’d buzz your tree, for your honey
But you’re the queen, what does that mean?
It’s been foreseen, I can’t convene

Chorus

Queen honeybee, hear my plea
Oh how do I love you?
Queen honeybee, don’t you see
Would you like to too?

OK… not bad right? Lots of songs and poetry use animals, plants and nature to describe how people feel. This song uses the life of a bumblebee to describe how a boy could feel if he had a crush on a girl (a popular girl). He can not “convene” (meet) her because she is "the Queen" and he is probably just a normal boy. Tragedy!!!