Song Writing Tips

Another great way of writing a song is to write a free verse poem with a little rhyming. It’s easier to write songs when you don’t think of them as songs but as poems. Write your poem then edit it by finding the right stanzas for the verses and the perfect stanza for a catchy chorus that pulls it all together.
While a lot of musicians and songwriters don’t know much about music theory—and some can’t even read music—a good knowledge of the essentials of music can help you harness your creativity and develop your own style. Even if you can play and sing by ear amazingly, knowing at least how to read and write music will help you play with others and communicate your music to your band members (if you plan to start a band).
Make sure your song is catchy, but not in that annoying way.
Currently most popular songs have some variation on the following sequence: intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge/instrumental solos, chorus, and sometimes an outro. Sometimes the order of these components is different, and sometimes one or more of them is absent.
If you do play an instrument, try putting it down once in a while. Spend more time singing to come up with melodies and sounds. This way you eliminate the possibility of just playing the “same old licks”.
Stop, collaborate and listen to another songwriter. Some people can pen great lyrics, but can’t write a melody to save their lives; for others, the reverse is true. Find a like-minded songwriter who can put your words to music or your music to words. Many hit songs have been written by collaboration.
Take your time. Most songs don’t pop out of nowhere and scream, “Hi! Here I am! Write me!” As the old saying goes, “good things take time, but really great things happen in the blink of an eye”. So just wait for it. One day you’ll get it.
If you’ve got total writer’s block, start by scribbling out your feelings/what you want to talk about. The lyrics will come to you when you see the lyrics on paper. Well, it might take some work, but at least get those beginnings of a song down.
Write down any bit of anything that might be a song lyric. You can look in advertisements, TV commercials, pictures, books, and so forth
Dynamics are a good tool to utilize to separate out the different sections of the song. Quieter for verses, louder in the choruses. Dynamics can also help to create that chorus hook that everyone will remember when listening to your song.
It helps to know how to play an instrument. Knowing how to play a guitar or piano, for instance, will make songwriting immeasurably easier. Plus, you’ll be able to accompany yourself when you sing for others. If you don’t have an instrument, try using Google to find some song makers. Free ones are hard to find, but you can always get a free trial.
You can usually record yourself a memo on a cell phone, and if not, you can call yourself and leave a message of your singing or humming on your voice mail. Make sure you sing loud enough for the song to be clear when you listen to the message later; make people think you’re crazy!
Experiment with lots of ways of making sound. Try to play an instrument you are less familiar with. The “mistakes” you make may prove inspiring.
Try the mainstream songwriting formula of… Verse – Chorus – Verse2 – Chorus2 – Bridge – Chorus3. It’s simple and quite effective.
Just like any writer, you might get writer’s block. Follow the suggestions in How to Get Over Writer’s Block to break out of that creative rut.