Hints & Tips for Writing an Original Song

I was asked to teach a couple of workshops on songwriting a few years back at some of my all-time favorite California bluegrass festivals, including the CBA Father’s Day Festival in Grass Valley, Bluegrassin’ in the Foothills in Plymouth and the Mid-state Bluegrass Festival in Paso Robles.

In preparation for those workshops, I put together the following notes that I thought might be useful to ponder and chat about, sitting in the grass in the shade of tall trees. Nothing like an acoustic guitar, kindred friends / musicians / songwriters and a shady spot to stretch out on a warm summer day.

Before you begin…

• What inspires you to want to write a song?
• What do you want to say that’s unique? Expressive? Thoughtful?
• Write about a topic that you personally care about
• Listen often to other artists you enjoy
• Study the songwriting styles of other artists who inspire you
• Be ready to answer the call of the muse—whenever and however it happens—with pen and paper, tape recorder and/or your instrument
• Remember: every song ever written was built on the same limited palette of notes that is available to every songwriter

Writing the song…

• Possible starting points: an inspirational topic, a memorable phrase, a story you want to tell, a chord progression, a cool riff, a melody line, a chorus, free-form experimentation
• Be open minded about where your first idea may ultimately lead you
• When writing lyrics, establish a logical pattern of meter and rhyme
• Avoid sounding contrived in melody and verse. In other words, just because you can doesn’t mean you should
• In writing words and melodies, simpler is often better
• Be specific about how the melody is supposed to go
• The memorability test: Is the melody one that you can hum or whistle?
• Vowel sounds are easier to sing than hard consonants

Putting it all together…

• Ask someone else to perform your song so you can listen to it objectively
• Evaluate the continuity of the entire song once you’ve developed it
• Don’t be reluctant to edit the song, even after you’ve decided it’s done
• It helps to lay a finished song aside and return to it later with a fresh ear
• Don’t let the opinions of others derail you
• Like any other worthwhile pursuit—don’t give up, be persistent, be prolific

On Songwriting
Songwriting Tips
Singer/Songwriter