Hello Sidekick Community! I am grateful to have you here for my first blog, I am looking forward to sharing a run down of where to get started in your songwriting journey. I have found trying to articulate songwriting is like staring into a very intense piece of abstract art. From a distance, songwriting, as a beginner, might seem like a beautiful, chaotic brain puzzle. Up close there are lots of concentrated details that all fit together. This makes the process much easier to approach, with plenty of practice.
The Bigger Picture
Write for passion.
If your one true goal is to be the next [enter your favourite artist name here], then you may never fully reach your true songwriting potential. Whilst aspirational figures are probably the reason we begin our pursuit as writers, I find it good practice to embrace your own unique qualities. For example, I really looked up to Adele growing up. I still do, however my strengths vary from hers. My vocal range is one factor that does not align with Adele’s huge range. Instead I have learned to embrace my lower registers, which suits my writing style and genre. Don’t try to be someone you are not, instead, embrace who you are.
Inspiration
Inspiration is a good starting point, often you might find yourself thinking the only way to find it, is to sit and simply wait for it to magically appear. Sometimes this is true, however there is lots of inspiration to be found.
“For me, songwriting is something I have to do ritually. I don’t just wait for inspiration; I try to write a little bit every day.” - Sean Lennon
Part of being a songwriter is learning to attune yourself to this, taking the ordinary and turning the source into something extraordinary. By ordinary, I mean exploring what inspiration you might find around you. This could be an object, a poster on your wall, old photographs etc. From this, you could consider the senses (smell, taste, touch, sound and sight) and emotions to inject life into your starting points. Collecting up these ideas ensures you will always have plenty to write about.
There are no rules.
There is no one way to write a song, so just know that whatever hits the page is not wrong. In fact, your rough ideas might just be ones, a month down the line, that start to register as a good idea. I have experienced this numerous times where I think I have written another mediocre song for the pile. I find that gold dust ideas often hide in these scraps. I believe this happened because when writing mode kicks in, sometimes the pressure of writing a great song starts to cloud our judgement. So regardless of how you feel at the time of writing your song, I would always encourage you to record your ideas. Believe me when I say, the future you will be thanking you later.
The Finer Detail
Consider learning an instrument
Learning an instrument enables a much greater understanding of structure, rhythm, harmony and melody overall. I started to learn the guitar at 13, when I finally tired of writing songs to backing tracks (which is how I first began to write songs). Although writing to backing tracks can be a stimulating and a useful way to focus on top-line writing, I wanted to say I could compose a song from start to finish, harmony and all.
Perhaps choosing either piano, guitar or if this seems a little daunting, then why not try ukulele, all of which can be a great starting point. I often enjoy switching between the three. I am by no means the most competent of players, but having these options available to me means I am always able to make the writing process interesting. The instrument you play might lead you in a certain direction. For example, for me, when I pick up my acoustic guitar, I am generally drawn towards the traditional singer-songwriter style or sometimes indie or folk. With piano I like exploring extended chord progressions which leads me into jazz and soul inflections from time to time. Ukulele brings out a more playful and light feel to my songwriting. Why not experiment with different instruments to take yourself out of your comfort zone?
Defining your style and genre
As someone who writes in multiple different styles and genres I have found it incredibly difficult to define my sound at times. I consume music constantly and this in many ways influences the style I write in. Try being mindful of the music you listen to and whether this falls in line with your own aspirations. Think to yourself, what do I want my music to sound like and what do I need to know to get myself closer to my sound? Writing is all about choices and genre is certainly a choice we make through our listening taste. Once you have gotten past the phase of writing anything and everything, there comes the time to study. Study genre specific chord sequences, rhythms, articulation and deconstruct songs that you love to understand what parts of their construct make them memorable. This is something I endeavour to go into more detail about in future blogs.
Don’t be afraid to edit your songs
The more you revisit your songs you will likely find yourself naturally editing and improving, especially melody and lyrics. Noticing if what you wrote previously is singable and tracing each line for imperfections that disrupt the flow of sound. Once you begin to write melodies, lyrics and chords, the process becomes more about the decisions you make in each of these elements. For example using shorter notes in the pre-chorus to contrast with the long notes of the chorus. The more you write, the more you will sense what sounds right to you. Try and seek your own approval first by aiming to write songs that you are proud of.
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That just about wraps up my 6 truths about getting into songwriting. I hope there is a nugget of useful information to you in there somewhere. Please feel free to get in touch with any questions or future blog ideas via the contacts page.
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