I've encountered several questions about songwriting. I know I am not an expert with this but I want to share my way of composing songs -- writing the melody and the lyrics. I know how frustrating it is to want to make a song about something and you just can't find the right words or don't know how to give the song a certain feeling or emotion. What's more frustrating is when you finished a portion or even the whole song and the next day you forgot how it goes. Dang!
Songwriting is something that has no formula. The process varies from one musician to another. It is not something you are assured to learn in a music school. Yes, you can develop it with schools and tutors but it all starts from within yourself.
The question that is usually asked is how to start. Do you start with the melody? The lyrics? Now this is where comes the individuality of the person. There is no absolute easier way to start a song. Some find it easier to start with a finished lyrics and maybe just modify a few words to fit the melody; others find it easier to start with a melody first and just fill in the words later. It is entirely up to you. If you are new to songwriting, you can try either and see which one actually works better for you. You don't have to stick to one way of doing it as there are certain times when you feel like writing the lyrics or the melody first depending on the song. If you already have written materials, try putting melody to each syllable. Or if there's a melody playing in your mind, try looking for words to fit.
Both the process of writing lyrics and the melody can be quite difficult. It's good if you are a gifted poet or a writer at heart since you'll only focus more on creating a good tune for your song. If you ask me, I'm more concerned about creating the tunes rather than writing the lyrics. I mean finding the right words can be quite a challenge as well but once you're focused on a certain topic you have some kind of a theme where your thoughts can revolve and not wander off. As for writing the melody, it is entirely up to your creativity. I resolve this difficulty by doing the same thing I do with the lyrics: record it. If you write your poems in a piece of paper for future use, do the same with the melody. I think it's not a big challenge for anyone as recorders these days are easy to acquire. Some mp3 players and cell phones have a recording function. You can even use your old walkman and blank cassette tape. I don't know about the others but I have no idea when a good melody will suddenly create itself in my mind. When that time comes I make sure that I record it. It doesn't matter if you just hum it or sing it with random words. What's important is that you are able to record it for future use. Soon your recorded melodies will pile up so it's also important to be organized. You can review them later and see which ones you like. If you take interest in a certain tune, try to make variations out of it.
Choosing the right instrument is not the most important thing in the beginning so you can use whatever instrument you're comfortable with. Acoustic guitars and keyboards are the ones commonly used but I find the guitar more handy as I don't have to plug in wires and adapters to use it. If you already have a melody and a few words to start with, try accompanying it with the instrument of your choice. From there it should be easier to make variations and even write a new melody and more lyrics as you go on.
As I said before, songwriting has no formula. The musician is free to express whatever his heart wants to sing. There are certain trends that you can follow at first but as you gain experience you should be able to develop your own style. The most common one you can follow from many pop songs is: (1) Start with an intro, usually the same chords as your verse or chorus. (2) Play the verse (3) followed by the chorus. (4) Go back to the intro up to step 3. (5) Add a bridge or a short instrumental or both. (6) End with your chorus. And that's it. You have a brand new song. I suggest listening to different songs from different artists and different genres. If you have a band, it should be easier as you have many ideas that you can combine into one powerful song.
After you record your song, you're now ready to share it with the world. You can also revise a few things until you're satisfied with it. You can let your friends listen to it. Or someone who has more knowledge and experience in songwriting. This way you can get an idea on how the rest of the world might respond to your new song. Don't be discouraged if you did not do very well on your first try. Songwriting is a talent you should develop in order to produce great songs.
Whatever you do with your songs is now up to you. You can sell them for commercial use, record it and be a full-time artist or you can just post them in your site like I do. I wish you luck in your songwriting and I hope I was able to help you in some way.
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