Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to write songs, but don’t know where to start? To write a song, you need both imagination and the skill to put your imagination to work. If you see pictures in the clouds and have words and melodies pop into your head, songwriting will be well suited to your abilities. Read more to answer the question, “What is required of me to write a good song if I have no experience with songwriting?”
What is Required of Me to Write a Good Song: Working with People for Gaining Skill
“What is required of me to write a good song if I have no experience with songwriting?” If you have an aptitude for songwriting, but no experience, writing your first song may seem a bit intimidating.
Where do you start? To write a good song, you need skill. You acquire skill by gaining experience. How do you gain experience? You start by seeking out help.
Collaboration:
One of the best ways of gaining experience will be to collaborate with someone with writing experience. Not only will it be fun to write songs with some else, but you can gain valuable writing experience with a mentor.
Songwriting Groups:
You can gain experience by joining a songwriting group. I decided to do just that back in the late ‘90s when I joined the Boston Songwriters Workshop.
I met and worked with many songwriters, got feedback, and learned in songwriting workshops. It was a great experience.
To find a group, try typing into Google “songwriting groups near me” and see what pops up.
If you don’t find any local groups near you, you can get feedback through online groups:
What is Required of Me to Write a Good Song: Media Resources
“What is required of me to write a good song if I have no experience with songwriting?” Besides learning from other people, you can find lots of media resources that will help you improve your writing.
Songwriting Blogs:
You can read blogs (such as this one) to get songwriting tips. For example, the following post helps songwriters who don’t play an instrument:
You can find many blogs out there, and getting different perspectives can be valuable. Having said that, if you want to get the most out of this blog, click:
YouTube:
As you know, YouTube has a wealth of videos on almost every topic, including songwriting. You can learn from successful, and even famous, songwriters. Plus, you can learn about songwriting apps and resources. (See the video below.)
Radio:
One of the best ways to gain experience on your own will be to listen to lots of songs on the radio and analyze them. “How do I do that?” you might ask.
You can listen to a song’s rhyme structure:
Try listening for the song’s point of view:
You can listen for plot elements:
You can analyze the form of the song:
Video: The Songwriting Tip I Wish I Learned Sooner
Concluding Thoughts to “What is Required of Me to Write a Good Song if I Have No Experience with Songwriting?”
“What is required of me to write a good song if I have no experience with songwriting?” If you don’t have experience, go out and get some. With persistence, you too can learn to write good songs.
My final advice: write lots of songs and get feedback on them.
- To get feedback, George Thorogood would rent a hotel room and play his songs to strangers in the lobby. However, you should probably start by getting feedback from people you trust.
- Getting feedback gives you an outside perspective on your song. It lets you know what does or doesn’t work for other people.
- You’ll get the best results if you play your song for multiple people, but at different times. That way they won’t become influenced by each other’s comments.
Now go out there and have some fun writing!
© 2023 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for online or in-person lessons today!
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