Coming back with another blog that is as informative as the previous ones on this site, today we will be answering your questions about how to write a song with no experience. Well, everybody starts somewhere; no one has the experience of doing something if they don’t give it a try. All the things in this world have a starting point and that goes for any profession as well as songwriting. We will dive down into some steps to overcome your thoughts about writing a song with no prior experience. Let’s get into it right away!
Step 1: Start with an Idea
Writing a song is never easy but, it can happen when you are determined and passionate about it. Think of something that brings you comfort and joy, or you can think of the opposite, what brings you stress and discomfort? The answers to this question can be different and interesting. But the idea that popped up in your head when you read this question is the point where you start. Out of all the things that you need to write a song, the space on the top of the list has to be occupied by the word “idea”. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can, this will make you the base of your whole writing process. Anything that sparks your feelings and emotions, good or bad, and about which you can think the most, is your idea of where you should start writing.
Step 2: Note it down
Taking the lead from the previous step, in this step, you simply have to write your thoughts down on a notebook or your laptop or anywhere you want to save it. Pen down all of your thoughts and try to add all the details that come to your head about that topic. Separate the key elements from your thoughts on the side of the paper so that it will be easy to find out on which point you want to write the most. All of what you will be writing on the paper will be the building blocks for your song and it will answer your question of how to write with no experience.
Step 3: Structure the Thoughts
Now that we have a rough sketch of what our thoughts were about a specific idea, the next step would simply be organizing those thoughts. Sounds amazing right? But to structure your thoughts for the song, you should know the elements of a song. These elements are:
- Verse: Introduce your theme or concept. Usually, verses are 16 bars, and maximum it takes up to 25-30 seconds of the song. It clearly explains what the thought behind the song is.
- Pre-Chorus: It’s a part that builds anticipation before the chorus.
- Chorus: Chorus, from core, means the part of the song that repeats several times throughout the song. It is the catchy part that sticks in your listener’s mind. The length of words remains the same but different songs might have different sets of chorus in it.
- Bridge: A transitional section that adds variety. It connects two sides of the song, typically the starting and the ending. The bridge in a song can be 4 or 8 bars long.
- Outro: An outro is the part of a song that concludes your song. It can be the repetition of the chorus part, but ideally, this part if not repeated, feels and sounds much better.
These are some parts of a song. Note that your song might have some other parts that are not listed above, do your research before organizing your thoughts, and try to keep it simple yet catchy.
Step 04: Give Your Song a Melody and Rhythm
As the name suggests, at the second last step of how to write a song with no experience, you have to add melody and rhythm to your song. Melody is the series of notes that are played together or part of the song that is sung in a manner that is musically satisfactory and aesthetically pleasing. Use your structured song from the previous step and try to sing it or harmonize it. Try to use as many instruments as possible. Use more than one instrument to make the song sound unique and catchy. As far as the rhythm is concerned, it is the organizing of the sounds (from the instruments used), on what time what instrument will be played and how will it be played to coordinate with the song lyrics. Now this can be a bit hectic and exhausting for the ones who write a song with no experience, but, it does not mean that it would be impossible. Just keep on trying and you will reach there in no time.
Step 5: Refine Your Song
Writing songs is a very time-consuming process when you are in the stages of learning, it gets easier with time when you get used to it. But refining a song is a must-step when you are a songwriter. When you write your thoughts down, it never means that you are done with the writing process, yet you have to keep on adding and removing the lyrics accordingly. Cut down the lines or words that do not coordinate with your overall song lyrics and add something that makes more sense. Never forget to be creative with your lyrics, for instance, referencing back into history can be a very good trick to add a deep meaning to your song.
Conclusion
In the closing of this blog, remember that it is never easy to write a song with no experience, but you get used to it over time and you get better at it. Last but not least, keep it simple. Trust your instincts and go for it, we wish you luck!