Building Your Personal Style as a Songwriter: 7 Methods For Improved Results

As a songwriter, the songwriting process should be easy. However, if you have a feeling that your songwriting style is stale, or you are having difficulties diversifying your style and coming up with killer songs, this article is for you.

Here, you will learn the seven methods to improve your results when building your personal style as a songwriter. We hope to help to supercharge your songwriting style to enable you to come up with lyrics and melodies that will make people want to listen to your music.

Before you proceed reading this article, you should understand that the main reason most songwriters hit a snag with their writing style is because of following an overused songwriting process. While your first attempts may not bring good results, doing it, again and again, can take you from one stage to another. Remember, to write songs that people will love to listen to you must put in hard work, consistent practice, and patience.

So here are the seven methods for improved results when building your personal style as a songwriter.

1. Understand Where to Start Writing Your Songs

Ask any songwriter and they will tell you the most difficult part of the songwriting process is understanding where to start. Forming the main melody is a great way to start writing a new song.

Once you have developed your central chorus or melody, you can write the entire song around it. However, not all songwriters are capable of developing a great melody, so if you find it difficult, don’t worry because you are not alone. In fact, some songwriters will find it easy to start by writing a strong introduction instead. Others will prefer to write the lyrics first.

In short, it’s up to you to decide what the best starting place is.

2. Become a Craftsman

You must know that there are rules to be followed if you want to write killer songs. You can also get inspiration or advice from other successful songwriters. What’s important is that you should become a craftsman if you want to write your best work and meet the music industry standards. The best thing is that craftsmanship is something you can learn.

3. Know How Your Songs Will End

This way, you can have a clear focus on what comes next.

Pretty frequently, a song tells a story. Once you know how you will end your song, you can write the complete piece with that destination in mind.

4. Know the Importance of Lyrics

You might not bother yourself too much with the lyrics if you are producing instrumental music, but they are perhaps essential in every song. However, this part is also one of the hardest in the songwriting process, particularly if you are just starting out.

It’s important to get a clear image of what your song is about since it can give you a good place to start. Lyrics can help you visualize the story you want to tell. Once you have a storyline down, you can develop instrumentation that compliments that story.

5. Write From Experience

Did you know that most of the greatest songs we listen to were based on peoples’ experience? Many well-known artists used real-life events and traumas to stir their creativity. Using a real-life experience allows you to pull in real emotion and portray that to your audience.

6. Work Together With Other Songwriters

They say two heads are better than one.

It’s understandable; sometimes songwriters suffer from writers’ block. Working together with other songwriters during this time could give you a fresh place to start on your songwriting process. Just be sure to let other songwriters know the progress you’ve made so far and talk about new ideas they may suggest. You never know the potential of other songwriters until you collaborate with them. Getting new ideas, suggestions, and views from a fellow songwriter about your song can help you bring the best out of your music.

7. Take Breaks if Possible

Sometimes you may be writing a song and your ideas simply aren’t coming to you. In fact, writing a song from scratch can be a frustrating and tiresome thing. Taking breaks can help you come back when you are full of inspirations and creativity. You might take hours or even months to write one song but what’s of importance is the final product.

We hope you find these songwriting tips helpful to get you on your way to writing your next big hit. Get out there, get writing, and best of luck!