Are you someone who already writes songs, or who would like to start writing songs? Are you someone who makes music regularly, plays an instrument and/or sings? Are you someone who enjoys beautiful music and wants to create beautiful music yourself? – The following tips on songwriting have helped me personally. And I’m sure they’ll help you too.
Writing new songs is something truly wonderful, something that never fails to inspire me. I wrote my first songs when I was still a teenager. In the roughly 25 years since those first songs, I’ve written many more – some are worship songs for the congregation to sing along to, whilst others are intended more for listening.
The Bible repeatedly encourages us to sing a new song to the Lord (see Psalm 96:1; Psalm 98:1; Isaiah 42:10). – And when we write new songs, we enter into a creative process; we become active creators. It is precisely here that the potential lies for an encounter with God, the true Creator. Furthermore, new songs reflect the truth that God can never be sung about or praised enough. The newness and unfamiliarity of a new song remind us of the new and unfamiliar aspects of God that we do not yet know, because He is far greater than we could ever comprehend.
But how does a new song actually get made?
Inspiration
It always starts with an inspiration for a new song. This might be a statement I’ve read somewhere that has touched me and stayed with me. It might also be a question, a feeling, an observation or an image. For me, as a songwriter who focuses on themes of the Christian faith and worship, inspiration often comes from the Bible (in recent years, frequently from the Psalms, from which I usually read one at the start of each day). Inspiration also comes from Christian books and from quiet moments (e.g. walks). Sometimes thoughts I’ve read in a newspaper article, or something I’ve experienced or observed in everyday life, also play a part. At some point, a line of a song suddenly takes shape in my mind. I jot this down and keep it safe. Sometimes a whole song comes together in one go, but mostly it takes several stages of development, often with long gaps in between. (So don’t give up too soon.)
Of course, I need musical inspiration too. I enjoy listening to music when I find an hour or two of free time at the weekend. It’s relaxing just to unwind and listen to music I like. Whilst listening to music, I’ve often found myself thinking: “I’d like to write a song like that one day.” It might be a rhythm I like, for example, or a melody, or the way the words are set to the rhythm and melody of a song. – It’s always great when the inspiration for the lyrics and the music comes at the same time. Sometimes, though, it’s just the lyrics (which is often the case for me at first), and if I keep an eye out for the right “musical accompaniment” then, over time, I manage to find something. That’s how I’ve ended up with lots of lyrics and poems that are still waiting to be set to music.
When I started to write songs, I focused on making them appealing to others without losing authenticity. However, I found myself getting very frustrated at times because I received so little feedback at gigs. Eventually, I realised that writing lyrics isn’t just a necessary step for me to end up with a song (some advice from a friend and experienced songwriter played a key part in helping me reach this realisation). – Songwriting has intrinsic value because it allows me to express feelings and thoughts. Through it, I can articulate for myself things that are important to me, things I don’t understand, things I’ve come to realise, things that weigh on me or bring me joy. – Not every set of lyrics becomes a song. Not every song is intended for the public. Some are just for me. But every now and then, one emerges that I share with other people and which takes on meaning for them too. – Nowadays, I repeatedly find that people react positively and gratefully to my music. That’s very lovely for me; it’s also a goal I strive for, but not a prerequisite for writing songs.
For me, writing songs is also a journey, a process of growth. It’s not something I do just once, as a one-off, isolated act, so to speak. It’s part of my life.
You can find inspiration by reading the Bible, praying, reading books, listening to music, and playing along with other musicians. Learning new playing techniques on your instrument (in my case, the guitar) is also a great way to come up with new musical ideas. It also broadens your options when it comes to songwriting (it’s like a painter who suddenly has a wider range of colours at their disposal). So if you want to write songs but are lacking inspiration, go and find it.
The purpose of the song
When it comes to shaping the song – turning the idea that inspired me into a song – the question of the song’s intended purpose also plays a role. Should it be a song that the congregation can sing during a worship service, or rather a song to be performed at concerts? For a congregational song or hymn, the focus will be on ensuring it is easy to sing (a catchy melody, memorable lyrics, not too much text, and no complicated rhythms). For a concert piece, the emphasis will be more on originality and creativity, in order to offer the listener an interesting and varied listening experience.
Approach
There are many different approaches to the practical side of things. There is also some helpful literature on the subject. I can recommend, for example, the german book “Songtexte schreiben” by Masen Abou-Dakn. It is also helpful if you can play an accompanying instrument such as the guitar or piano.
Generally speaking, you need a chord progression and some lyrics. You combine these to form a song. Then you compose a melody that flows from the chords, or one that suits the chords. If you have a melody in your head first, you look for the chords that go with it.
We all have our own idea of what a beautiful song should sound like. This idea has been shaped by the music of others that we have listened to and played ourselves. When we write a song ourselves, it is never a completely new, original song. There are always echoes of other songs that already exist. And that’s fine. It is simply impossible to write a song whose melody and lyrics are entirely new. Nevertheless, we do create something new when we write new songs about Jesus, who inspires and motivates us. – That is, as long as we don’t simply copy what others have done. I once heard that Bob Dylan, who is, of course, a proven great songwriter, didn’t write his own songs in the early stages of his musical career, but “merely” sang existing folk songs. It was only later that he began writing songs himself. Singing and playing existing songs is therefore an excellent way to develop your own skills as a songwriter.
So how do you go about writing a song? I can’t tell you exactly. You’ll simply have to give it a go. I hadn’t taken any courses on the subject before I wrote my first song. I’d listened to music that inspired me and wanted to write songs too. So I just gave it a go.
I hope that, as someone who writes songs or would like to, these thoughts will help you and motivate you to set out on your songwriting journey.
