Who doesn’t want to write better songs? Whether you’re new to the craft, stuck in a rut of writing the same old stuff, or chasing that feeling that comes after we write a song that is better than anything we’ve ever written before, we’re all looking for ways to improve as songwriters.
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Here are some seven steps for how to become a better songwriter:
#1. Study Great Songs
Everyone has their “pull over on the side of the road songs.” You know…the songs that stop you in your tracks and require you to give them full attention because, well, they’re great.
If you want to write better songs, then you might want to spend some time thinking about and analyzing the songs that you define as great.
What makes them work? Listen and pay attention to the elements of songwriting that are at work in the song:
- Melody
- Groove
- Lyrics
- Song form
- Emotion
- Rhymes and rhyme scheme
Ask yourself what makes this a great song? Take notes.
Maybe the melody feels theatrical like “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” by Rufus Wainwright.
Maybe the lyrics are a story like in “Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash, written by Shel Silverstein.
Maybe it is the hooky repetition of the words and melody like in “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat.
Listen and identify as many of these things as possible and then, try to incorporate them into your own songwriting. All of these things can be tools you can add to your toolbox for the next time you set out to build a song.
#2. Find Inspiration & Song Ideas
Sometimes it can feel like we’re drawing from the same bucket of experiences. We need fresh ideas and new inspiration to get us excited to write.
A. Songwriting prompts
Songwriting Prompts are a great way to push yourself creatively. Use them to challenge yourself. Every week in the Membership Hub we tackle a new prompt. Sometimes we’re writing about our earliest memories. Sometimes we use a random combination of words that we have to work into our songs. We’ve even tried to write a love song without ever saying the word love.
Songwriting prompts are just a way to get the train moving on the tracks. You can always derail and choose another path if you feel your muse is pushing you elsewhere. The goal is to wake up your creativity. And prompts can send you in a surprising direction you may not have considered before.
B. Jot Down Your Ideas
Inspiration can strike anytime and anywhere:
Steve Earle wrote “Copperhead Road” after he heard a news story about a police raid on a 76 year old woman’s drug operation in the NC mountains.
The lyrics from “Walk This Way” came from members of Aerosmith watching “Young Frankenstein.”
When you have a song idea, write it down! Or, type it into the notes app of your phone. If it is a melody, hum it into your phone’s voice memo.
These ideas add up. And they can be your own personal treasure chest of ideas to mine when you sit down to write!
C. Look Around
You don’t always have to write from personal experiences.
At our Members-only Q&A Workshop, Sarah Siskind, whose songs have been covered by Alison Krauss and Bon Iver, shared tips on how to find song ideas outside of your own life – even at the grocery store:
Mark Evitts, songwriter and composer for the animated series “Frog and Toad” on Apple+, shared how he got his ideas from watching Frog walk:
3. Collaborate
Collaborating with other songwriters, producers, and musicians can bring new ideas and fresh perspectives. We all have different memories, backgrounds, education, instruments, methods, etc. When we collaborate we allow all of these differences to come out and play together.
Co-writing puts us in unique positions where we can explore new ideas and try new things. So many great songs would never have come to life without co-writing. The most famous songwriting duos being McCartney and Lennon and Bernie Taupin and Elton John. But also, consider these unique collabs:
- Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran on “Love Yourself”
- Public Enemy and Anthrax on “Bring the Noise”
- Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg on “California Gurls”
Sure, sometimes collaborating can feel like you’re making a peanut butter and sardine sandwich. But who knows, that might be delicious!
Co-writing can help you learn and grow as a songwriter. But it can also help create more opportunities for your songs.
Maia Sharp, songwriter with cuts by Bonnie Raitt and Cher, told us how co-writing took her from having “nothing going on” to having a publisher, record label, and a manager:
4. Experiment
Sometimes you can reach levels with your songwriting by simply throwing the rules out the window.
A. Experiment with Chords
Harlan Howard, legendary songwriter of “I Fall to Pieces” and “Busted,” is attributed to coining the phrase “Country music is 3 Chords and the Truth.” But, who says you have to use just 3 chords. Or, just the common C, G, and D chords? Mess around. Put different combinations of chords together and see what moves you.
B. Experiment with Melodies
The “blues note” didn’t make its way into popular music until jazz and blues musicians started employing it. And the Rolling Stones made a career out of using it!
Experiment with lots of notes like “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys.
Or very few notes. The verse in “Mr. Brightside” is basically one note throughout!
C. Song Structure
Most pop songs stick with some combination of the song form Verse – Pre-Chorus – Chorus – Verse – Pre-Chorus – Chorus – Bridge – Chorus.
But if Queen had stuck with that form we wouldn’t have “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Or, if FUN hadn’t experimented with form we wouldn’t have “Some Nights.”
5. Edit & Revise
You may be closer than you think to writing better songs. Many great songs were not written in one sitting.
Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin wrote and rewrote “The House That Built Me” a couple of times before they landed on the version you hear Miranda Lambert singing.
Leonard Cohen is reported to have written 180 drafts of “Hallelujah” with 80 different verses!
If you want to write better songs, you may not have to look further than the songs you’ve already written.
The author George Saunders uses a technique when revising his novels and short stories in which he reads his drafts and takes notes of when his attention increases and decreases.
We can do this with our songs too. Try to listen to your song as a first time listener. Pay attention to the moments when the song loses your attention – even just a tiny bit. Then go back and try to revisit and edit those spots.
The fix could be any number of things:
- You might need more repetition to make it more memorable.
- It might be a lyrical tweak.
- It might be that the melody makes too much of a leap between the verse and chorus.
- Or, you might just need a stronger, more impactful hook.
All of these things are repairable. Becoming a better editor could be what is holding back your songs.
6. Trust Your Gut
It can be very helpful to consider feedback from others – your friends, family, publisher, etc. But sometimes the critical voices of others can cloud our songwriting process. Trust your intuition and your personal experiences. These are YOUR songs after all. Trust your gut and follow your muse where it wants to go.
7. Write
One last tip to writing better songs: write songs!
Driver Williams, songwriter and guitarist for Eric Church, wrote songs on two of the biggest albums by Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen. Driver talked about the constant improvement that got him to where he is:
The more you write, the more opportunities you’re giving yourself to write something great. So, put some of these ideas into action and get started writing better songs.
About the Author
Dean Fields is a singer, and songwriter, as well as a mentor at American Songwriter. His songs have been No. 1 on the Texas radio charts, featured in film/tv and commercials, recorded by Lori McKenna, and produced by Garth Brooks.
He is also director of American Songwriter’s dynamic Membership Hub where members get access to exclusive content, a community of songwriters, and the tools to take their songwriting to the next level.
