I need help writing songs!!!?!
Question: I've tried writing a few songs, and I've only completed one and it was terrible. I do get my best ideas at night, but I don't know how to write them into words. Any good song topics or ideas?
Answers: I've tried writing a few songs, and I've only completed one and it was terrible. I do get my best ideas at night, but I don't know how to write them into words. Any good song topics or ideas?
It might not be as terrible as you think. You're probably being too hard on yourself. Either way, you'll only get better.
I have a hard time with the words, too, so here's what I do:
Start with the music. String together some chords that evoke a strong emotion in you. When you are comfortable with the chords, start humming different melodies and see what works. You don't have to put words to it yet, but if they come to you, then go with it.
Once you have an idea of the melody you'll work with, grab a pen and some paper and just write. Don't hold back, don't try to rhyme, just let it all out. Think about the emotion that your song makes you feel and why you might feel that way at this point in your life.
After you have some free-form writing to work with, then you can turn these ideas into poetry. Be creative with what you say. For example, instead of saying, "I go with the flow," you could say, "I cut my anchor and let the current take me where it goes." Ani DiFranco has a great line where instead of saying, "I have emotional baggage," she says, "My heart has some dangerous neighborhoods, so beware where you try to go."
Also, dreams are a great source of metaphors that you can use in your songs (the hard part is figuring out what the hell your dreams mean). Oh yeah, and use poetry.com.
Most importantly though, do what feels right to you and you will find your own groove. Don't ever worry about what others will think when you're writing a song. Write it for you.
Write about what you know. Life as you know it, love as you have experienced it, and friends as you have been apart of it.
write about your own experiences. if possible you can put it into poetic language like using a star to represent your one true love so the listener must think to get the real meaning. good songs are the ones that we are self conscious of sharing with the world. if it's private, it's good.
write about commiting suicide...dats always fun, lol.
One of the biggest mistakes you could make would be trying to do everything at once. When you're writing, don't worry about making everything rhyme or matching words with music. Just try as many times as you can to get what you're feeling on the paper, dont erase anything, and don't give up.
Good luck!