Songwriting tips for beginners: Advice worth following in 2022
Choosing a career in the music industry as a songwriter is crazy. There is a constant power struggle between the artistic side (the fun part of making music) and the business side (actually making money, the more frustrating part).
In this guide, we’ll focus on sharing the absolute best songwriting tips and career advice – touching on everything from easy chord progressions, the importance of writing repetitive, catchy song lyrics, conquering writer’s block, the ideal songwriting process, and ways to escape those painful creative ruts.
REVIEW: THE ANATOMY OF A HIT SONG
The winning components of a hit song are straightforward – melody, lyrics, the main riff, repetition and catchiness.
The first time someone hears a song, not only does it need to resonate, but it needs to be remembered. A new song entering your brain for the first time needs to be super catchy, otherwise it will be forgotten and buried in the sea of noise.
What gets repeated gets remembered, and what gets remembered gets done.
The best songwriters always keep simplicity and repetition at the center of their writing process.
Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk”:
– “Don’t believe me just watch” repeated 18 times.
– “Uptown funk gon’ give it to you” repeated 26 times.
Migos’ “Walk It, Talk It”
– “Walk it like I talk it” repeated 126 times.
Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”
– “Shake it off” repeated 70 times.
Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”
– “I know” (and the melody) repeated 26 times.
Camila Cabello’s Hit Song “Havana”
– “Havana oo-na-na” repeated 75 times.
Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”
–“How does it feel, how does it feel?” repeated 8x times.
John Lennon’s “Imagine”
–“Imagine all the people” repeated 8x times.
The more times we are exposed to an ad—whether it is on television, radio, online, or in print—the more likely we are to remember it and be affected by it.
Music is no different! Read More...
