5 Mistakes Beginner Songwriters Should Avoid
48,016
Published 2024-04-19
These 5 tips are specific, actionable, and tangibleāuse any of them in the next 10 minutes, and your songwriting will get better today!
š£ Songwriting Short-Course: "The 5 Most Powerful Songwriting Exercises - Revealed!" Perfectly sequenced learning, with demonstrations, examples, and 18 downloadable resources - all for LESS THAN $30: www.udemy.com/course/the-5-most-powerful-songwritiā¦
š Free Weekly Songwriting Insights: howtowritesongs.org/subscribe-to-the-newsletter/
00:00 Introduction
01:21 Mistake #1 - Pronouns
06:02 Mistake #2 - Chords
11:16 Mistake #3 - Melody
14:35 Mistake #4 - Output
17:03 Mistake #5 -
All Comments (21)
-
Iām not sure who first said it but Iāve never forgotten this. āGreat songs arenāt written, they are re writtenā. This has helped me so much.
-
Something Iāve come to realise is that I can reuse my old ideas in new songs, it doesnāt have to be 100% original every time. I mean fleetwood Mac reused the baseline in the chain, and it makes that song what it is.
-
Thank you! Iām writing a song right now and just realised I use āyouā for two different people in the verse and chorus š¤¦š¼āāļø
-
Also more first lines from Ed āwhen I was six years old I broke my legā, āI took an arrow to the heartā, āit hit like a trainā. Great stuff Keppie.
-
Songwriting tip: channel your subconscious, there are no rules. Technique and meaning are overrated. Make pretty sounds with syllables instead of trying to "say" something.
-
I would add that if youāre starting the song on the relative minor, it is a useful technique to employ a pre-chorus which provides a greater āliftā to the tonic major chord.
-
Great video! I just wanted to make a comment on point number 2. You called it a mistake to start your sections on the same chord. I wouldn't call it a mistake cause it's a matter of taste and what you might feel that the song needs. There are great songs that use the same chord progression throughout the whole song and there's a clear distinction between sections because good songs and good arrangements don't only rely on chord progressions to create a journey.
-
Switching to "you" from "he/she" could work, if the song changes more dramatically for that part (say, a rock song that goes pretty quiet) and then moves back to "he/she". It COULD work even in the example, though it's not optimal. The tonic chord and the same chord starting every section sounds very dull. Good thing I'm not using it. Anyway, very helpful video!
-
Iāve been writing for 20 years, just decided I was going to when I was around 14. Iāve never thought to be analytical about how the process works. This was interesting, and thankfully the only rule I STILL break is the lyrical one. After my years of doing it Iāve realized one simple thing: EVERY MOMENT OF THE SONG HAS TO BE INTERESTING TO YOU AND THE AUDIENCEā¦IT NEEDS TO CONSTANTLY BE POPPING AND MOVING. Music is MOVEMENT š
-
Ray Davies is my favorite song writer. He said he teaches songwriting. But it may only be in England. He should have a YouTube channel, I bet it'd be popular. He is very prolific. I just got a book of Irish folk songs and it looks pretty easy for me and it is about my bedtime and I'll obsess over it all night.
-
I loved this. It helped me a lot. I often hit the wall with a song idea because I go from the beginning. I find that if I start with a cool idea and write it as a bridge, whether melodically or lyrically, I can build out from it. Itās just a recent thing that Iāve done, but it works great!
-
Now I wanna go back to the songs I released and see if I did these mistakes in my own songs xD
-
Naming something gives it power.
-
I appreciate these songwriting nuggets. I especially like how you focus and reference what the listener needs and wants. Kudos
-
Once again Soo good! Discovered your videos a week ago and it boosted my knowledge to a level i wanted it to be since like 2 years and never could archieve it. Im finally at a point where i can actually say i write songs and not just mess around with random chords in a Key and now i know how to built and release tention
-
Mistake #4 is golden. Good one. Mistake #2 can be not just black and white. Start in third person then rope in the listener with second person. Best to do once in one direction to shift the perspective. 19:00 sums up the heart and soul of refrain-based writing. Good info.
-
Again an amazing tutorial! I take notes and transfer it to a worksheet that remains by my side when I get stuck. Thank you so much for this channel.
-
Helpful tips. #4 and 5 spoke to me the most. Both are tips Iāve heard before, especially on this channel, but always helpful to be reminded againā¦ and again. Thank you!
-
Thank you for the tips specifically the one about landing always on the beat, hadn't thought of that!
-
All good suggestions. I would add song form. I think it is really important for beginners to be well grounded in song form and then experiment. Most pop is Verse-Chorus-Bridge, maybe with a pre-chorus. However, it's great to try writing an AABA, or even 12-bar blues. Or, try different variations on the V-C-B (does your song really need a bridge?). Also great to be able to hear all your favorite songs and understand what form is being used.
