How To Write Songs

 

By Vicky Phipps, a graduate of The Ohio State University.

Obvious, sure. But it's not as easy as it sounds, even for born musical geniuses. You could sit around and wait for the muse to hit, but that won't get you anywhere fast. Even the most inspired-sounding producers and musicians approach their craft as work, establishing regular time aside to work, study, and improve songwriting.

Need help writing future hits? Ignore all the flowery guides in which songwriters talk about their craft as a mystery. Some of it is mysterious, but much of it isn't. Practical advice abounds in Six Steps to Songwriting Success by Jason Blume. He's one of the few to boast simultaneous hits on the country, pop, and R&B charts, and breaks down the process almost to a science, with self-evaluation worksheets on things like lyrics and melody. (If you later want to get even deeper into making the actual words stick, check out Pat Pattison's simply named, but scarily effective, Writing Better Lyrics.

If you are more of a producer or electronic musician, you already know you have to stay up on the latest software and technology. Yes, it's a lot to take in, and a visual guide in the form of a DVD really helps. Producers, if you don't know Pro Tools, you are dead in the water. Get schooled quickly by watching Pro Tools: Behind the Controls. Ironically, the production values of this one aren't the best, but the actual, practical information will get you up and running faster than nearly any comparable book or DVD. Master this before you move on; you'll thank us later.