In an age where accessibility has reduced the audience’s average attention span to eight seconds, what does it take to create worthwhile music? Read on for three helpful tips for writing your first song!
Lyricism & Conscious Creation: 3 Tips for Writing Your First Song
Written by: AJ Bajo
August 17, 2020
The birth of social media has streamlined consumer access to entertainment. Musicians now in particular, from Grammy-performing professionals to Bandcamp and Soundcloud indie artists, are equipped with more alternatives to share their work.
However, this convenience inevitably comes with a catch. In an age where accessibility has reduced the audience’s average attention span to eight seconds, what does it take to create worthwhile music? Read on for three helpful tips for writing your first song!
Self-Expression as a Weapon
Whether you’re getting into songwriting from scratch, or you have had experience writing poetry, sorting through different ideas and answering these crucial questions are key to starting. What do you want to write about and why do you want to write about it?
Browsing your playlists and figuring out what type of music and lyrics you gravitate towards will help a lot in this process.
If you notice that mediocre lyrics don’t catch your attention, then in-depth songwriting might be more your niche. Tackle deeper themes that explore the human psyche, relevant social issues or other topics you’re interested in. Genres such as hip-hop, rap and pop/rock might better suit your style.
Still, you don’t have to commit to a specific genre or use heavy songwriting to send a message. Genres such as electropop, lo-fi and some of the current rising experimental music can pack a punch with brevity.
Don’t Let Ideas Escape
Inspiration for revisions or new materials can strike like lightning, and once it does it’s better for you to write it down or record it to expand on the ideas once you’re working on your piece again.
You can make use of basic device apps such as the notes app and voice recorder on your phone to write your thoughts. Or record random melodies you suddenly thought of.
Satisfaction takes time, so don’t worry about revising your work until it becomes something you think you will be proud of once you read or hear it again after years.
Expand Your Horizons
Social media sites have made it less challenging for artists to connect and collaborate with other artists. There are many platforms with creative and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds. This can help expand your perspective and style.
Listening to different genres of music, and joining groups and discussions on Facebook and the like will help you link with people who have the same interest.
Discussions can also improve your craft by presenting questions that will widen your viewpoint. What devices have other musicians used in the same topics that your music seeks to discuss? What other narratives can you explore?
Want to know more? Read our article on songwriting for beginners!
