How to Finally Write a Song

Recently I wrote the lyrics to, compsed recorded in a studio and had two songs professionally mastered.  I’ve wanted to write music for years and I finally got myself to do it.

What was were the key things that made these songs different from all the half projects I’ve started over the years?

• I wrote them for someone else
• I had business deadlines for both of them (for my love song writing business)
• The content although original came from my clients brains I merely reformed the content into something more organized and musical
• I worked with other people--[not alone in a room by myself for 30 hours]
• I looked at it as a learning process--so when the sound engineer gave me feedback that’s what I took it as--I said ‘THANK YOU--you’re making me a better musician.’
• I taught myself that perfection is the unwillingness to let yourself move forward and not about standards or getting it right.

The process itself:


“The road to a good idea is literally made of bad ideas…”

-Ilan


Okay so not literally, but I do see “bad ideas” as the stepping stones to “good ideas”  These are in quotes because good and bad are subjective.


they say that “Writing is rewriting”  I don’t know who “they” are but I agree.   Here’s what my process looked like for these songs:

1. My client filled out a form with questions about their relationships
   
   
2. I took this content read it over and highlighted all of the things that I thought were important or poignant.
   
   
3. I wrote for two or three pages some ideas that I got from the content--usually this is a brain vomit.  I expect it to be terrible, I don’t even view it as writing but more just letting my creative self get itself going.
   
   
4. I go through this writing and highlight anything that catches my eye and inner musical ear
   
   
5. If I think there’s enough content to create a song with 2-3 verses, one chorus, and one bridge I move forward.  If not I go back to steps 2-4
   
   
6. I literally write the words Verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus 2, verse 3, bridge, chorus 3
   
   
7. starting with the chorus I write down or think about “what is the main point of the song?”  if I have no fucking clue yet, then I just take my best guess.  
   
   
1. So at this point usually the slight doubt from before that I had has now turned into full fledged hatred for my work--I’m serious.  To understand this feeling, think of the catchiest chorus you can think of. Got it? sing it out loud now.  Okay good, now go ahead and look down at your page at the chorus you wrote and compare them...This will make you hate your work.  If you do then good, hate it and then?  KEEP GOING, because honestly, you’re not going to like your song everytime the moment it comes out but when you plough through you’ll find that “good idea”  that one that made you say “oh shit!  we’re on to something here”
   
   
8. From here consider what the ‘story’ or the main thread involves.  What is it about?  What will keep leading you back to the chorus?  Take for example my song No need to say anything the main idea is the expression of love without the need to say it in words.  The verses tell a story--one with obstacles and challenges and then?  The returning to love as that thing, that amazing thing that brings you back--the love story is framed by the expression of love.
   
   
1. now literally fill in the form you made with lyrics.  If it helps you can map out the song and reverse engineer it.  I like to just plough forwards and not get caught up with technology etc--the creative brain loves simplicity, it wants to play not think criticially.  Save that for later.
   
   

9. Adding instruments:

I find this part sometimes to be very awkward and frustrating because well--let’s say you think you’ve got the perfect words right?  You’re going to start to sing them and you’re probably going to say, oh let’s get rid of the ‘the’ or the ‘of’ those are unnecessary.  Basically the songs just not done till it’s done.

I like to use a combination of guitar, piano and synth with a drum track to help me get a feel for the bigger sound that’s possible--start with your four favorite chords, and LET THEM settle a little bit with your lyrics, give them the space to do so.  Almost 100% of pop songs are written with the same four chords and yet there are so many different songs, millions of different songs with the same chords, so don’t waste your time with trying out 7ths if you don’t know what that means.  If you know 3 chords you’re still golden G,D,C will take you to rock stardom and back--sorry Dad but it’s true!*


9.1 working with a DAW (TC)- or not?  deciding to learn how to use logic pro or garageband or not?

the plusses and minuses or teaching yourself to use these programs or having someone else do it. [We’ll cover this another time.]


10.  Dream big, work small:  you need to remember that it’s really hard to be writing lyrics in your head or on the paper while ALSO deciding that this track is going to have three dub horns and as my musician friend said “A full 100 piece kazoo section.”  So consider what’s possible in that full band sound but don’t worry about it until you’re ready.  It’ll get there, and when it does? It’ll blow your mind.  Remember it’s easy to look at a finished product (even one that you made) without recognizing the hours or work and loving sleepless nights or energy spent on it, so keep that in mind, rough drafts are just that.  Every song you make is also the rough draft for the next song, perfection is an illusion--albeit a very powerful one yet still an illusion.


until next time--write on.


Ilan

*My Dad is a classically trained musician with three wind instruments and a deep understanding of music theory under his belt.  In high school he used to make fun of the rap music I listened to while doing the dishes in the kitchen. He would say  it only had two notes and he would make those two notes with his mouth jokingly.  


Special Thanks to Lord tariq and Peter Gunz--and my Dad as well.