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How to Write Your First Song: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide
Writing your first song can feel intimidating, but here’s the truth: every legendary songwriter started exactly where you are right now — with a blank page, a simple idea, and zero clue how it would turn out. The good news? You don’t need to be a music theory expert or own fancy gear. You just need curiosity, a bit of time, and the willingness to experiment. In this guide, we’ll walk through a…
The Empire State of Mind Principle
I'm in New York this week visiting my dear grandmother, and I can't help but be reminded of one of my favorite guidelines in songwriting: the Empire State of Mind principle!
Like many songwriters I know, I am a perfectionist. It's easy for me to obsess over whether a line in a song is perfect or communicates precisely what I mean exactly as intended. This is exhausting, leads me to be envious of the freedom I see in other writers' works, and sometimes keeps me from putting out anything at all! (There's another tip-- don't let perfect be the enemy of the good.)
Jay Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" was released in 2009 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. Its signature drum intro and catchy hook make it instantly recognizable, but for songwriters and producers alike, there's more than meets the eye (ear). For example, that signature drumbeat? Straight from Apple Loops, free for anyone to use commercially and accessible for anyone with GarageBand or Logic. The minute I start to feel bad for using an Apple Loop, telling myself it's a cop out or a shortcut, I just remember: if Jay Z did it, so can I!
The REAL lesson, in my opinion, lies in Alicia Keys' hook. Anyone who's heard the track has probably been a little perplexed at some point about what exactly she's saying-- and no, it's not "concrete jungle wet dream tomato". The real line Keys uses to describe New York is "concrete jungle where dreams are made of".
What the hell does that mean?
No one can agree. This 2011 Reddit thread from r/grammar is full of users trying to dissect and parse the line, and similar grammatical discussions can be found on forums like Quora, WordReference, and HiNative. While conclusions are mixed at best, the answer I've seen pop up the most, and the one I agree with the most, is that the line actually makes no grammatical sense, but it more or less conveys an idea consistent with the rest of the song, and it sounds good.
Life changing! Every time I've held myself back in a fit of doubt over a lyric, I've revisited the Empire State Principle and it has allowed me to push through. It doesn't matter if it doesn't completely make sense-- if it sounds good and embodies the spirit of what I'm trying to say, that's what matters. This has increased my confidence in my writing and allowed me to speed up the draft writing process by a lot! Next time you find yourself lost in the weeds or unable to see the trees for the forest, try the Empire State approach and give yourself the freedom to be a little nonsensical.
Metal guitar songwriting tips (when you've run out of ideas)
Learn how to play a riff or lick that you love. Then, tweak the hell out of that thing. Change a chord, change the sequence of notes, use a different picking technique, add or remove notes, just continue making changes until it sounds distinctly different.
Listen to an existing guitar part and then try to come up with something that has vaguely the same kind of sound/feel. Don't try to figure out the exact notes of the original guitar part, just go with the flow and if your idea kinda resembles that, you're good.
Experiment with a drum track to come up with riff ideas that suit the drums.
Take a couple of bars (for example 4) that make up a riff and experiment with changing around the order - example: playing bar 3 first, then 1, then 4. Tweak accordingly.
If you want to come up with something potentially much more wacky (tech death ninjas unite), write down a couple of intervals and/or chords you really like. Assign numbers to them i.e. 1-6. Plug into a random number generator to determine the order in which to play them.
These are my favourite methods for coming up with song ideas, especially number 1 & 2.
What are yours?
SongWriting like the Pros
Recently, I got to sit down and write with a friend of mine who plays guitar for a famous rock band (800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify). We're going to call him Kaden. During our session, he showed me a lot about how the producers his band works with write songs (industry-leading names mind you) and I thought it was a fascinating charge of pace from my usual approach. So here, dear reader, is the entire session step-by-step.
(In case you don't care to read this entire post, the most interesting part is towards the bottom.)
The session started with what Kaden called "Therapy Mode". We sat down without the instruments and just started chatting. "What's new? What have you been thinking about this week? What do you feel about x y or z?" until we landed on a good prompt for a song. He specified that a good prompt should be "unique to you, but relatable to everyone else". During this process, we also wrote down any specific phrases that came to mind as we figured out what we wanted to say. More on this later.
When we had the prompt, we started playing with chords. Kaden said we should start with "grandpa chords", ie. the standard open chords that you learn in the first 2 weeks of playing the guitar. As much as I love finding unique chords and voicings, Kaden insisted that vocal melody was more important, and that unique chords should come AFTER a solid melody is written. It is also important to note that we specifically started with the chorus of the song, ie. the most important and memorable part.
Once we agreed upon a chord progression, we started playing with the melody by singing gibberish. The idea was to trust your ears to find something catchy. Kaden kept saying "Don't think so hard, just sing what makes sense".
Next, we started to formulate lyrics. It's important to note that the melody and the lyrics were developed at the same time. We had a rough draft melody that we built off of, but weren't afraid to change if the lyrics required it. For the lyrics on the chorus, Kaden said they should "be simple enough that an 8th grader would write it on a notebook" because "no one obsesses over lyrics like 8th graders". Even if you are a writer who loves to use metaphors to hide the meaning of their lyrics, the chorus should be fairly straight forward. During this stage, we tried to use each of the phrases we had written down earlier.
As the pieces fell in place, Kaden started to nitpick every decision we made. Some melodies were rewritten, some lyrics were scrapped, and a chord or two were changed. The important thing during this stage is not to get attached to anything you've previously decided on. You don't want to miss out on something better because you're too obsessed with your first idea.
When we finally figured something out that we both liked, I made the assumption that we would start detailing the song by making the chords more interesting, writing the verses, adding harmonies, drums, etc. I was WRONG. When I finished playing what we had written, Kaden hit me with "Cool, let's start over."
Here's the part the blew my mind. Kaden, his band, and every major producer they work with only do 1 thing 90% of the time: write choruses. They write a chorus with just vocals and simple chords and then move on. They don't finish the songs until they decide to write an album.
To put this into perspective, their vocalist is constantly writing 30 second choruses, year round. Last time Kaden's band sat down to do an album, they had 146 demos to pick from. 146! From there, they narrowed the list down to the best 12 and finished each song like this:
Chorus (with completed instrument parts) -> 1st Verse -> Intro -> 2nd Verse -> Bridge -> Outro
Essentially, once you have a really solid chorus, you want to figure out how the song should go leading up to that chorus and then write to the end after that. Last thing I'll leave you with is Kaden's response when I asked why we wouldn't finish the song we had started. "Why spend the time to finish this one if the next chorus we write is 10x better?"
What do you think about this method? Is this something you'd like to try?
If I can't write two-to-three verses and a chorus on the shitter, then how the Hell will my songs materialize?
FAWM 2023 is here
Getting started with FAWM: A Guide to the February Album Writing Month Challenge.
February Album Writing Month, or FAWM, is an online community of songwriters and musicians who challenge themselves to write and record 14 new songs in the 28 days of February. Whether you're a seasoned songwriter or just starting out, FAWM is a great opportunity to stretch your creative muscles, collaborate with other musicians, and build your portfolio.
Here are some tips to help you get started with FAWM:
1. Set your goals.
Before you begin, it's important to know what you want to accomplish with FAWM. Do you want to write a certain number of songs? Do you want to experiment with a new genre? Do you want to improve your recording skills? Whatever your goals are, make sure they are specific, measurable, and achievable.
2. Start early.
FAWM can be a busy time, so it's a good idea to start planning and preparing as early as possible. Make a list of songs you want to write, gather your musical instruments and recording gear, and set up a workspace that is conducive to creativity.
3. Collaborate.
FAWM is a great opportunity to collaborate with other musicians, both online and in person. You can join the FAWM forum to find collaborators, share your songs, and receive feedback. You can also attend FAWM events and participate in songwriting challenges to get inspired and meet other musicians.
4. Be flexible.
Songwriting can be unpredictable, and it's important to be flexible and open to change. Don't be afraid to try new things, even if they're outside of your comfort zone. And if a song isn't working out, don't be afraid to move on and try something else.
5. Keep it simple.
Songwriting is about creativity, not technical proficiency. Don't get bogged down by complicated chord progressions or intricate arrangements. Instead, focus on writing a simple melody and lyrics that tell a story. You can always add more instrumentation later.
6. Stay organized.
With 14 songs to write in 28 days, it's important to stay organized. Keep a notebook or digital document with your lyrics and ideas. And when you're ready to record, make sure to label your files and backups.
7. Celebrate your achievements.
Writing and recording 14 songs in 28 days is no small feat. Take the time to celebrate your achievements and share your songs with others. You can upload your songs to the FAWM website, share them on social media, or perform them at a local open mic.
In conclusion, FAWM is a unique and rewarding challenge for songwriters and musicians of all skill levels. Whether you're looking to improve your songwriting, collaborate with others, or build your portfolio, FAWM is a great opportunity to stretch your creative muscles and have fun. So get started early, set your goals, and have fun!
I want to start songwriting but I always feel like I'm too wordy or too in my head about it. Does anyone have any songwriting tips that could help me out?
Excited to launch my new Songwriting series with Taylor Guitars on their channel 🎵
Here’s the first episode - new eps go live every Saturday
