When I was a first year university music student many years ago, I had about 50 classmates. I was planning to be a composition major, but in my classes, there was every possible music discipline represented. Some were training to be singers, others were aspiring teachers, and still others were learning sound recording techniques, music therapy, instrumental performance… you name it.
And yet no matter what we all thought we’d be doing several years into the future, we were all together, all learning music theory, ear training, music history, keyboard techniques and more.
If you like the chords-first songwriting method, you need to be sure you aren’t compromising the quality of your melodies. “Writing a Song From a Chord Progression” shows you the best way to create compelling songs by starting with the chords. This eBook is part of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting 10-eBook Bundle”.
Many of you have attended college or university, and you have likely experienced something similar: even though you had a single goal in mind (to be a school teacher, let’s say), you know that you were required to study many different subject areas to make that goal a reality. Each separate subject added something important to your understanding of how to teach.
In your own life today, you may consider yourself to be a student of songwriting, even if just unofficially. And you can probably apply the same principle of learning in your bid to become a better songwriter.
What does that mean in reality? You’d think that the best way to learn to be a better songwriter is to sit down and write lots of music. But that’s only part of the picture.
The bigger picture reveals that there are many things you can and should be doing to become a better songwriter. Any one of them on their own will only be of partial help. All of them together make you better.
So in addition to writing songs in the hopes of becoming better, you should be:
- listening to recorded music written by great songwriters in many genres;
- listening to great songs from earlier eras, and comparing them to songs being written today to discover what’s different, and what’s remained the same.
- playing your instrument daily, taking lessons if necessary, because better players have the ability to create better musical ideas for songs;
- training your ear by transcribing chord progressions and melodies;
- reading what other songwriters, producers, business executives and teachers are saying about the songwriting world.
Think of each of those activities as a kind of musical “subject”. If you’ve never taken this approach before, you’re going to surprise yourself that each one on their own has the ability to move your songwriting forward, making you better almost daily.
And then in combination, you’ll find that each “subject” improves your ability in other subjects, and all of them together make you better and better.
Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter.
“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook bundle includes “Writing a Song From a Chord Progression”. Learn how to write great songs by starting with the chords, and then avoiding all the potential pitfalls of the chords-first songwriting process.
Good advice!