Pro Songwriting Tips for Every Musical Artist
Musicians, singers, and performing artists have all faced writer’s block while songwriting. Here are some tips that might come in handy during the process.
Writing songs is an integral part of music composition. Getting into a flow state and letting one’s creative side out can be a fun and rewarding experience. While writing a new song may seem effortless from an outside perspective, the best songwriters are fully aware that there is more to the process than just throwing together a few notes and calling it a day.
This article outlines some useful songwriting tips that can help you on your journey to becoming a great songwriter.
Overview: the songwriting process
Before you start writing your next song, you’ll need a clear idea of how to approach each step of the writing process. A simple yet effective way to stay organized is to think of songwriting as a three-phase process. All three phases are important:
- Before writing a song
- When writing a song
- After writing a song
Consider the detailed breakdown of the best practices a good songwriter should adopt for each of these phases.
Before writing a song
When writing a song
After writing a song
- Mix and master your songs. Mixing is the process of adjusting the different tracks that make up a song to make sure they sound good together. Mastering enhances the overall sound of the recording and ensures it sounds great across different formats, streaming platforms, and devices. Much like production, familiarizing yourself with the basics of mixing and mastering will help you better understand the nuances and intricacies of music and improve your ability to create professional-sounding songs at home. Look up mixing and mastering tutorials for your DAW of choice and learn each step at your own pace.
- Play your music for others. Great music is rarely created in a vacuum. Playing your music for others is a great way to get a feel for how a potential audience may engage with your songs. A practical and simple way to do this is to upload some of your recordings to Soundcloud and share them on your social media pages. You can also play live renditions for some of your friends.
- Be open to feedback. Getting feedback from others is crucial to your progress as a songwriter. You need to be open to receiving critiques from various sources. While some feedback may end up being unhelpful, you’ll often get valuable insights that will put you on the path to writing an inspired piece of music. Remember to keep a receptive attitude and see every piece of feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than a personal attack.
- Trust the advice of a professional music writer. While feedback from friends and social media audiences can be extremely helpful, the insight provided by professional music writers is simply invaluable. This is especially the case during the embryonic stage of songwriting. Unlike an audience member, a professional music writer will be able to dissect the minutiae of each instrument and vocal track to give you a detailed breakdown of what you’re doing right and where you need to improve.
Upwork can help you contact a professional songwriter to assist you in writing an entire song. These professionals have extensive experience in the music industry and are qualified to compose music and provide the necessary guidance that a beginner needs for writing their first song.
The assistance that professional music writers can provide to aspiring songwriters can be crucial in avoiding common beginner mistakes and beginning to write cohesive songs.
For instance, the input of an experienced songwriter can help you better structure your songs and write intros and outros that match the other parts of the song. Whether you’re looking to become a singer-songwriter, a composer, or a band member, trusting the advice of professional music writers can be your first step to success.
In review
Now that you have a clear idea of how to approach the songwriting process, you can start developing a basic outline and premise for your song. Keep in mind that these songwriting tips are only meant to give you basic directions on how to tackle each step of the songwriting process and are by no means a comprehensive guideline for writing a Grammy-winning hit song.
Moreover, the applicability of these tips will depend on various factors, such as your level of experience, personality, and the amount of time you can dedicate to this endeavor.
Work as a songwriter or hire a professional
Embarking on a musical journey is as fun as it is challenging. Self-doubt, loss of motivation, and distractions are just some of the obstacles you need to overcome when trying to write a whole song. Applying the tips outlined in this article will help put you on the right track to unleashing your creative potential and crafting well-structured songs that perfectly reflect who you are as a musician.
Whether you’re looking to work as a professional songwriter or hire one for your music production needs, Upwork makes it easy to find what you need. To get in touch with a talented freelance songwriter, write a project description that accurately outlines the services and skills you’re looking for and post it on Upwork. You can begin the process of interviewing candidates once you start receiving proposals.
If you want to put your songwriting skills to work and seek opportunities as a songwriter, head to the freelance section of Upwork to explore a wide range of songwriting jobs that match your style, level of experience, and financial objectives.