1.

Soak up influences:
Listen intently to songs you like and how they are written.
Try and work out what ‘gets you’ about them aiming to pin
point why; but really, by listening carefully you are already
benefiting. Listen to how the masters did it and how the
new stars do it. Soak up the rhythms, the transitions and
the feel. Every song is an influence and it’s important to
have diverse genres whirring round in your subconscious
when writing, even if you’re not aware they are there.
2. Just do it:
Pick up a guitar or sit down at a piano. Play two chords on
repeat or start with three classic chords such as Em, D
and C or Am, G and F and just start singing. You will get
better and better so the sooner you start the better and
never be embarrassed by what comes out. I seem to
remember the first song I wrote when I was twelve
mentioning a chemistry AND a physics book! Needless to
say, no one ever heard it. But it was the first step.
3. Write the music first, then the lyrics:
OK, so any way it feels right is of course fine but I’d
recommend writing the chords first, especially when you
are starting out. A classic way is to find some chords and
a singing melody you love and just start singing gibberish.
You can write and fit in your actual lyrics in later once
you’re happy. Often I’ll end up using the same rhymes or
syllables as the gibberish I first sing and it really does
work but don’t take my word for it, ‘Scrambled eggs,
you’ve got such lovely legs’ eventually became The
Beatles’ - ‘Yesterday’ written by Paul McCartney.
4. Find a hook:
Every good song (within reason) needs a catchy melody
or ‘a hook’. It’s often the simplest melody that it seems
came too easy to be the killer line; but it’s normally the
one that ‘just comes out’ without trying too hard. You can
shape a whole song around a hook, or even better - find
one for each section of your song which brings me nicely
onto ‘Structure’.
5. Understand structure:
Typically a song is split into: intro, verse, bridge, chorus
and middle 8. I personally view verses as telling the story,
bridges as creating the lift or transition into the chorus,
and the chorus to really hit home that catchy hook. Verse
lyrics can be repeated but normally only either side of the
chorus and really, it’s nice to have some varied verse
lyrics. The middle 8 is called the ‘middle 8’ because it is
typically eight bars that are different to all the other
sections and it adds a huge amount. It usually comes
before the final big chorus, ¾ of the way through the
song, so not really the middle! Phew! That’s the boring
(but crucial) ‘Structure’ part out of the way.
6. Use a rhyming dictionary and thesaurus website:
Once you’ve got your hooks, your chords and your
gibberish ready, you need to say what you want to say.
A rhyming dictionary website is great to have handy for
achieving this. Not only does it let you know all the
rhymes you have available for you to rhyme with that last
great line; but it shows you ‘half rhymes’ too which are so
important. Everyone has heard ‘fly high to the sky’ way
too many times so don’t be afraid to play around.
A thesaurus will show you other ways of saying what you
want to say, but be careful, ‘heart’ will always sound
better than ‘aortic pump’!
7. Use your smartphone:
Inspiration can strike at any time and that great hook you
think of while walking home after a few drinks may well
not be there in the morning! Sing lines into your phone or
make sure you record that guitar line as soon as you love
it. It’s just so gutting to forget something you are sure was
great, and if it turns out it’s really not, then no harm done!
8. Try things out:
Never be afraid to go down an unfamiliar writing avenue
or try something that shouldn’twork. Sound is a weird and
wonderful thing and sometimes you’ll be surprised where
something ends up. It doesn’t matter if you revert back to
what you had before, but without exception, it is always
worth a go.
9. Don’t be afraid to ask opinions:
Let someone hear it when you are ready and ask their
honest opinion. Bandmates are of course the perfect
people if you have them. I was lucky enough to have band
mates who were a) honest and b) had a far better grasp
of theory than me. They could shape and change bits they
weren’t too keen on to better structure the song. It’s easy
to get too close to the song and forget how you’d feel if
you heard it for the first time. Bandmates or a girlfriend /
boyfriend who has heard you play far too many times can
remind you!
10. Enjoy it:
Don’t stress about finding something good, you will
stumble upon it at the most unexpected of times as long
as you’re playing to enjoy it and experimenting. If nothing
else it is incredibly therapeutic to write something down
and get something out, even if no one ever hears it, so
always make enjoyment your first reason for writing.