How To Write Lyrics, A Beginners Guide

Writing lyrics to a song can frustrate even the most seasoned composer as well as the rank novice.  Writing lyrics is an art form, expressing a message to the listeners and readers of the words, an art form that can be shaped in many, many different ways.

The first, and most important step when writing the lyrics to a song is to decide what the song is going to be about. Some composers decide on the title of a piece first and work around it, while others - including myself - prefer to just dive in and write. Analyze your thoughts and feelings, why you want to write a song in the first place. Music and poetry usually go hand in hand with emotions and thoughts, so keep this in mind with your writings.

Second, the arrangement of words and sentences plays a large role in making words "fit together" so to speak. It would seem ridiculous to hear a slow love song that had a chorus line consisting of a twenty word sentence, sang very quickly, followed by a four or five words sentence. Keep a pace or beat mapped out in your head when writing lyrics, to see if they can be worked into the song correctly. If this is misunderstood, try listening to songs on the radio, keeping the beat with your foot or tapping your hand and try doing this method with random words that pop into your mind. Listen to the pace of words being sang and how it fits in with the pulse of the song.

It is very common for beginning lyricists to compose songs in an incorrect form because at the beginning stage of composing, the focus is usually more on the message of the words than the flow. I would recommend to beginning lyrics writers to focus entirely on the whole point of writing a song before trying to get it to sound good as a whole. Sentences can always be altered- lengthened or shortened!

Third, when writing lyrics to a song, a writer must decide whether he/she wants to use a rhyming technique or not. More advanced composers generally prefer to rhyme in several different styles but a beginning lyrics writer should, once again, focus on getting a message out to the listener rather than to focus on making it sound "pretty". Hey, if worse comes to worse, just google a rhyming website and you're set...

It is argued that lyrics are the most important part of a song because it guides the listener to a certain message and can inspire listeners deeply. I like to argue that the music is accompanied by lyrics and that lyrics are just a helping hand in delivering a message, because music without words can leave ones mind to think and be inspired about what it needs to be at that point of time. Lyrics are definately a very important aspect of generating an amazing, inspiring song and mustn't be overlooked.

Writers block hitting you pretty hard? Think of the past, present, and future - what do you want, what do you need? Can you imagine an inspiring or exciting moment? Be a fiction writer when it comes to writing lyrics, don't limit your writing to just your own experiences! I'd definately encourage everyone to try writing about personal experiences in a nonfictional way, of course, but its perfectly fine to write about a scenario you can imagine that inspires you!

I am a very lucky composer, when I start writing a song my minds goes crazy and I'm done twenty minutes later. The advice I give to you is to not push yourself into writing a song. Carry a notepad and pencil around with you and when a series of words impacts you, write it down and maybe a song will come out of it. Only on a few occasions have I actually been able to sit down and try to write a song successfully without inspiration! Each time, the song didn't turn out as good as an "inspired song", so to speak. I've heard of artists taking showers, using the restroom, sleeping, and being around nature when inspirations for writing a song would normally hit them. Think of times where words have stuck out in your mind and what you were doing at that time, use that activity to your advantage.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep a notepad and pencil on you at all times! This is a major concern for me because I haven't been blessed with a good memory so when I do come up with the chorus line of a song at work, it disappears shortly after. I have lost to many good songs that way and I don't want any of you to lose a potentially life changing song in the future. Feel free to comment if any of these tips were helpful at all and ask all the questions you like, I'll give you answers. I wish each of you the best of luck at writing lyrics and I am in your service if assistance is required.