Song writing !!!

Songwriting is not hard right? Anyone can write a song, after all, it's just a creative & artistic expression of your intellectual property. But, what makes a good song great?

How do you begin the process? What comes first, the lyrics or the melody? The Harmony or the riffs?

Here's a few simple pointers to make you feel relaxed about the process.

1. There is no right or wrong way to write, compose & arrange. What works for some, won't necessarily work for others and vice versa. Remember, it's your artistic expression, do what works best for you.

2. It's all in the toolbox!! Songwriters don't have toolboxes you say, well, yes they do. It's the process of how you develop and structure your ideas. Your understanding of basic music theory. If I said, "go write a song", then where do you start, what are you going to write about?

3. Themes. Give yourself a theme to write about. It could be something you just witnessed in real life, let's say "The Sunset". There is your theme. Much easier than coming up with ideas & lyrics on the spot.

4. Then write down what you see, hear, smell. Can you touch it, taste it? How does it move? These are your 6 keys to connection: Movement, Smell, Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch.

5. Then think about Who, What, When, Where, Why, How. These are your 6 best friends. Now you're getting somewhere with the story telling.

6. Basic music theory helps. If you understand the basics of music theory, harmonic pathways and melody writing can be easier than you thought. If you don't, that's OK, remember, if it sounds good, then that's all that matters.

7. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. Sometimes the song you write in 30 mins is all that is needed, there's no need to over complicate it.

8. Collaborate. Writing with others can stimulate ideas outside of your ideas.

Final note. These are just a few suggestions to work with, add a few tools to your toolbox each time & enjoy the process. I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

"I hereby grant you permission to write crap. The more the better. Remember, crap makes the best fertilizer" - Pat Pattison.