“I make a lot of tracks, and normally I consider myself to be pretty good at writing melody. But I’ve got all these tracks lying around, and for some reason, I don’t feel like any of the melodies I’m singing are that great. I’d like to finish more of my songs, and I really believe in the tracks. What can I do?”

Some songwriting tools elude us by sitting right in front of our eyes. Tempo is one of those tools. One of the first decisions we make when we sit down to write a song is tempo. Tempo leads directly to the harmonic rhythm, frequency of chord changes, pacing of the lyric and melody, and overall believability of the song. Who knew such a pedestrian concept could have so much riding on it.

Songs may be delightfully more magical than the essays we were obligated to write in high school, but there are some similarities that can demystify the task of finishing a song. In that high school essay, we’re accustomed to knowing our main point before we begin, and the supporting arguments we’ll use leading up to it. Songs may not have paragraphs, but they do have verses, and that’s just where the supporting detail tends to fall. When it comes to the chorus, however, sometimes we struggle to build the section out from the main point, or even identify a good title.

As an aspiring songwriter, finding ways to make the most of your creative time is crucial. We all have days when time is scarce and distractions abound, so it's essential to zero in on a process that keeps us coming back to the writing desk. In this article, I’ll dig into 3 exercises prolific and experienced songwriters use to achieve a more focused and efficient songwriting routine. Each activity should take around 30 minutes.

Many of us spend hours in our studios or living rooms, starting songs and trashing them, with the hopes that just putting in the hours will be enough to eventually write something we’re pleased with. Undoubtedly, practice does lead to growth. But I find it amazing that it is generally accepted that we can learn an instrument using a tried and true methodology, but don’t ascribe the same potential to learning to write songs. 

As writers, we may fancy ourselves poets or storytellers. But as lyricists, we’ve got to keep a strong hold on those reins of free-flowing prose. Connecting with our listener requires signals, keying them in to when sections begin and when they end and which phrases are most central to the main point and which are not.

We songwriters rarely get to choose how our songs come to us. Concept, chords, or melody first, these elements tend to descend on our bedroom nightstands in the late hours of the night or early morning before we’re fully conscious. We know that familiar shiver when the air around us sparkles with inspiration.

Some things in life that should come with a manual, don’t. Living healthy, choosing a college major, being a good friend, choosing a spouse, and raising a child are just a few. It seems that meaningful living simply doesn’t distill well into a one-size-fits-all instruction booklet. Neither does the Smagora wardrobe I recently purchased from IKEA. Songwriting, as it seems, is similarly perplexing.

I once heard Taylor Swift refer to inspiration as a “purple, sparkly cloud.” It’s common to assume songs magically descend on our favorite artists and writers without all the hair-pulling and self-doubt.

There are three things Valentines Day gets me thinking about. One of them is LA traffic. Three hours in a car for a two-hour dinner on February 14th sucked the magic right out one year. The second is free chocolate. No explanation needed. The third, though, is canned love.

Inspiration isn’t ours to control. We can, however, learn to tame it, understanding its ways so it drifts by more often.

As a songwriter who has struggled with lyric writing and come out the other side, I’ve recognized a few reasons why my cryptic lyrics happened, and what I did to change them.

We may not realize it, but when we determine to share our music outside the confines of our own living rooms, we shift from being a songwriter to being an entrepreneur.

Now, with a few decades of lyric struggle behind me, I can understand what is so hard about setting lyrics to music. The fact is, choosing a melody, chords, and groove that enhance the meaning of our words and marry them all precisely is no small task.

Sensory writing is writing from the senses of taste, touch, sight, sound, smell, and movement.

We songwriters know the challenge of finishing songs, especially when it comes to writing second verses.