Ten Steps to Improve Your Songwriting Skills

by Mahmoud Ibrahim 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Do you want to sharpen your songwriting skills? Do you aspire to writing a successful song? Well, out of my own experience and out of several songwriting references I came up with these "Ten Steps To Improve our Songwriting Skills"!
1.Sharpen your Songwriting skills every day. Like an athlete who strives to pra ti e so as to rea h the peak o! his"her per!orman e# a songwriter or a omposer should also pra ti e regularly...$%. you are talented and everything# but your talent means nothing i! your brain doesn&t get used to using this talent. Make a '0 min. musi writing time per day and use it to e(periment with hords# write themes or maybe rearrange something. )ut always keep in mind that you are *ust pra ti ing# so there probably isn&t a +hit+ oming out o! these '0 min...,its ome like a !lash so be always prepared2.Listen to music every day. .he very !amous /u0uki violin tea hing method re1uires that the student listens to a tape ontaining the pie es he"she learns everyday to +develop musi al ability+2/ hini hi /u0uki3. 4uess what5 It works. As you listen more you will un ons iously adapt more to musi in general and# on the ons ious level# dis over tri ks and te hni1ues in musi writing that you didn&t know about. 6obody an reate musi 7e 6ovo# it has got to have some roots-3.Don't limit yourself to one style. My musi edu ation was lassi # but I adore Ro k and Metal 2my !avorite bands are / orpions and 8ink 9loyd3 as mu h as I adore )a h and 7vorak and #sin e I&m :gyptian# I also like my share o! oriental musi ..-- /u h a style mi( an reate the most wonder!ul ideas# and this is how most songwriters ome up with new styles 2e(; 8ink 9loyd&s 8sy hedeli Ro k3. Always e(plore and e(periment with new styles# i! you take a look at the history o! any band# you !ind out that&s what songwriting is all about. 4.Learn the rules of the game. <ou probably think that sin e you an ome up with a ni e theme# that your are on the right tra k ...=R$64 >3. It is true that songwriting has no spe i!i rules# but here you are looking !or +.en /teps .o Improve+# eh5--. A song is musi ? words...As mu h as you an# learn musi theory and the basi s o! lyri s"poetry writing. Learning never stops and it&s a !a t that as you learn more about the rules o! the game# you be ome more skill!ul bending those rules..--And never !orget that at hy melodies and smart rhyming lyri s need lots o! pra ti e. .Don't !e shy. Make everybody know about your songwriting skills# and show your songs to the world...well# show it to !riends and !amily !irst# then to songwriting ommunities and !inally# seek pro!essional riti1ues. As you get your work more !ine tuned# you will be ome more on!ident and# onse1uently# more open to new ideas and suggestions. Remember# it&s the people whom you are

writing !or# their thoughts do matter. ".Learn to play a #songwriting instrument#. I! you are reading this you probably an play an instrument. )ut# you should know that there are ertain instruments that are not very help!ul with songwriting or generally musi omposition. /o !ar# a poll that runs on =riting 9ever 9orum showed that %eyboard 2or 8iano3 is most use!ul and guitar ranks se ond. My guess is that it is so be ause those instruments are spe ially help!ul with hords 2unlike the violin !or e(ample# my original instrument3 and make it easier to write hord progressions. <ou don&t have to be a +@oe /atriani+ on guitar or a +<anni+ on piano# you *ust have to be !amiliar with one o! the songwriting instruments. 2.his means you shouldn&t spend more than !ew weeks to get to the level where you an use the instrument !or songwriting and I personally re ommend the +hearandplay '00pg. ourse+ !or keyboard2piano3 and the +Ama0ing A day 4uitar video+ !or guitar....hose two programs will get you 8LA<I64 in no time with no prere1uisites whatsoever3. $.Look !ack on your previous work. It is very help!ul i! you listen to your past work so that you would know how !ar you&ve ome. <ou might like your past more or less# so it a tually shows you i! you are still on the right tra k or not. %.&ntroduce diversity to your music. =rite in di!!erent s ales# di!!erent time signatures# di!!erent genres and styles...et . Also# write !or di!!erent instruments. 9or e(ample# you wrote a song !or a ro k band# now rearrange it !or a string 1uartet -- I&m /erious-- I wrote an instrumental !or a !riend&s ro k band and later rearranged it !or B violins. )ut why5 It gives you insight on new +sounds o! musi +# more e(perien e with musi theory and what do you know5 It may a tually sound better ;3. '.(roduce Demos. =ell# i! you are !or real# make your musi real. 7on&t keep your reations suppressed in musi sheets or in midi !iles# i! you an put out your songs# start doing business and don&t be la0y promoting your song. <ou don&t have to spend a lot o! money to re ord your material> a ni e mi and an e!!i ient omputer so!tware are enough !or most purposes. <ou might stumble upon a hot shot produ er who happens to like your work...4ood Lu k-1). Seek *olla!oration. /ongwriting ollaboration is one thing you should try and CA6 do# group work and all. 6obody is a standDalone genius-- /ubs ribe to songwriting groups on the internet# get to know a guy or two in your lo al ommunity who you like working with...et . Collaboration on songwriting is great> simply imagine two people !rom di!!erent ba kgrounds pouring their di!!erent ideas in one think tank...4roup work is the key to su ess# proved by resear h teams# bands and politi al parties >3.

=ell# <ou an !ollow those steps or not# it&s not the )ible-Although these steps seem to work !ine with most people# you should see what you like and what om!orts you most...and please ome ba k to me and all =riting 9ever visitors with your own songwriting e(perien e# Let the whole world know...

Mahmoud Ibrahim is a songwriter and owner o! http;""www.songwriting!ever. om> a website dedi ated to songwriting ollaboration. .his arti les may be reprodu ed on the ondition that this note remains inta t.