How To Start Writing A Song For Beginners (No Instruments? Music or Lyrics First? Best Software?)

If you're wondering how to start writing your own song, chances are you're overwhelmed. There's so much information about the best way to start writing a song that it can leave beginners stuck in "information consumption mode" and not "music creation mode." My goal is simplify all this information by offering you 3 simple questions to answer, along with 3 action steps to take so you can finally stop looking for best practices and get started making songs.

The first question is, how are you going to make music? If you want to know how to get started writing a song, I'm assuming there's a chance you play an instrument. Be it guitar, piano, violin or ukulele-- start there! That's how you can get started making music right away. If you're wondering how to write a song without an instrument, I've got you covered. It's totally possible. Thanks to technology you can look into samples, loops or triggers. These are different variations of the same concept: using pre-made music to make your own music. You can use recordings of instruments that you don't play, to arrange how you see fit and create your own music as if you "played" it. This process has become the modern way of composing tracks. It's super exciting for people who don't think they're musically inclined because they never learned an instrument... that's nonsense. I think we are ALL musically inclined in one way or another, and affordable (often free) tools like these still offer a path to write your own song without instruments.

**RANT: Don't let anyone pick on you for starting out this way. There are some insecure people out there who will attempt to rob you of your creativity by saying "you didn't actually make this." Got some news for you, you actually DID make it. Your creativity was hearing what was already created and having a vision for how these pieces could go together. In doing this, you creating something new and original to you. In my opinion, that's mad skill. That's super creative. And it's this ability, to hear possibility and make it happen, that the greatest producers in the world are known for.**

Action step #1: Get A Vibe Going

-Play copycat with your favorite song. This is the ultimate starting point for you if you're a beginner. Go figure out the chords to your favorite song if you play an instrument, or find a loop or sample that has the same feel.

-Put these chords (or sample) on loop. Either play them over and over on your instrument, or put the sample on repeat.

The second question is, how are you going to make the words? Notice how I said "make the words" not "write the lyrics." This is because melody has a super important role here. Melody makes the lyrics come to life. It's the tool that enables us to even hear words accompany music. There's a really popular question that comes up when learning how to make a song: music or lyrics first? The answer is yes. Both. If you have lyrics written, use melody to place them over your music. If you don't have lyrics written, use melody to find and inspire your lyrics. That process is super common, and looks like this: music inspires melody ideas --> melody ideas take the form of gibberish --> gibberish eventually leads to a key word or phrase --> this key word/phrase triggers a concept --> this concept generates different lyrical directions --> the direction you choose leads to the lyrics for your entire song.

Action step #2: Hunt Some Melody

-Use melody to place words you've already written over your vibe on loop

OR

-Use melody to find words to place over your vibe on loop

The third and final question is, where are you going to put everything together? You have your music, you have your words, now where are you going to house them together? This is usually when aspiring song-makers want to know the best software for making music or the best software for recording music. The answer to that question is some kind of DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Much like an artist will use a canvas to house a physical creation, we as musicians can use a digital canvas to house our sonic creations. A tool like this allows us to separate our music from our words and add, arrange, effect, edit parts of songs individually. Hands down the best way to make songs long term. DAWs like Garageband are free with every Mac, while DAW's like Logic Pro, Abelton or Pro Tools come with a price tag.

If this intimidates you, you can simply start with recording and storing ideas on your phone via audio notes, video recording or an application that hacks your phone's microphone to record stuff. That way you have a way to store the songs you're gonna get started writing. Which brings us to our final action step.

Action step #3: Start Your Song! (but actually tho...)

-Do these steps. Follow my free guide as a roadmap. Don't let anything stop you from starting your next or first song!

You can SO do this!

– Nathan