GET STARTED ON SONGWRITING

Yes, I am back from a musical blog hiatus. I hope it would not be another year of waiting before my next article. I would say it has been an exciting year for me musically - teachings, performances and songwriting! It is always in my heart to share my songwriting journey. I guess it is probably in God’s timing now for me to share my experience as a songwriter, as I was approached by people about it recently. I was asked this question: “How to get started as a songwriter?” Let me try to answer in a simplified way. Let’s just call it the “1-2-3-4 about Songwriting”: (1) The ONE most important thing is: You must have a passion in creating. Creating a story or a tune or both. You don't have to use bombastic words or intertwining melodies though. Sometimes, less is more. Remember that as a songwriter, you are also an author and composer. Your words and music may be influential to someone, so write responsibly. You got to like communicating and sharing. Communicate with your audience by sharing your thoughts or stories through your lyrics or melody. Don’t shy away from expressing yourself, but rather be opened. You can also write of other people’s stories if they are meaningful to share.

(2)

Number TWO on my list is "TOOL" (you get the rhyming): Tools for writing lyrics and melody - handphone / laptop / musical instrument. Don't worry about not using sophisticated tools / equipments / instruments to write your songs. I have the habit of writing my lyrics and recording my tunes using my handphone when they first came to my mind. Then I worked on them using my laptop and piano / keyboard. Using the recording programme from laptop makes recording more convenient and easier to achieve at home. Getting started, you could probably just keep it simple and make do with what you already have and progress to better ones in the future.

(3) Number THREE on my list is the “3-BEs”: BE aware of things that are happening around you as they could be your sources of inspiration; BE intact with your feelings and emotions so your audience can empathize or relate with what you are trying to convey; BE true to yourself and your instincts so your ideas are original and real with your own style. Translate them into words or melodies, matching your words to your melodies. It would be good to equip yourself with the technical skills and knowledge in lyrics and melody writing through formal training (it is too much to go into depth here). (4) Find these FOUR points useful if you wish to take your songs a few steps further: Find an arranger for your music; Find a vocalist to record your songs; Find a sound mixing engineer or producer for post-production; Find a lawful organization to register the copyrights for your songs. You can then get your songs published and released to the public audience. Online digital music platforms are making it readily available and convenient to sell your songs. It is now also more convenient to market your songs through social media platforms.

It is really an enjoyable process writing your own songs, at least it is the case to me. Give yourself some room or space to invent, create and for trial-and-error. You would learn and discover more about yourself as you journey through songwriting. Get started and write the song in you!