1. Sharpen your songwriting skills every day. Just like an athlete who works hard to practice to get to the top of his performance, a songwriter must also practice regularly… OK. you have talent and all, but your talent means nothing if your brain doesn’t get used to using this talent. Do at 30 min. music writing time per day and use it to experiment with chords, write themes, or maybe rearrange something. But always keep in mind that you’re just practicing, so there probably won’t be a “hit” in these 30 minutes… Successes come like lightning, so always be prepared!
2. Listen to music every day. The very famous Suzuki violin teaching method requires the student to listen to a tape containing the pieces he learns every day to “develop musical ability” (Schinichi Suzuki). Guess what? Works. As you listen more, you will unconsciously adapt more to music in general and, on a conscious level, you will discover tricks and techniques in music writing that you did not know. No one can create De Novo music, it has to have roots!!
3. Don’t limit yourself to just one style. My musical education was classical, but I love Rock and Metal (my favorite bands are Scorpions and Pink Floyd) as much as I love Bach and Dvorák and, being Egyptian, I also love oriental music..!! Such a mixture of styles can create the most wonderful ideas, and this is how most composers create new styles (for example, the psychedelic rock of Pink Floyd). Always exploring and experimenting with new styles, if you take a look at the history of any band, you find that’s what writing songs is all about.
4. Learn the rules of the game. You probably think that since you come up with a good topic, you’re on the right track… WRONG ;). It’s true that songwriting doesn’t have any specific rules, but here you are looking for “Five Songwriting Tips”, huh?!!. A song is music + words… As much as you can, learn music theory and the basics of writing lyrics/poetry. Learning never stops and it is a fact that as you learn more about the rules of the game, you become more skilled at bending those rules…!!
5. Don’t be shy. Let everyone know about your songwriting skills. Teach it to friends and family first, then to songwriting communities, and finally to professional reviews. As you refine your work, you will become more confident and therefore more open to new ideas and suggestions. Remember, they are the people you are writing for, their thoughts matter.
More songwriting tips here: http://www.songwritingfever.com/songwritingtips/
