8 songwriting mistakes beginners often make, and how to fix them

There are probably as many ways to approach songwriting as there are songwriters.

But beginner songwriters are often only equipped with a handful of tools that results in them producing songs that are subpar at best.

We must all start somewhere, so that’s not the issue. Our skills develop with practice.

But you can increase the quality of your songs significantly if you avoid common mistakes.

Here are eight songwriting mistakes beginners often make and how to avoid them.

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“Drivers License:” How Olivia Rodrigo uses much more than lyrics to tell her story

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” grabbed me (and the rest of the planet) by the lapels and wouldn’t let go when I first heard it. The musicologist side of me wondered why.

Well, after examining it, I think I’ve figured out why the song has such staying power. Here’s a breakdown of the song from beginning to end, and pretty deep in between, too. In case you haven’t heard the song yet (or have been abducted by alien lifeforms and just been returned to Earth), here it is:

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New approach to lyric writing: Telling sensory stories via song

Guest post by Carla Malrowe. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Lyrics are very personal; no one can, or should, tell you what to write. However, how you write comes down to skill. And lyric writing as a skill, just like any other, can be improved through open-minded exploration and growth-minded practice.

Today, I want to talk about a new way of approaching lyric writing. It entails using sensory and cinematic stories to relay your core song message. It’s a process of deep exploration to achieve a unique expression.

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How Soulful, Storytelling Songwriters get on Spotify

If you are a songwriter, a soulful, truth-telling, musical storyteller, you may not have skills or interest in music production software and technology. 

Sitting at a computer feeling frustrated with a software program, is not your vibe — when you could be playing guitar and writing songs.

Most articles about “How to Get Your Music onto Spotify,” tell about uploading music and cover art. 

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Ways to rejuvenate and replenish your creative music juice

Writer’s block – not just for authors anymore!

Musicians are often known for being some of the most creative people on the planet, and rightfully so. There have undoubtedly been times when you’ve rattled off a new song in a matter of minutes, or other times when you can’t fill a notebook fast enough with the best lyrics you’ve ever written (hopefully it just wasn’t after a bad breakup, though we all know that sometimes helps). 

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8 Ways To Improve Your Songwriting This Year

Songwriting is a beautiful mode of self-expression. It’s a way of giving voice to unspoken thoughts and emotions.

There are so many ways to say the same thing. So many topics and ideas you can write about.

But how do you write better songs?

Improving as a songwriter will require that you put some effort into it. If that doesn’t scare you off, then here are some concrete ways to improve your songwriting this year.

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How The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” Lifts Beethoven’s Ideas to #1

Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, and Ludwig van Beethoven don’t appear to have much in common. Ok, they’re both musicians, there are the repeated digits in their birth years (1990, 1770), they share perhaps a similar amount of curly hair… But, otherwise, come on, right?

And yet, although classical music of Beethoven’s era and pop circa 2020 are different beasts, music that works is music that works. Sometimes it just works because it’s performed or produced effectively. But often I submit that better music is better because the notes are better — the pitches and durations and the relationships and patterns these form, however they’re performed.

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Tuning Into Your Muse

What is the source of inspiration? Creators of all types struggle with this question and yearn to find their muse.

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Hit Songs Deconstructed Releases Its Mid-year 2020 Hit Song Trend Report, The State Of The Hot 100 Top 10

Hit Songs Deconstructed (www.HitSongsDeconstructed.com) this week released its mid-year trend report, The State of the Hot 100 Top 10: Mid-Year 2020. 

This comprehensive 100+ page report provides critical insight into the compositional trends shaping the songs that chart in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 and the artists, writers, producers and labels behind them.

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The ‘Blues Hammer’ Syndrome

Studying musical cultures from around the world (or even from our own backyard) is a voyage of discovery. It activates our curiosity and challenges our notion of what defines music. We become more receptive to new ways of hearing and, in turn, we respond by setting out to learn this new music. Most of the time, we do this by imitating our idols. This could be, for example, learning a guitar solo note-by-note. Unfortunately, this approach can also quickly lead to a very bad and common habit; one that I like to call the “Blues Hammer Syndrome.” The syndrome leads to a lack of authenticity, hinders your musical development, and demonstrates a lack of respect for musical heritage.

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Strategies For Songwriting: The Anti-Artist Way

Are your songs starting to sound the same? Do you find yourself covering similar ground, reinforcing old tactics in your creative process? We’re habitual creatures. It feels safe to tread on familiar ground. I’ve often thought of going to the same vacation spot every year. Although repeat visits could deepen my understanding of this place, I wonder if it would all become too familiar. How long before the sense of adventure and mystery is lost? If you’d like to develop your creative work, it helps to get to a place of excitement and danger again. One way to do this is to oppose, modify, or destroy previous habits or strategies, or as I like to call it, become an anti-artist.

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Translating Song Lyrics: How To Take A Good Song And Make It Meilleur

Musical lyrics are notoriously difficult to translate. Tastes in music are profoundly affected by culture and language, and those tastes don’t cross linguistic borders easily. We’ll consider options for composers, producers, and labels seeking to globalize their lyrics or adapt foreign songs to local ears. We will consider several approaches to translation: language service providers, freelance translators, and AI-driven machine translation, considering the pros and cons of each. We’ll also explore another option: using subtitles in music videos to maintain the integrity of an original version while making the meaning of the song accessible to foreign audiences.

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Chord Melodies

Consider how to compose melodic parts based on which chord progression and which parts will be used in harmony. In order to make your melody sound as harmoniously as possible, interesting, there is one secret that you can use to get a more accurate mood in your tracks and arrangements you can use chord progression generator

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Low-Budget Musician: How To Use Your Phone To Create And Share Music

Making music can be incredibly expensive. With many musicians shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their songs professionally recorded and produced, most musicians hope to find more cost-effective ways to make music. If you’re looking for more affordable methods to make music, consider using your phone. With the following tips, you can share and create music from your smartphone:

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