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.
Join A Songwriter Gathering
In my locality, there are several songwriter gatherings where musicians get to share their works with other songwriters and get feedback on their songs.
Many of them are low cost or entirely free to attend and don’t come tied to any commitments or obligations.
Being around other songwriters is inspiring. You get to see what others are writing, how they’re progressing and how they approach their work.
Getting feedback on your songs can also help you improve or see where you might have some blind spots.
This isn’t to suggest that everyone’s feedback is correct or right. How you take the feedback and what you do with it is up to you.
Another benefit of a songwriter gathering is that you may be included in songwriting challenges or be provided with prompts (i.e. topical ideas) to work on a new song.
This will stretch you and help you uncover new ways of crafting songs. It will get you out of your usual rut.
Most of all, songwriter gatherings are usually supportive. People are encouraged to share their songs with others, regardless of what stage of their career they might be in.
Some gatherings are also educational in nature, helping you uncover opportunities you might be missing as a musician.
If you feel intimidated about going to a songwriting gathering, this other article I wrote will help with your confidence.
Take A Course
Can anyone truly tell you how to write a song?
That’s a hotly debated topic, but let’s say, for example, that you’d like to write a radio hit.
Radio hits tend to be bound to a formula. The song should be three to three and a half minutes long. It shouldn’t take too long to get to the hook. You may even want to place the hook at the front of the song.
These are the kinds of things you can learn by taking a course on a site like Udemy or Coursera.
Of course, if you can find workshops or courses in your locality, you can try those as well.
There are many types of courses out there. Some will teach you about the basics of music theory, melody and chord progressions. Others will teach you process for writing lyrics.
If there are areas in which you’re a little stuck, or you would benefit from studying and better understanding music, then your songwriting can level up considerably by engaging in a course.
It doesn’t matter who you are – you will get stuck in a rut at some point. Courses can offer much needed inspiration and direction when you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere. You can also review online singing courses and see if one is right for you.
Read A Book
People learn in a variety of ways. Some like to read. Others like to listen. Still others like to watch. Mixing and matching the mediums can help you cover your bases.
What I mean by this is that if you’ve only been watching songwriting tutorial videos to this point, reading about songwriting may offer additional insights you wouldn’t otherwise discover.
As with courses, there are books on a variety of topics – writing better lyrics, hit songwriting, songwriting techniques and more. You can probably find whatever you’re looking for.
The author’s advice may not always be applicable to you, but why not indulge in seeing things from another’s perspective?
There is plenty of great wisdom within the pages of books. And, reading puts your mind in a different state than listening or watching. Books tend to go deep into whatever topic they’ve been written about.
Taking a new approach will force you out of your comfort zone and cause you to come up with new ideas and new ways of tackling the craft.
If you’re ambitious, then don’t limit yourself to just one book. Read many relevant books.
Listen To Music Voraciously
It doesn’t matter what style(s) of music you typically write in or listen to. There’s something to be gained from listening widely to a variety of musical genres and styles.
Sometimes I will hear songwriters who are clearly influenced by Johnny Cash or James Taylor or John Denver.
Although there’s nothing wrong with wearing your influences on your sleeve, it’s often an indication that you haven’t found your authentic voice as a songwriter yet.
Skilled songwriters can assimilate a variety of ideas and filter them through their own vantage point.
Look at Eric Johnson. It’s clear his music is influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins and so on.
But because he blends it all in such a unique way, he has a clear voice as a songwriter and instrumentalist.
We’re all influenced by others and there’s nothing wrong with that. But tapping into your own voice may require that you dig deeper than you have been.
So, if you’re a country singer-songwriter, go listen to reggae or funk. If you’re a rock songwriter, study the blues and jazz.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Challenge Yourself To Write More
Songwriting is a muscle and it must be exercised.
Sometimes you can fall into a rut and feel like you have nothing to say. So, I’m not talking about forcing the issue.
But in general, you should challenge yourself to write more. And, don’t try to turn every lyric or riff idea into a song. Not all your ideas will be good.
Choose topics you’ve never written about before. If you’re used to writing the music first, try writing lyrics first. If you never use metaphors in your lyrics, see if you can fit one in.
You never know where a new idea might take you.
Many years back, I set the goal of writing 365 songs in a year. That’s one song per day.
Although the majority turned out to be unusable, I wrote a couple of songs that remain staples in my set list to this day.
And, I also uncovered that I was a little too reliant on certain rhythmic patterns. That inspired me to incorporate more rhythmic ideas in my music.
Writing more songs is a good way to uncover your blind spots.
Gather Feedback For Your Songs
Whenever I’m writing or recording new songs, I will often show them to others and gauge their reactions.
There may be a statement I’m looking to make with the song, and regardless of their reactions I may choose to go ahead with it.
But sometimes others will come up with good ideas I’ll implement, whether it’s melodic concepts or structural amendments.
Getting feedback on my mixes has always proves useful too. Others will hear things I can’t and will offer useful suggestions. This is my preferred way of mixing my tracks.
So, be proactive in soliciting feedback for your songs. You can ask your fans, your friends, your family. You can ask other songwriters.
You can send out surveys and questionnaires. You can go to songwriter gatherings and have your song critiqued.
If you’d like to get your songs placed in media, you could even join a company like TAXI and receive feedback from decisionmakers in the industry.
What you do with the feedback is entirely up to you, but rest assured it can make a difference and help you improve as a songwriter.
Cowrite
Cowriting can be hard. But that’s also what makes it worth doing.
If you’ve been writing songs in isolation to this point, it’s time to connect with other songwriters and collaborate on a few songs.
Not only will this stretch your songwriting muscle, it will give you an extra set of eyeballs and ears on the song.
Your cowriter can cover blind spots you have, and you’ll see things they can’t see, resulting in a better song.
I’ve watched some of my friends engage in cowriting and end up with hits.
Although there are no guarantees, and it’s not a silver bullet, there is something magical about working together towards a common goal.
Record & Publish More Music
I don’t see much sense in writing for the sake of writing. Your creativity should be shared with the world.
I’ve seen some songwriters hold fast to their ideas, unwilling to share. They may have some worthy ideas.
But how will you know if you don’t publish your finished works? And, I use the term “finished” here loosely, because many artists obsess over perfection.
If you wait until a song is perfect to release it, you may be waiting a long time. Worse, it may never see the light of day.
Don’t forget that with practice, you will improve. Don’t put all your stock into one song. It may not blow up how you think it will. It probably won’t.
But as you release, you will improve. And, as you continue to improve and make better songs, you will generate more opportunities.
Getting into a recording and publishing “groove” can help you get more ideas out of your head and into physical form.
An idea sitting in your head is not an idea at all. It has no physical form, and no one can see it.
So, if you don’t have a basic low-cost home studio setup already, consider putting some money into that. You’ll learn a lot by getting into the habit of recording yourself.
Final Thoughts
Have fun, experiment and keep learning.
Rules are meant to be broken and you don’t need to subscribe to anyone’s method to get better as a songwriter.
But learning the craft ensures that you know which rules you’re breaking and how to do it with style.
Here’s to a better year of songwriting.