How to Become a Songwriter (take these 6 steps)
You can write music. And let me say it again — you can learn how to become a songwriter.
Anyone can develop the skill of turning thoughts into tunes and stumbling their way through notes until a melody is found. “Quality” is another discussion, but it’s all subjective.
The truth is, writing music is often a haphazard process with loose planning at best. Of course, there are methods too — like templates, rules and what have you. But then again, there’s also flow, which has no rhyme or reason.
Formal strategy is nice, but it’s not necessary. Making music is, and always should be, a subjective experience. Your songs are an intuitive, creative act of self expression. They’re never wrong.
You don’t need Berkley or 1000 hours of lessons. You don’t even need an instrument. You just need to start.
So welcome to my guide. Now let’s do this!
What Is A Songwriter?
A songwriter is anyone who uses some tool to organize sounds together in a meaningful way.
Is a bird a songwriter? How about humming an original melody in the shower?
In my view, what makes a songwriter is the intentional organization and focused development of the melodies. A songwriter has the intention to create and actually finish the project.
Explore more:
➤ Songwriter vs. Producer (defining roles)
How to Become A Songwriter (6 steps)
This is not the end-all, be-all path to songwriting. Everyone’s journey is different and there’s more than one way up a mountain.
This is simply one trail — and one that I’ve used before in other creative pursuits.
1. Start With Your Mindset
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Becoming anything in life starts with the simple decision to be that thing. So set that intention, right now, and say it aloud:
I’m a songwriter. This is who I am now.
For me, everything I do starts (and ends) with this mindset. From my music and art to my travels and beyond, my mindset creates the lens I see the world and all of my experiences through (good or bad).
Songwriting starts with your intention and decision to be a songwriter. You don’t need to wait for approval or “results”. Congratulations and welcome to the club.
So in honing your songwriter mindset, consider these questions:
Do you have any limiting beliefs about songwriting? What are they?
How would you adopt a growth mindset with songwriting?
What habits and traits make a songwriter?
Can anyone become a songwriter?
What kind of music do you see yourself making?
Who do you look up to musically? What’s their mindset like?
Why is mindset important for songwriting?
2. Choose A Songwriting Tool
To write songs, you need a songwriting tool. But don’t worry — you don’t need to master the piano or learn how to play some other difficult instrument (unless you want to).
There are a variety of tools to make music, especially nowadays. You can literally just type in a prompt and let AI write a song for you. Creativity is expanding and music-making is open to everyone. And this isn’t cheating either. It’s just another tool in our box.
Here are some of the main tools available to modern songwriters:
Live instrument (guitar, violin, piano, etc.)
Digital instruments (software, sound libraries, MIDI keyboard, AI, etc.)
Voice (vocal layering, vocoders, turning voice into instruments with effects, etc.)
Everyday items (technically, anything can be an instrument)
It’s best to choose a songwriting tool based on your musical goals, preferences, skills and habits. For example, if you’re tech-savvy (or like digital stuff), then making music with your computer and some software instruments may make the most sense.
I started with guitar. Then a little piano. Then I started singing. And finally, I learned how to produce music. But remember, anything goes.
Just have fun with it and experiment often.
3. Practice + Skill-Build
Whether you’re playing guitar, using software and VSTs (virtual studio technology) or prompting an AI, you’ll need skills (which requires practice).
There’s no way around this.
Because even when something seems easy (like prompting an AI), it’s often not. Like, what makes music “good”? Or rather, what makes it authentic?
Guitar is hard to learn. Music production is hard to learn. And AI is hard to learn and use in a way that’s meaningful to an audience and as a songwriter.
Creativity and self-expression are key components to a songwriter’s fulfillment, regardless of the tool used.
Each tool has its own nuances and each requires practice and skill-building. This phase never truly ends either. You’ll always be honing your craft and developing new talents.
The key is to stick with your learning long enough to see the exciting results. Because, especially in the beginning, not being able to translate your ideas smoothly can be frustrating.
So stay the course and trust the process. Daily(ish) practice is essential.
Here are some tips for staying motivated to practice and skill-build:
Have a clear “why” or heartfelt purpose
Become friends with more songwriters
Create a designated songwriting space that’s always set up
Watch more motivating songwriting content
Focus on small daily progress, not big leaps
Do songwriting exercises
Try a challenge (like writing a mini song everyday for a year)
Explore more:
➤ My Best Songwriting Tips for Beginners
4. Care Less
Here’s my creative philosophy: care less, create better.
Actually, this is my philosophy for most things in life. But it’s particularly true for creative work like making music and songwriting.
The less I care (about outcomes, quality, etc.), the better my music sounds and the more fun I have. This is also one of my favorite ways to get into a flow state.
The less I care about or try to control the songwriting process and its outcomes, the more intuitive and easier it all becomes.
So here are some ways I practice not caring in songwriting:
Optimize for play
Take social media and musical detoxes
Don’t attach musical goals to social metrics
Never compare yourself to others
5. Let Your Voice Come Out
At this point in your songwriting journey, you’ll be stepping into your artist identity. You’ll have more clarity about what makes you stand out and what your unique sound is.
This is inevitable and it’s not something you even need to worry about. Because the truth is, it’s harder to copy someone else completely than it is to hide your true self from shining through.
John Mayer mentioned this idea in an interview once. I can’t find the source though, so the quote is not verbatim, but here it is:
“Failing at trying to be somebody else is a fantastic way to discover who you are…”
I love this idea and it’s so true. No matter how hard I try to sound like X, Y or Zedd…I inevitably end up sounding like me.
And this is the most exciting, important and priceless thing about a songwriter’s identity. This is your authenticity and uniqueness popping through.
You cannot escape it.
But you do need to pay attention to it by writing with more awareness of it and intention to understand it (to embrace it).
You’re finding and developing your unique melodic take on things. So don’t be embarrassed or run away from what comes out because sometimes it sounds “weird” or different.
Stay confident and stoked — that’s your f*cking soul coming out.
Explore more:
➤ Sonic Branding for Musicians
6. Expand
The “last” step to becoming a songwriter is to expand on everything. The journey never ends and there will never be a finish line (only checkpoints and milestones).
So expansion is the only path forward.
Here’s how to continue honing your craft and expanding on becoming an epic songwriter:
Test new genres
Learn new instruments
Try new tech
Test new ideas and take risks
Do more collaborations
Blend your music with another creative medium or project (like video)
Grow a fanbase
Make money from your skills
Later ✌️
Anyone can become a songwriter. It all starts with setting the intention and deciding to be one. From there, it’s all about practice, letting go, finding flow and discovering your unique voice.
To be human is a creative act. To turn your thoughts and experiences and ideas into melodies is an advanced way to express yourself. But it’s epic fun and incredibly rewarding. I’ll never stop and I genuinely — excitedly — welcome you to Club Musician.
Now go make some stuff.
