19 Songwriting Tips for Beginners (this is my best advice)
I love being a songwriter. It’s artistically cathartic and creatively energizing. There’s nothing more rewarding than turning that musical idea in your head into something tangible.
There’s magic to this process. And I love it.
So after writing for 20+ years, these are my best songwriting tips for beginners — the stuff that actually moves the needle.
Now let’s do this!
1. Learn Some Music Theory
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Learning a little music theory goes a long way.
But you don’t need to go out and get a degree or anything. I learned guitar and songwriting without ever learning how to read a single note. But the more I understood how notes go together, the better my music got.
For example, scales teach you what notes go together and time signatures teach you about rhythm and swing (important for setting that vibe 😏).
So check out YouTube and go down some rabbit holes. Maybe even sign up for a course or two (Masterclass has awesome classes and Berklee has some free online music resources).
Explore more:
➤ Is Making Music Hard?
2. Use Songwriting Templates
Templates streamline things and help you write music better and quicker. They’re like a spring board that gives you some direction and guardrails to work around.
And every musician uses them — and they tend to become second nature, especially when you lock into your unique style.
Here are some examples of common songwriting templates:
Song structures
Intro → verse → chorus → verse → chorus → bridge → chorus
Chorus → verse → chorus → verse → chorus → bridge → chorus
Intro → verse → chorus → verse → chorus → end
1 5 6 4
1 4 5
6 4 1 5
3. Write Simpler Songs
“For songwriting especially, less really is more.”
There’s no rule that says you need to write complex music or that simplicity can’t be great. Some of my favorite songs are short, sweet and insultingly simple.
Besides, complexity can even get in the way. For example, too many instruments competing for the same audio space creates a muddy mix.
You don’t need much to make something beautiful.
So here are some tips for writing simpler songs:
Write shorter songs
Use simple chord progressions
Isolate a single theme or idea
Write short and simple hooks
Use repetition
Use minimal instrumentation
Start with acoustic songs — music production gets tricky
Add complexity slowly as you learn and grow
Explore more:
➤ The TikTokification of Music
4. Leverage Your Strengths
To make songwriting easier, play to your strengths.
When you leverage your strengths, you’re not thinking about technical stuff so you can get lost in creative flow easier and can write music more intuitively.
For example, I’m most comfortable with a guitar. So when I write music with one, the songwriting process feels effortless and like creative play.
Use the instrument or skill set you’re most comfortable with. This makes songwriting way easier.
Here are a few more examples of songwriting strengths:
Singing
Piano
Making beats
5. Be Aware of Weaknesses
Just like playing to your strengths makes songwriting easier, so does knowing your weaknesses.
When you know where you struggle, you can stay aware of them, avoid them and create solutions for when they pop up.
For example, here are a few of my songwriting weaknesses:
Drum production
I can leverage loops or save this part of songwriting for later
I can stay aware and push through when I lose interest or feel stuck
Overusing the same chords
I can intentionally choose different chord progressions
Some weaknesses are opportunities to build new skills. Others can be outsourced. But when it comes to songwriting, it’s best create workarounds or avoid them.
6. Practice Authenticity
“Failing at trying to be somebody else is a fantastic way to discover who you are.”
Authenticity is a buzzword. But damnit, it’s so important — especially as an artist. So as you develop your songwriting chops, remember to pay attention to this umami.
One of my favorite ways to discover authenticity is by ‘failing’ at trying to be someone else. This often reveals the biggest hints about what makes you different.
Maybe you sing the melody differently or you change up the strumming patterns. Pay attention to those moments you go off script — this is part of your sound as an artist.
Here are some other ways to discover your musical authenticity:
Add emotional human elements
Pay attention to things you’re embarrassed about
Start with creating your artistic identity
Say goodbye to perfectionism
Practice self reflection
Trust your gut
Explore more:
➤ What Makes a Musical Style Authentic?
7. Write Daily!
Songwriting is a muscle. And like any muscle, you need to go the gym consistently to make it stronger.
So to get better songwriting, simply write more. Try to write something every single day.
Motivation is fickle, so songwriting gets tricky when you’re really just not in the mood. But here are some ways I like to take back control by practicing music everyday:
Do songwriting challenges
Gamify your songwriting
Share more — make your music public
Have actual projects and release goals
Put songwriting into your schedule
Make it a ritual
Have a designated songwriting space, set up and ready to go
Explore more:
➤ Get Out of Your Stupid Creative Rut
8. Learn From Your Idols
“Success leaves clues.”
If you want to know the road ahead, ask the person coming back.
Studying other musicians is an awesome way to improve your own songwriting. It’s a source of both inspiration and education. And it’s easier than ever to do this.
YouTube, online courses, blogs — dude, we’re spoiled for choices!
Here are a couple of my favorite places to look over the shoulders of musicians I look up to:
Studio’s YouTube channel
9. Take Risks (be unapologetic)
When it comes to songwriting, don’t play it safe. Take risks, be weird — and be unapologetic about it.
Barriers always get knocked over and songwriting rules, trends or norms are meant to be challenged. This is the path to discovery and self awareness as an artist.
Unfortunateley, things like creative imposter syndrome and a fear of judgement get in the way. So here are some tips to take more risks with full confidence:
Experiment more
Write music under an alter ego
Start with small risks
Push your boundaries privately before sharing publicly
10. Optimize for Flow + Intuition
My best songs always come out of the most intuitive moments. This is writing from your gut, based on feeling and mood.
You ignore the metrics and the trends or best practices. You just do what feels right in the moment. This is the flow state and it’s one of the best places to write music from.
So here are some ways I like to optimize for flow and intuition:
Get rid of distractions
Write songs using your strengths
Optimize your spaces for flow
Define your flow bottlenecks (and avoid them)
Explore more:
➤ Intuitive Songwriting 101
11. Learn Some Software
We have amazing songwriting technology, so why not use it?
Drum loops, sample packs and sound libraries — music production tools and software are amazing springboards for inspiration. They can even become your principal songwriting instrument (especially if you’re an electronic musician).
Admittedly, this requires some technical finesse, but you don’t need to become a pro or spend thousands of dollars. There are even free phone apps that deliver the goods.
Here are a few songwriting software tools that I’m currently loving:
Explore more:
➤ How to Make Music Without Instruments
12. Write With Intention
“Music is impactful and expressive, both for the songwriter and the listener. And the more intention you add to your word choice, sound selection and writing style, the bigger the impact your music has.”
Like so many great artworks, a great song has a clear purpose and intention.
Great songwriting is intentional.
So here are some quick tips to add more intention to your projects:
Start with clarity — define your song’s message
Make it real — infuse your story or unique experience
Set a mood — choose the emotions you want to convey
Choose with care — choose sounds, words and melodies with intention
13. Practice Lyrics Too
I always ignored or brushed over writing lyrics. And my songwriting suffered because of it.
My focus and flow was always found in strong melodies and a finger-picked guitar. My lyrics were an afterthought, often just rambling nonsense.
But lyrics are a core component of modern songwriting (unless you’re doing instrumental stuff). But even if you’re sampling with electronic music, choosing lyrics with intention and purpose is important.
Here are some quick tips for writing better lyrics:
Use unique words
Use a tool like LyricStudio
Keep things simple
Be conversational
Show your personality
Write for your genre and audience
14. Write Songs (as a joke)
In high school, I played in a pop punk band. We never did anything serious, but as a joke, we’d sometimes write heavier hardcore stuff.
But damnit, those ‘joke’ songs were freaking good. They were super fun to play and super catchy.
This was almost irritating since we were so cavalier with them — all while our other songs (which we cared deeply for) were struggling to hit the same.
Why was this happening? Were we secretly just better as a hardcore band?
Maybe. But more likely, we were writing those joke songs without any extra pressures, social nuances or expectations.
We were just having fun. And creativity loves fun.
So if you’re feeling stuck or stressed out about making good music, try writing stuff as a joke. It can be a way to uncover new ideas or simply spark some fresh energy.
Let go and get back to the fun of writing music. Not everything needs to be so serious.
15. Save ALL Your Ideas
“I’ll never get around to finishing all of my song ideas. This makes me a sad panda 🙁. But knowing they’re all saved digitally makes me feel a whole lot better.”
One of my best songwriting tips is to get into the habit of saving everything.
Every random melody, idea and moment of inspiration should be saved. Anything can become something great. Plus, this is a great resource library to pull from. It’s your personal song idea bank.
I mainly use my Voice Memos app and BandLab on my phone. Otherwise, I have tons of projects in my computer’s DAW as well (I use Logic).
16. Stack Your Deck
I’m as good as the company I keep, the places I stay and the stuff I consume.
So I always try to stack the cards in my favor. I focus on three key areas:
My inner circle
The people in my life
My outer circle
The content I consume
My environment
The spaces and places I spend time in
Optimizing your life in these areas (to be more musically inspiring) will make you a better songwriter. And you don’t need to change everything all at once.
Choose one area and slowly stack the deck in your life.
17. Try Mental Rehearsal
Who says you need an instruments, privacy and quiet to write a song?
Mental rehearsal is when you practice something completely in your mind through visualization. And it works — there’s even research to back it up.
Athletes, entrepreneurs and leaders have been using visualization for millennia. So why shouldn’t we use it as musicians?
You can practice this while taking the train, during a meditation and as a way to uncover how a song should progress in you’re feeling stuck. Here are some ways I like to mentally rehearse my songwriting:
Feel it deeply
Imagine the emotions of writing a banger
Visualize what my hands and throat are doing as I play and sing
18. Learn From One Step Ahead
“People don’t always realize how long it takes to become an overnight success.”
Great things are never sudden, singular moments. They’re an accumulation of many small steps and milestones along the way.
So focus on checkpoints, not finish lines.
I like to work within my zone of proximal development, which is the area just outside my current skill set. It’s not too much pressure, but it’s also not too little. This is the perfect place for real sustainable growth.
So to get better at songwriting, find your zone and learn from one step ahead — giant leaps don’t work.
Here are some key tips to remember:
Don’t learn too many new skills all at once
Work on one area at a time
Break down big skills into smaller micro ones
Focus on the micro and the nano
Stay patient — play the long game
19. Do You — Have Fun
This is the simplest (and sometimes the most difficult) advice: just have fun.
When you do you, your authenticity shines through and your motivation expands. It’s fun. It’s creative play.
It’s the main reason we got into this whole music thing in the first place.
So get back to those roots. And never lose them.
Forget about the trends. Ignore the metrics and smile at the rogue feedback. Do you. And have fun.
Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, that’s my best songwriting tip.
