How to write a song… There are many people who have fragments and ideas for songs, but don’t know what to do with them. I want to show you the quick and easy steps to creating something that you can call your own. Who knows, you may have a songwriter’s brain and not even know it!

If you’re able to play a few guitar chords, or if you have some basic piano skills, you will be amazed at what you can do. Some of the world’s best songs were created using three chords. If you’ve got an imagination, the sky is the limit!

So what do you do if you’ve got a bit of a musical idea, but don’t know how to get those thoughts assembled into a song? Perhaps you’ve stumbled upon a chord progression that you like. Here are some quick and easy steps to turn that chord progression into a song:

Become intimately acquainted with your chord progression. Play it over and over. Try holding the chords for different lengths, and as you work, you’ll notice that melodic ideas will start to materialize in your brain. Hum the melodic ideas as they occur to you. You’ll notice that many of the ideas just won’t work, but occasionally one or two will catch your attention. If you don’t write music, sing them over and over to ensure they stay with you, and if possible record them. Try to amplify your chord progression and melodic ideas. You need to give shape to these musical fragments. Perhaps your song will have a verse and chorus. If so, keep this guideline in mind: Generally, a verse melody is pitched a little lower than a chorus melody. And a chorus will use the tonic (key) chord more than a verse will. Develop a lyric. For many, those first song ideas come with a topic already in mind, but if you don’t have a topic, you’ll need to choose. You need to write a song that touches the heart of the listener, so songs that connect emotionally will work the best: love, friendship, your child… those sorts of things. Remember that however you craft your lyric, the words should flow naturally. Good lyrics do not have to be good poetry. Simplicity wins out over complexity every time. Develop a form for your song. There are many possibilities, but one of the most common forms is:  Intro – Verse 1 – Chorus – Verse 2 – Chorus – Bridge – Final Chorus A bridge occurs after the second chorus, and is a way for the songwriter to intensify the emotion of the song. Think of it as a third melody (after the verse and the chorus). A bridge melody is often pitched even higher than the chorus melody, and uses a different chord progression.

At this point, you should see your song really coming together. There is so much more you can be doing, though, to become the songwriter you’ve always wanted to be.

If you’d like to learn more about songwriting, you’re ready for Gary Ewer’s songwriting e-books. They’ll show you every stage of songwriting, in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Click here to see those songwriting e-books, and start writing great songs!

Being on the inside of the Nashville songwriting community since 1991, I’ve learned a great deal about how the business works and what kind of songs are likely to excite a publisher enough to call a songwriter and offer them a contract. It’s not easy.

The basic steps are:

1. Your song can’t earn royalties sitting in a drawer. Many writers assume they’ll “cash in” one day but fear of having their songs stolen causes what I call “terminal procrastination” which has aborted many a career. Professional writers may steal your idea but they won’t steal your song and ideas can’t be protected anyway-pull the song out of the drawer already!

2. Polish it up. This is also known as rewriting and it’s the time you spend going over each lyric line to verify you used proper grammar, replace worn out phrases with fresh ideas and hone the melody. If you only have lyrics you’ll need to write a melody or have one written. Legitimate, professional song publishers do not review lyrics, only complete songs.

3. Copyright protection exists at creation, automatically, under current copyright law; however, registering it through the Copyright Office at The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. is recommended as step three. To do that you’ll need to request a Form PA or download one from their website. Once mailed it’s safe to have a demo made.

4. You can either make your own demonstration recording or hire someone to do it. I’d highly recommend going with a Nashville based service. The world class Nashville musicians and producers are experts at making your song sound like a hit. My service, isn’t the only one, just the best

5. Once you have a professional demo, song publishers will listen. Step five is the process of getting your song to professionals for evaluation, also known as “pitching” a song. There are numerous tip sheets you can subscribe to that list which major label artists are recording, who is screening the songs, the exact type of songs they are seeking and the address to submit to. RowFax, published here on Nashville’s famous music row, is one of the better sheets. You can also pitch (play) your song in person. Song publishers will sometimes accept appointments with unpublished writers and publishers aren’t usually quite so specific in their needs, they just need great songs. Most outside hit songs are first discovered by song publishers. BMI also regularly listens to and evaluates unpublished BMI member’s original material, creating appointments with publishers if they feel a songwriter has potential.

In general publishers want songs two to four minutes long with short introductions, They want you to get to the chorus quickly, usually one verse and in, not two verses. They want songs about some aspect of love and relationships and the more unique the idea is, the better. Another phrase for “the idea” is “the song’s concept”. A unique or clever concept, usually embodied in the title, gives you a huge edge in getting a contract.

Don’t assume that the only way to make a living or substantial income from your songs is the traditional method described above: submit your songs to publishers, a major label artist records them and royalties flow from BMI or ASCAP.

The independent business model has been evolving and it’s increasingly viable to successfully function as an independent record company yourself: Create great music, sell product (online sales & live performances) and collect revenue from downloads, CD sales, live performance fees and also from ancillary products such as T-shirts and other items.

Should you pursue this route I highly recommend that live performance of your material be part of the plan. You can perform yourself or find a local artist or group with higher aspirations to write for. Live performance can pay substantial sums of money and help build a fan base that will buy products, visit your website, help you build a mailing list, etc.

So now you know the basic steps it’s time to…procrastinate some more! But only until tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I expect you to start the process getting your songs contracted in earnest!

Let’s say you’ve got some great songs that you want to perform, but you’re not too sure about the climactic high note at the end or the bluesy low passage in the middle. Well, the good news is that you don’t have to sing the song in the original key. So how do you know which key to choose? Here are some tips on finding the right key for your song.

Vocal Technique – In finding the right key, the first question is: Can you sing the full range required by the song? Does the key need to go down or up a few steps in order to fall easily within your vocal range? Or is the range too wide for you to sing at this point? Can you phrase the song differently to avoid the high or low notes? If you find that you can easily sing the song in several different keys, then there are other issues to consider.

Mood – What feeling do you want to generate? If it is a high-energy song, you will likely choose the higher key. If you are sending a very relaxed message to the audience, it may be easier to do that with a lower key.

Placement in concert/show – If you are singing a few songs or a whole show of songs, you will want to look at where this song falls in the course of the performance. Depending upon which song comes before and which song comes after, you can choose a key that is in great contrast to the others or one that harmonizes with the other songs. Be careful about singing too many songs in a row that are in the same key. People may get bored with hearing the same key centre for too long. However, if you want to dramatically shift the energy of the show – slow it down or build energy – you can do that partly through your choice of keys.

Innovative approach to a song – You may also choose to do something very different with a well-known song. For instance, in order to build energy and excitement in a song, start it in one key and move up a whole tone for the second verse. One of my songs changes keys with 3 of the 4 verses. In the case of this song, each key change builds excitement. This song often ends my show, so the key changes help to create a dramatic finish.

Accompaniment – Sometimes finding the right key has to do with how you are being accompanied. If it is just you and a guitar, it might be easier to sing in a lower key. But if you have a full band behind you – or even an orchestra – the higher key may work to your advantage. I find it easier to sing higher with a lot of support behind me. Also, you may learn that your accompanist(s) finds that one key works better than another for a number of reasons, particular to their instrument. If you can find a key that suits everyone involved, your answer becomes clear.