Song writing can be a terrible nightmare for most people. The main reason for this is the lack of understanding of songwriting basics that would make the song easier to write. They may be too fully focused on how they want the song to sound in the end instead of working on the basic structure of the song. They then give up and no longer write songs as a result. In this article, the basic elements of songwriting will be discussed and reviewed.
One of the songwriting basics is to focus on the first part of the song or the first verse. One must ensure that this verse captures to attention of the listener so they are drawn into it. The lyrics of this initial verse in the song must engage the imagination of the listener by drawing mind pictures in order to do so. It is important that changes in the verses come in the words and not in the melody of the song. Although the words of the song should change from verse to verse, the melody of the said song should stay the same.
Once the first verse has been written, it is important to create the chorus that usually follows it. The emotions of the listener can be engaged in this part of the song most strongly. To keep the listener engaged to the song, the chorus is repeated in between the verses. The chorus is usually a summation of the songs and must therefore hold the lines that the songwriter considers most important which includes the hook. One of the best ideas of song writing is to begin with the hook or chorus and then write the verses of the song based on it.
A refrain, which is another basic element of songwriting, can also be added to every verse in the song to sum up the theme of the said verses. The first or last line is usually used as the refrain and is repeated in each verse contained within the song. One can also include a bridge when writing songs. The bridge breaks how the music was flowing as it provides contrast to the song and usually affects the listener emotionally. It is usually used to create a twist in the song or to bring out a secret in the plot of the story being told in the song. In order to practice this, it is important that one play contemporary music, listen to it and point out the basic elements explained here.