MeKnows

Creating music is one of the most fun and rewarding things that I get to do. The moment of coming up with a tune is probably the most exciting part but hearing it back once it's been professionally recorded is also pretty great. There's a school of thought that says that you need talent to be able to write music that is any good. I don't agree with this. I think a certain level of talent can be learned if you take the right steps. I can remember when the idea of writing a song myself seemed like science fiction.

The way I write is with a guitar so I'm going to take you through what I would do. If you're playing another instrument like a piano then this isn't the article for you. First of all, get the idea that writing songs is only done by rock stars out of your head. Once it's out of your head, keep it there.

The first thing you will need is a bit of competency on your instrument. You will need a basic understanding of the main chords A,B,C,D,E,F and G. Don't worry about knowing your G sevenths' from your diminished ninths. Learn a lot of songs on guitar that you really love. Learn how to play them perfectly and after a while you will notice that there are some ever present major chords that keep showing up again and again. The point at the beginning is to develop an understanding of how the kind of songs you like go together.

Once you've got a fair understanding you will need a riff to start things off with. Creating a riff or tune on the guitar can be easier than you think. The trick is to just keep on playing the guitar until something turns up. Try not to play any songs that you know so that you have the best chance of coming up with something original. Then when you have your first three riffs that you thank are good enough, discard them and move on. The best way to come up with great riffs is to not be precious about what you create. Keep throwing riffs away until you have something that you think stands up to your favourite music.

Once you've got your riff you need a melody on top of it. If you can sing and play guitar at the same time then try and come up with a melody as soon as you come up with your riff. If you can't then record it first and try singing over it until you're happy with what you've got. It's very easy to create a melody over a riff which is actually just the tune of the riff. Be aware of it so you avoid it.

For a whole song the least you need is one riff and a melody in quiet loud format but that only works with certain tunes. More commonly you will need a a riff, verse riff, pre chorus , chorus and middle eight but if you have a riff and a chorus you're half way there. I've written  over 50 songs over the last ten years starting out with nothing more than a bit of passion. You can hear some of my music here.