When sitting down to write a song, there are several places you can start. Here are a few that have worked for me:

Start With A Title

The answer to what to write, where to start and how it should sound can easily come from just figuring out a song title. Maybe it’s something your friend always says. “Drive It Like Ya Stole It” Well, that should set the mood right there. How about “More Than A Feeling”? A lot of the times coming up with a title, which should almost always be the last line in the chorus or hook, will lead to some lines right away that rhyme to lead into it. Embellish from there, and you’ll have a hit before you know it!

Lyrics

Start writing down what ever comes to mind. Write how you feel, what you are doing and what is happening around you. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, document it. You can type it into your phone, write it down the old fashioned way or speak it into a tape recorder or voice recorder on your phone. You may have enough to come up with a catchy title, or something may spark outrage. Later on, start writing more about the situation. Try and make thing rhyme if you can. Tell your story poetically. Once you have some lyrics, hum a melody, find a chord progression and you’re there!

Just be prepared to change them. Why? Your lyrics will fit certain rhythms and are usually written in common time, or 4/4. When you put it to music, if you’re anything like Rush and want to change up time signatures, you’ll need to add or subtract some words or syllables. Nothing major though.

Hum A Melody

Arguably the most memorable part of a song is the melody. This is something that get’s stuck in your head and you can’t get it out for sometimes days. As you go through your day, Im sure there are times you get something that pops in your head that you like. Roll with it. Expand on it! Sing gibberish words to get a feel of what the rhythm should be, and keep it going until it’s permanently engrained in your brain.

Play A Chord Progression

Sitting down at a piano, keyboard or guitar and playing through some different chords has lead to some great songs as well. Just playing through some stuff will have you humming a melody line in no time. Just be prepared to make some changes later. Why? Ever notice how you can take certain songs and change the chord progression yet they still not only make sense, but it changes the feel and overall vibe of the song? This is popular in remixes, mash-ups and other popular music. Your melody line can be set on top of many different chord progressions so once everything is written, take some time and play around with it and see if something else works out. If you read my article on Writing With A New Band, this is where the chord progression might change.

One downfall to starting with a chord progression is hearing another song in what you’re writing. I have this problem all the time. I’ll start banging out chords and start humming a melody, and when I go to the chorus, I realize I just played a Phil Collins song. Then I can’t get it out of my head and everything I play sounds like that. I’ll change it up and I’ve written an Earth, Wind & Fire song. It can be frustrating, but you’ll get it.

Listen To Quiet Music With A Lot Of Background Noise

What does that even mean??? Here’s a trick I stumbled upon and has actually worked for me. I was driving back from Orlando after a gig one night and the radio was on but just barely. With the road noise and the AC blowing, all I could barely make out were the drums. I could hear there were other instruments playing, but I couldn’t quite make out what was being played. My mind started to fill in the blanks and wrote new songs that I was listening to. Through the noise, My imagination developed a chord progression that was harmonically similar to what was being played. I then started singing a lead over it with gibberish lyrics and added some real stuff. By the time I was home, I had a new song; actually a few new songs over the course of the drive. Sadly though, once I got inside the house they were gone.

This works when I’m mowing the lawn as well. I still seem to lose it when I get back in the house though. (maybe because I’m happy I finished the lawn) I’ve since learned to sit in the studio by my keyboard, put on some static or pink noise at a low volume, and hit play on my iTunes, which as you can imagine is quite diverse. Once I start hearing the new song, I’m at my keyboard to start playing along with it my new song. I can quickly get a rough version recorded and go back and make some changes. (ah the power of the mind)