songwriting tips

Some helpful songwriting ideas by Nick Bullock

songwriting photo Below are some thoughts on songwriting that I have found helpful. Whether a novice, or a hall-of-famer pro, I hope you you find them helpful too.

always keep a pen and pencil near (or your iPhone).

sometimes you need the idea for the song before you write it, meaning, it's helpful to have the hook already, something that we can all relate too. the rest of the song usually just writes itself once that ball is rolling.

we will write shitty songs, it's inevitable. when we keep at it, we will also write good ones, maybe even great ones.

try writing with a secondary instrument, or even an instrument that you don't know how to play at all. this can sometimes spark that 6th sense/creative instinct that can sometimes lie dormant.

all of the ideas are already out there, floating around in the air, listen for them, and they will find you. there is an endless amount of creativity out there. it will never end.

eavesdrop on other people's conversations. they sometimes say the coolest things. there has been more than one occasion a line has fallen in my lap by sitting at a bar with my note pad by myself and listening to what people are saying around me.

copy the greats. do it, you'll be better for it. i need to do this one more myself, but every time i have, i've learned a ton.

words matter. for some, they come really easily, for others, the music comes way easier. whatever is your case, words matter, so take your time with them if you need to.

all you need is three chords and the truth- sometimes, but most of the time this is absolute bull shit. take away the three chord stipulation, and leave the truth part.

now to contradict myself, simplicity rules! when i graduated with a jazz degree, i had to put at least two seventh chords in every song, and guess what, most of those songs sucked!

if you want to write a hit song, sometimes you have to pander to the lowest common denominator. if you want to write a great song, speak your truth. rarely the two meet... al least speaking from a lyrical point of view.

write all types of music, pop, country, rock, edm, classical... try your hand at everything you can. you'll learn something new from each category, which can be channeled into your own personal work in really cool ways.

lastly, JUST KEEP DOING IT. writing is a skill, it is a craft. the best writers do it all the time, yes, as i mentioned above you are guaranteed to write a bunch of crap, but as you do it more and more, you'll start to see what works, what mechanisms exist, and the best way to apply them. you'll learn to strengthen your voice, and be more confident in what you have to say. you'll learn and you'll keep getting better.

what songwriting tips or ideas do you have? what are some of your thoughts concerning other artistic processes? please share!

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