Have you ever "practiced" writing songs ?

[MagnumPI]

The only time it becomes more of a "craft" is focused purpose-writing.
While it may include moments of inspiration, the majority of it is just good old "elbow grease"...and your mostly constructing the song like any building project.
You have the idea, come up with a working plan/path, and then you get going on it, from the ground up, constructing each section as needed, etc. until it's done
When you are able to do that kind of songwriting with ease and regularity, and actually come up with songs that are pretty darn good overall....I think only then the word "craft" can truly apply.

Yep, half the war is just getting yourself to sit down and keep focusing. I've noticed that if I can do that and wait out the rough periods there is always some unexpected gold waiting to be discovered. Those gold moments are the best of the BEST.

 

[ido1957]

Practicing song writing ? lol just write a song....

 

[jojobanget]

I don't practice writing songs, never have. Personally I like my songs to happen as part of the process of creating the whole in all respects. What I have learnt/practiced is the mechanics of writing rhythmically and how to have the best possible grasp I can of the language I use. Creating imagery, using metaphors, word play, various rhyme approaches and so on helps me to turn something which has real appeal in my head into a set of lines which I can read at a later time and have the initial mood/idea coming off the page at me. Obviously interpretation by others will vary but that's life and could result in something which really grabs a listener.

When I'm struggling to articulate something I create a passage of music which fits my idea, loop it and sing whatever comes to mind then sift through that output until I find the first few lines of the song. I can usually add to it in the same kind of groove quite easily once I get a verse.

Regards

Tim

i agree with "phrasemaker", it's part of the process itself and learning is just like a flow of water. But by the way, if you want to learn more seriously about songwriting, there is another thread that sharing some useful free lesson on this. It's seems good to be followed.

 

[BigEZ]

I practice writing every evening. I sit down with my guitar or on the piano and just jam out with different chord progressions and sing whatever words feel good in a freestyle kind of way. If I like an idea (even if its just the hook or half a verse) I will record it on my phone. Then on the weekend (if I'm not already working in the studio on vocals for another song), I will listen to any ideas I've come up with lately and turn the best one into a song. This is where the real practice of writing comes in...Trying to intelligently create pictures with words that people can relate to while maintaining catchy lyrics and flow. When I feel I have a song completely written, I again record it on my phone and listen to it quite often in my car to see where I could do better and re-write if necessary.

I send songs to a large studio to have professional musicians record the music, then do the vocals in my home studio and send back to them for the final mix and master. I will never send a song to them until I'm sure its written to the best of my ability. The process from idea to demo can easily take a month or more. I go over it repeatedly and will play it for friends and family before committing it to a demo. I've gotten lost in songs that turned out to be just average in the end because I believed in them too much without getting an outside opinion...Having friends and family listen who can be completely honest about each serious effort keeps me honest. Each song I commit to a pro demo costs me a fair chunk of change so that also keeps me honest with my writing.

In the end, I want my best material being submitted to publishers...this overall approach works best for me to hone my craft, stay honest and objective about my writing, and forces me to only bring my best to the table (which may not be good enough since I'm still hoping for a hold or a cut, lol). But I feel my writing improves with each song and that's good enough for me.