What things have made you a better songwriter/composer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter larry_emder
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I write the music, not the lyrics personally. (My lyrics always turn out stupid haha). For me, what really improved my writing was getting good enough at guitar to the point that I can make it do whatever I want: meaning, it's no longer figuring out how to make the sounds I hear in my head, it's just making the sounds in my head.

Once that happened, I started listening to some of my favorite bands/writers, and trying to write a song in their style. Like, actually try to write another (insert band here) song. Inevitably, you'll put your own style into it, and after doing this with a few different bands, you can start combining styles into your own unique style! It's best to admit to yourself that your style will inevitably be a combination of several already-created styles. Why fight it?
 
Hey

If I was to name the most influential, it would be critique of both my own and others work.

Many writers neglect critiquing others work, as an inconvenience, or as something you do when you want others to look at your work. the thing is, when you critique your own work, your judgement is colored by the natural attachment a writer has for his own work. The only way to really develop your critique skills without that, is to critique others work.

I don't mean "I like that", or "it's good". I mean an indepth analysis and opinion/advice.

Cheers

John
 
Things that made me a better lyric writer is looking at the bands lyrics that play the same music as I do and seeing how they write lyrics.
 
Epilepsy made me a better writer. Heartbreak helped too :)
 
I find being open to critisim, and not the bullsh*t put down kind, but the honest, constructive kind, you know, that maybe comes from a fellow writer who shares your passion, can sometimes spark a new perspective or idea which can turn a dull uninteresting collection into a well organized masterpiece....(well, as much of masterpiece you could make out of one of my sonic trainwrecks :rolleyes: )

Over the last few days I've been reading past threads here to try to gain a little insight to help me out. There is a LOT of very helpful suggestions that one can use to hone their songwriting skills. And even though following someone's suggestion word for word may not work for another, there may be some small part of that can be very helpful. Creating a writing style that works for you is very much like writng the song itself. Picking & choosing & experimenting to come up with the best combination. The process applied is not as important as the end product.

I read in one of the threads about Elvis Costello not writng anything down because he felt if it was a good enough idea he would remember it. Now that might work for him, and obviously it does looking at the wonderful music he has written, but for someone like me who has less than stellar memory skills, a pad and paper is my best friend. I've kicked myself many times for not being able to remember something I thought, at the time, was and excellent idea or a great addition to a project in the works. I look at it this way, it must not have been too bad if I was, at least, trying to remember what it was in the first place! My job puts me behind the wheel for the better part of the day so I have been using a pocket recorder that I picked up at a garage sale for a buck or two. Yep, it sounds corny, but not only can I make a note of words but also melody ideas as well. For me it's a wonderful tool.
 
for me my songwriting improved when I was able to tap into the part of my self that deals with symbols, and not to be afraid of what might be there. Also, when I was able to write things that were meaningul to me, and not to think about whether what I was writing was good. I haven't done any songwriting in a while. I hope to get back to it.
 
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