Tips on Song Writing

By Andrea Gunraj

Step one: Decide on a general topic for the song and what points you would like to get out by the end of the song

Step two: Decide on a type of song

Choose a scripture-driven song (directly based on a passage of the Bible), or Christian-concept song (based on a Christian idea).

Note on hooks: here, you can consider a musical hook (an instrumental ’loop’ that catches the listener’s attention) or a lyrical hook (a phrase or line that catches the listener’s attention and usually describes the main point of the song). Starting with a hook can help you figure out how the rest of the song will sound - it can be used as a building block for everything else.

Step three (A): Begin building lyrics

Choose to create list lyrics (verses or verse-chorus combinations describe the main point of the song and they can stand alone) or story lyrics (verses or verse-chorus combinations go through a sequence of events and cannot stand alone).

Note on rhyming: here, you can determine if you would like to make lyrics rhyme and if so, what type of rhyming scheme you will use between lines.

Step three (B): Begin building melody

Each line should sound like they connect with each other within each section of the song (i.e. verse, chorus, bridge).

Each section should also make sense with the other sections.

Note on music theory: in a song, there are root chords (the chord that matches the key the song is in and the "home" chord) and complementary chords (chords that fit in the key of the song and are part of the root chords’ "family"). Root chords give a musical feeling of completeness, and are often used to end a chorus or the song itself. Complementary chords often sound as if they’re leading into another chord. Remember you can create a song with a 4/4 feel or a 3/4 feel. Please remember that at this point, your main concern is not musical arrangement (e.g. deciding what instruments should play what parts of the song, thinking of harmonies and counterpoints, coming up with a musical interlude).