THE ART OF SONGWRITING

Grace Hasson

Doodles by Noël Sedona James

There are a few people automatically associated with the word “songwriter.” Maybe you think of Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, or a more recent artist like Taylor Swift. A good songwriter takes time on each song they write. What makes a song good depends on what the listener likes, but there are of course some standards that make a song worth listening to.

For me, a good song needs specific details, great rhymes, and needs to make me feel something. But what many people don’t know is that songwriting is a skill, not a talent. According to lyricworkroom, “Talent isn’t born, it’s made.” For example, learning an instrument in reality comes down to how much you practice. Learning how to write music and lyrics is 99 percent work and 1 percent inspiration. The only way to get better is to focus on your craft and persevere.

Most people will concur that music has a sort of power, but they may not be aware of just how healing music can be. In fact, songwriting can be therapeutic for many people. Felicity Baker, author of Therapeutic Songwriting: Developments in Theory, Methods, and Practice, writes in her book that, “The songs that people create become a tangible record of their journey or a representation of their transformed state.” When I look back on songs I wrote in the past and compare them to more recent songs, I can see how I’ve not only progressed as a songwriter, but as a person. I believe songwriting can also be considered cathartic, it’s a true way to express emotions and heal through creating.

In author Liam Duncan’s article, “How to Become a Songwriter, From Beginning to Paid Songwriter,” it includes great tips on writing music and getting your work out there. An example of some tips would be simple tips such as committing to finish the songs you write and actually sharing those songs are critical. He also includes that anyone who writes songs is a songwriter. You don’t have to be an incredible musician or writer to use the label “songwriter”. And writing songs does not have to be a career goal, while it may be for some people, it can also be a hobby or, as stated earlier, a form of therapy. Songwriting is a form of art and self-expression that can be done just for the love of it.

If you do have dreams of releasing songs there are a lot of great songwriters to take inspiration from, but the most important person in your journey is you. Writing songs truly means writing what you want to write. Emulating others can teach you, but the best songs, I believe, are the ones written from a place of love. The love of creating, love of words, and the love of music all come together to create something worth sharing. And that is the art of songwriting.