1. What is songwriting all about?
In theory, songwriting constitutes the penning down of the words and the composition of the musical score for a song. It encompasses an entire creative process, from the initial spark of an idea of a brand new song, to the writing of the song into a musical score, and also includes the arrangement and recording of the actual song.
However, to many songwriters songwriting means a lot more. It is a channel for communication, a form of self-expression, an avenue for the expressing of one's thoughts and emotions, and on a more personal note, as well as a way of marking the different stages and experiences of a songwriter's life.
2. How do I go about writing a song?
There are two main components of songwriting – composing the melody, and writing the lyrics. The only rule in songwriting is that there are no rules. There is no right or wrong way to begin the writing process, but it is advisable to start writing with the component you are more comfortable with. Some people are naturally inclined towards the lyrical and therefore will prefer to begin with penning the lyrics, whereas others have are good with creating melodies and will probably work with their tunes before writing the lyrics.
Other helpful tools would include the brainstorming of ideas, the usage of rhyming books, dictionaries, thesaurus, poems, quotes and inspirational stories.
3. How do I get inspired to write a song?
An inspiration can come to you at anytime, anywhere and from practically anything. Sources of inspiration can range from books, movies, conversations with people, music you listen to and personal life experiences.
Since the nature of inspiration is often unpredictable, there is the need to always be ready to note down your inspirations when they come to you. This way, you will be able to build up your personal database of inspiration sources over time. This can be done by always having by your side a portable recording device such as a mobile phone that can record melodies, or a notebook to write down lyrics and /or song ideas. These two tools would be an imperative and useful source of inspiration to help you in songwriting.
4. What are the available songwriting courses available in Singapore to hone my songwriting skills?
There are various music schools in Singapore which offer courses on songwriting, such as the Music Clinic, Music Lab, Artchemist, Lee Wei Song and also FM Pop Music School. Alternatively, ATCoustic is also here to help through your songwriting process.
For those who are interested to pursue songwriting as a career, the School of Music and the Arts (SoMA), also offers a diploma in Songwriting and Production.
Alternatively, you can learn songwriting online from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, which offers a wide variety of courses such as lyrics writing, creative writing and commercial songwriting.
5. What can I do with the songs I have written?
After a song has been written and recorded, you can share it with your friends and family through various social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud. You are guaranteed of a wide audience through these sites. Alternatively, you can compile your songs into a CD and present it to your friends as a gift, or even perform the song during special occasions such as birthdays or wedding anniversaries.
If you are keen on monetary returns, you can send your song for songwriting competitions, present it to to radio stations or recording companies for consideration, produce it as a single, and even sell it via a recording company or online establishment such as Apple’s iTunes.
In theory, songwriting constitutes the penning down of the words and the composition of the musical score for a song. It encompasses an entire creative process, from the initial spark of an idea of a brand new song, to the writing of the song into a musical score, and also includes the arrangement and recording of the actual song.
However, to many songwriters songwriting means a lot more. It is a channel for communication, a form of self-expression, an avenue for the expressing of one's thoughts and emotions, and on a more personal note, as well as a way of marking the different stages and experiences of a songwriter's life.
2. How do I go about writing a song?
There are two main components of songwriting – composing the melody, and writing the lyrics. The only rule in songwriting is that there are no rules. There is no right or wrong way to begin the writing process, but it is advisable to start writing with the component you are more comfortable with. Some people are naturally inclined towards the lyrical and therefore will prefer to begin with penning the lyrics, whereas others have are good with creating melodies and will probably work with their tunes before writing the lyrics.
Other helpful tools would include the brainstorming of ideas, the usage of rhyming books, dictionaries, thesaurus, poems, quotes and inspirational stories.
3. How do I get inspired to write a song?
An inspiration can come to you at anytime, anywhere and from practically anything. Sources of inspiration can range from books, movies, conversations with people, music you listen to and personal life experiences.
Since the nature of inspiration is often unpredictable, there is the need to always be ready to note down your inspirations when they come to you. This way, you will be able to build up your personal database of inspiration sources over time. This can be done by always having by your side a portable recording device such as a mobile phone that can record melodies, or a notebook to write down lyrics and /or song ideas. These two tools would be an imperative and useful source of inspiration to help you in songwriting.
4. What are the available songwriting courses available in Singapore to hone my songwriting skills?
There are various music schools in Singapore which offer courses on songwriting, such as the Music Clinic, Music Lab, Artchemist, Lee Wei Song and also FM Pop Music School. Alternatively, ATCoustic is also here to help through your songwriting process.
For those who are interested to pursue songwriting as a career, the School of Music and the Arts (SoMA), also offers a diploma in Songwriting and Production.
Alternatively, you can learn songwriting online from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, which offers a wide variety of courses such as lyrics writing, creative writing and commercial songwriting.
5. What can I do with the songs I have written?
After a song has been written and recorded, you can share it with your friends and family through various social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud. You are guaranteed of a wide audience through these sites. Alternatively, you can compile your songs into a CD and present it to your friends as a gift, or even perform the song during special occasions such as birthdays or wedding anniversaries.
If you are keen on monetary returns, you can send your song for songwriting competitions, present it to to radio stations or recording companies for consideration, produce it as a single, and even sell it via a recording company or online establishment such as Apple’s iTunes.
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