Writing Songs Without Writing Anything Down
Writing a song without physically ever writing it down, but just working it out in your head and on instruments of your choice may seem tough, until you’ve done it. But it’s a practice I find works well. Celebrated rapper Jay-Z (reputed by some to be the best rapper in the world) is well known for writing his tracks simply by listening to the backing on loop and working it all out, without pen and paper, and when he’s ready, he delivers it to the mic.
Why You Might Want to Try This
In my experience, this method of writing produces better songs. This is for several reasons. Unless the lyric you come up with is any good, you’ll forget it in no time. This is good because it disposes of less than golden lines. Secondly, working something like this out will require you to practice over and over, and use your ears. This means that the finished product is very well rehearsed, and all the writing and lyrical glitches and bumps are ironed out. Most experienced song writings will be able to relate to this in some shape or form.
The best songs I’ve written have been mostly or entirely worked out this way. These days I write down much less than used to, but conversely play much more.
How to Do It
Easy. Play your guitar/piano /whatever over and over again and sing over it. Just make up the words, any crap, doesn’t even have to make sense. That will give you a natural hook all on it’s own. I find if you don’t constrain yourself you automatically gravitate to a strong melody. Now repeat, over, and over, and over, everyday, and the ideas will surely come. Sometimes I am cycling ideas around literally for months, a few times every day, and the end result is then a masterpiece.
It’s Easy
This is a very easy thing to do and very effective. Don’t be put off because you sound stupid just babbling at first, or because the songs you are singing naturally aren’t the songs you want to sing (e.g. if you want to sing about death but all you end up writing are love songs, get over it, you’re a romantic). Make sure you don’t try and force yourself in any particular direction too early on.
Probably my best song to date (’Don’t Fall For Me’, which you will hear when the studio sessions are over), was written this way.
Conclusion
There is a case against this method- I have also had brilliant success writing by other means, and this merely proves there are no rules in songwriting. The best thing to do is keep this in mind, and one day pull it out of the hat and write a splendid tune with it.