Songwriting Essentials: Tools and Online Resources
Before you get started, or while you’re in the process, there are a few things that can help make your life a little easier. Thanks to modern technology there are many incredible resources you can find right here online to help you when you’re writing a song. You may be stuck on a certain word or phrasing and you’re not sure where to go. We’re here to help! You don’t need a lot to get started, but there are a few resources that will help you while you’re trying to pen your song. Whether you’re starting your very first song or you’re an established songwriter, there are constantly new resources to help you. In this article, I’m going to explain the many different free resources and how they can benefit you!
Tools:
Pen & Paper:
Everyone has their own way of writing. Some people prefer to type on their computers and/or phones, but others prefer the traditional way of writing with just pen and paper. There is no right or wrong way to write a song, but I find jotting down random ideas I get throughout the day on paper helps jumpstart the writing process.
Voice Recorder:
We’ve touched on voice recorders and their importance in previous blog posts, but I want to show you just how easy it is to make a worktape straight from your phone. If you have an iPhone you have an app called “Voice Memos” built right into your device! If you have an Android you also have an app built into your phone labeled “Voice Recorder”! If you’re unable to find it, there are plenty to choose from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. If you have a computer that you use, you should be able to find a voice recorder built into your computer. If you still can’t seem to find a way to voice record, or just prefer the old-fashioned way, there are many options available for purchase in stores or online.
Online Resources:
BuyDemoTracks.com:
BuyDemoTracks.com will be your best online resource to use. From songwriting workshops, blogs to help improve your skill, creating custom demos, and promoting your song to potential recording artists, BuyDemoTracks.com has all the tools you need to get started on your songwriting journey!
Workshops:
Songwriting workshops are a great source to help you when trying to pen your song. You can find amazing songwriting workshops hosted by award-winning songwriters right here on Buydemotracks.com! You’ll learn different ways to improve your skill from some of your favorite songwriters from all kinds of different genres of music. Check out our website to learn more!
Songwriting Glossary:
It’s very important that you understand certain words and their meanings. We have written a blog post that explains all of the essential words you need to know, but if you need to know anything more check out https://songchops.com/2021/06/songwriter-glossary/
Dictionary:
Dictionary.com is my most used online resource! I cannot tell you how many times when writing a song I put a word I think fits perfectly, but when I check the definition it doesn’t mean what I thought it meant at all! That is where the dictionary comes in handy.
Thesaurus:
This one is pretty much a given, but thesaurus.com is going to be your best friend! When you go to the website, you’ll see the search bar and you can search for either the synonym of the word you’re looking for or an antonym. So many times you’ll be making a lot of progress on a song, but all of a sudden you’re missing that one word you need. On thesaurus.com you will be given a list of words to use and you’re able to select exactly what you were needing.
RhymeZone:
A solid rhyme scheme is essential to writing a great song. Sometimes you can forget rhyming words and that is where rhymezone.com comes in! All you do is type in the word you need to rhyme and search away! They have many different search options you can take advantage of that are guaranteed to help you get out of your writer’s block and carry on writing your song!
Master Writer:
https://masterwriter.com/ is a software program dedicated to writers of all kinds! It contains many different tools that can help you.
Performing Rights Organizations:
https://www.ascap.com/, https://www.bmi.com/, and https://www.sesac.com/ are 3 different “PROS” and the purpose of a PRO (performing rights organization) is they are responsible for collecting income for songwriters and publishers when a song is publicly broadcast or performed.
There are so many more resources and tools to help you on your songwriting journey. Always seek out new and improved software, tools, and anything that might assist you if you need a little extra help when you’re ready to write your next song.
During your songwriting process you’ll hear a few words that may sound like another language to you. You’ll need to know the meanings of these words in order to communicate with fellow songwriters or artists. Some you may already, but there may be some you still don’t quite understand. Today, we’ll be covering some “must know” words to help you on your songwriting journey.
Hook:
A hook is an idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase that is designed to “catch the ear” of the listener. Oftentimes the songwriting process can start with a really great hook and build around that. An example of a hook is Travis Tritt’s “Here’s a Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares” or Reba McEntire’s “You’ll always have a place to come back to. When whoever’s in New England’s through with you”
Lyrics:
The lyrics are the words in the song. Most times this can be the hardest part and can be the reason your song is taking longer than expected. It’s not always an easy task to come up with the perfect lyrics to portray what you’re trying to say, especially with ones that rhyme and have the right number of syllables to fit with the tempo. There are many online resources that can help you come up with the perfect lyrics. (See post about online resources or either I can include it here)
Tempo:
Tempo is “the speed at which a passage of music is or should be played.” The tempo is if your song is a slow, medium, or fast song.
Time Signature:
People sometimes confuse time signature with tempo, but they’re actually very different. Time signature is the pattern of beats — how many beats you get per measure. Tempo is the speed of those measures. The first number on the time signature tells you how many beats per measure and the second number tells you what kind of symbol represents a single beat (this only matters for reading music). For example:
Rhyme scheme is the pattern in which the last words in lines of songs rhyme. You can record your rhyming lines with letters. Some examples of different rhyme schemes are:
Mary had a little lamb A
Its fleece as white as snow B
And everywhere that mary went C
The lamb was sure to go B
Or
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall A
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall A
All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men B
Couldn’t put humpty together again B
Writer’s Block:
Writer’s block is when you get stuck in the middle of writing your song and you’re not sure how to proceed. Some ways to move past it is to text a friend and let them know your idea and how you’re stuck! You’d be amazed at how a fresh set of eyes could help. Sometimes changing your location can help. You ultimately may need to walk away for a while and come back to your project later.
Melody:
The melody is “a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying.” What that means is when you’re humming along to a song, that is the melody. It’s crucial to have a catchy melody so the listener can’t seem to get it out of their head. For more resources on writing that great melody, see our online resources page. ( or either i can include it idk i’m trying to give people a reason to keep reading)
Verse:
“A major component of a song, the verse’s primary role is to convey the information of the song and set up, or lead to, the chorus, the bridge, another verse, or a title/hook line. Each verse should have different information in order to move the story forward, and be the same melodically.”
Chorus:
The purpose of the chorus is to be “The core component of a song, it summarizes the main idea of the lyric and is the emotional high point of the song. Contains the title or hook in the first or last line and is the same melodically each time it occurs.”
Bridge:
A bridge in a song, “Contrasts in content with the verse and the chorus usually giving a new perspective on the story. Is the ‘A-HA!’ moment in the song.”
Worktape:
The worktape is a rough recording you create after you’ve finished writing. As you write your song you’re going to want to get out a recording device of your choice. Thanks to technology, in most cases, you should have a voice recording app right on your phone. As you’re writing, you want to keep that nearby so when you come up with a great line you can record yourself so you don’t forget what you did. When your song is completed you will want to record yourself singing your song in its entirety and that is what a worktape is. You will then send that to a producer to have your professional demo made.
Example of Worktape
Demo:
A demo (shortened from “demonstration”) is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. It is essential that once you have finished writing your song, you have a professional demo made. A quality demo is what is going to be your key into getting your song picked up by a recording artist, because they will be more apt to listen to a professionally done demo as it will allow them to hear what it would sound like on the radio or their upcoming project.
Example of Demo
Overdub:
An overdub is “to add other recorded sound or music, as a supplementary instrumental or vocal track, to a taped musical track to complete or enhance a recording.” Once you get a base demo track made, you can have an overdub of any instrument along with vocal overdubs to make your song come to life to fit your vision better.
Pitch:
When you pitch a song, it means you’re sending your demo out to potential recording artists. You used to have to put your completed demo on cassette tape or CD and network your way to try and “pitch” your song to hopefully have your song recorded. The problem with this method is that so many recording artists would receive these recordings in person or in the mail and they would either not be looking for songs at that time or your song would not fit what they were looking for so you’d have to find someone else to pitch it to. Thankfully it’s gotten a lot easier. You can upload your song to our website and it could reach hundreds of people you never would have had the chance to meet with.
Copyright:
When you copyright your song, you are establishing legal ownership of the song you created. Copyrighting a song is a fairly simple task and can be started by visiting https://www.copyright.gov/registration/ They will walk you through everything you need to get your song copyrighted. Once copyrighted, legally no one can steal your lyrics/melody.
Publishing:
A music publisher is a person or an organization that is authorized to license the copyrighted use of a particular musical work. Here at BuyDemoTracks.com we have an in-house publishing company, but if you would like to create your own you can find more information here https://blog.songtrust.com/seven-steps-to-starting-your-own-music-publishing-company
Royalties:
“Royalties are compensatory payments received by rights holders (songwriters, composers, recording artists, and their respective representatives) in exchange for the licensed use of their music.” When someone uses your song on their recordings and distributes it, the recording artist will owe the songwriter(s) their respective royalties. If there are co-writers, you will need to discuss how the royalties will be distributed to each individual. Typically it will be split 50/50, but that is up to the writers of the song to decide.
