ADD NEW SKILLS TO YOUR SONGWRITER’S TOOLBOX LIKE A PROFESSIONAL WRITER

Songwriters, like any craftsmen, rely on skill. But skill is often limited by the quality of tools in our toolbox. Here are 4 steps to get you on the path to constantly adding new tools to your toolbox.
 
Practice Active Listening. When we’re listening to music, it’s important to go beyond the “I like this” or “I hate that” Passive Listening. The next time you hear a song that catches your interest, ask yourself more specific questions like: Do I like this unique phrasing the singer is using? What rhyme scheme is being used? Does it work? Do I like this song because of the production, or is it a great song? Passive Listening promotes opinions rather than knowledge. Active Listening gets you inspired and develops your skills! This same method works for producers too. When listening to a song (especially electronic music) it would be good to think about what kind of synthesizer set up created this sound or what happened in the mixing that this song is so clear or even mistakes had been done that this song sounds like this!

Listen to New Music and Incorporate. Ask yourself – Is there something in this song I can incorporate into my own songs or style? What do I dig about this song? Is it the way the melody soars in the chorus? Or maybe a rhyme scheme I’ve never tried before? Improving your craft or art is mostly a matter of knowing what questions to ask! If you are asking questions, then you are learning and coming from a place of growth. If you can find one new tool a month your writing will grow tremendously over time.
 
Co-write. Co-writing is a great chance to grow and learn from each other. My co-writers over the years have been great at so many different aspects of writing. Some of them had a unique way of twisting a lyrical phrase, some could create masterful melodic hooks, and working with them was a real education. I’m constantly learning new ways to approach my writing through new co-writes. Plus, it’s a fun hang where we can share new music, we dig with each!
 
Learn and Memorize Songs: A famous classical composer was once quoted as saying “Composing is the act of remembering a melody that has never been written.” Strengthening your song memory is the best way to strengthen your compositing muscle.

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 17 years of experience in songwriting, music production, mix and mastering. He has produced more than 3,000 and written more than 4,800 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.