What do I need?

Technically, all you need for songwriting is something to write down the song. Pen on paper works. Typing on a laptop as well. In fact, writing isn’t even necessary! You could record yourself playing / singing your song ideas.

How you do it doesn’t matter. That’s personal preference, part of your workflow. But here’s what I do:

• When I get an idea, I immediately try to record it. (I have recording apps on my phone and laptop, always at stand-by.)
• If lyrics pop in my head, I’ll create a quick text file with the same name as the recording, and write it there
• If there are some complex chords or ideas I might forget, I write those down as well

Usually, I love writing things by hand. It makes it easy to draw symbols, arrows, sheet music, etcetera. But for music? It just never worked for me at all. Maybe it’s too slow. Maybe it’s because my handwriting is terrible and I can’t even decipher it myself sometimes.

Try all methods. Stick with the one that works for you. That’s usually one that is fast (always on stand-by!) and doesn’t prohibit your (emotional) flow.

But wait

Most people aren’t Beethoven. He was deaf but so musically gifted that he could still write music, knowing what it would sound like.

We need to hear what we’re doing. We need to touch an instrument and hum the melody. We have to try the lyrics and see if they fit the rhythm.

So, besides something to “record” your idea, I highly recommend a way to “test and refine” the idea.

For (vocal) melodies and lyrics, humming or singing it yourself is obviously fine. It doesn’t need to be in tune. It just needs to give you a general idea of what it sounds like.

For the rest, I think a piano will always be most useful. Anyone can play it without learning “technique”. The notes are laid out in a predictable, simple structure. You can play support with your left hand and melody with your right.

You don’t need an expensive real piano. There are apps or online websites where you can play. (Though obviously a less fun experience than the real one.) I once bought a tiny MIDI keyboard I could plug into my laptop. It cost 80 euros and only has 1.5 octave, but it helps me try or record any idea fast.

The free (and open source) software MuseScore has become absolutely amazing in recent years. It can notate sheet music, tabs and midi—and play them back for you!

That’s all

Now you can write songs!

Of course, there are some bonus points here.

• Own a good DAW ( = Digital Audio Workstation). They usually come with many virtual instruments, effects and samples. These are great for playing with an idea or getting inspiration.
• A nice library of songs you like will also inspire or get you in the right mood.
• Creativity happens when you’re not looking. You’ll have a hard time coming up with great ideas, if you’re too busy all day or don’t get enough sleep.

That last point is more important than it seems. Of those hundreds of songs I wrote, I guess 90% did not appear during a songwriting session. They came to me underneath the shower, in bed, while doing another project, while cycling. (We do a lot of that here in the Netherlands. Which means a lot of time to think and get ideas.)

In fact, I barely know any musician who actually “sits down” to write a song. Who actually reserves time and follows a fixed process for crafting a song. Usually, inspiration sparks during your downtime. That’s at least 75% of the process. The other 25% is the actual songwriting I’ll discuss in this guide. The refining and finishing.

Fortunately, you can influence inspiration and creativity. Yes, you can. By having the right mindset and through habits that keep your brain in “hey think about music”-mode. I believe it’s called priming your brain for (musical) creativity.

Let’s get started with that.