Whether you are a teenager or are well into your golden years,

it is never too late to explore your creative side, especially

if you are interested in music. Songwriting is an excellent way

to express your thoughts and feelings and to communicate them to

your friends and family, even if you have no aspirations of

musical fame or fortune. If you are interested in selling or

performing your songs, however, you should be aware that it is

a hard road and that very few songwriters achieve great fame or

fortune, and especially not instantly. Nonetheless, if you have

realistic expectations, you will find that writing music is a

worthwhile experience whether it is a hobby or a profession.

People write songs in many different ways. Some writers compose

the music first, while others first write the words. For some,

the words and the melody come to them at the same time, while

others write the melodies first and write the words last. No

matter what order you are comfortable with, you will eventually

have to decide what the song is about. There are a variety of

different types of songs ranging from songs that tell fictional

stories to songs that communicate deep personal feelings.

If you decide to write a story song, a good first exercise is

to write about a news story or about something you’ve read in

the newspaper. That way you can use your first song to hone

your word choosing skills without the pressure of coming up

with your own story. However, if you already have an idea for a

story to tell, you can write it out in poem form and try to make

appropriate rhymes and structures that help communicate what

happens in the song.

Because music is so expressive, many songwriters use their

compositions to express how they feel, whether it be about a

person or a situation or even geographic location. Writing

these types of songs can be highly personal, so every person

does it differently. When you have a strong feeling about

something, write it down in a notebook and come back to it

later. You might think of a good line that expresses an emotion

really well, and if you remember it you might be able to build

an entire song around it. Having quiet time to think is always

helpful when you are trying to write a song.

Writing the actual music for a song can be done in many

different ways depending on your musical prowess and your

focus. If you write mostly to communicate words, then a few

well-chosen guitar chords might be all of the accompaniment you

need. However, if you a instrumental virtuoso, your approach to

writing music will be quite different. Many people think of a

musical idea and play it over and over again until they think

of a melody. Often times, songwriters will construct whole

pieces, melody and all, without even knowing what the song is

going to be about. Once the melody is complete, the writer will

sit down and think about lyrics that fit the feeling behind the

music and will go from there.

Once you have put together your words and music, you might feel

the need to perform your new song. It is always a good idea to

play for friends and family first before trying to play to a

crowd. When you feel comfortable enough playing your song, you

should consider visiting an open mic night at a local

coffeehouse or bar. At open mic nights, songwriters can play

one or more of their songs to an appreciative and attentive

audience. Performers can discuss their craft with other

writers, making it a fun way to learn more about the writing

process.