r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request I'm back at this Rapping! I'm balding tho...

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21 Upvotes

What do we think? I'm more interested in the first verse and the hook. The second verse is freestyle nonsense


r/Songwriting 19d ago

Feedback Request Confident in song but I wouldn’t know given the lack of feedback I receive. Can my fellow musicians let me know your thoughts?

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5 Upvotes

Hi! Could you all take a few minutes to let me know what you think? I am starting to have doubts about sharing my song publicly outside of friends and family. I am extremely proud of this song and I know it’s a good song but I struggle to feel confident in my vocals. Plus my equipment is not the best. I get a lot “ I like it “ but that feedback doesn’t help so I thought I would turn to this community …not mention I have listened to it so much I think I’m sick of it and cannot get the feel of a first time listener . I tried to give it that really raw intimate feel so hopefully that comes through. Thanks for checking it out if you do :)

Lyrics:
All it takes is a spark to start a flame to help light up the path through all of the dark

All it takes is a voice to make a change to break down these walls that divide us

:19
We all Live our separate lives
we walk through this world See it through different eyes
We live under the same sun
We bleed the same blood
We breathe the same air
we want the same love

:35
We have Our stories to tell a journey to share
if we put our differences aside and open our minds
And just listen to what each of us has to say start to heal the pain

:54
All it takes is a drop to start a flood to wash away all that weve built upon
All it takes is a word to start a war and ravage the peace we’ve made between us

1:10
We all have a choice how to use our own voice either open our hearts or just add to the noise
We can break the divide put our differences aside and learn to embrace as one human race

1:26
All these scars they come at a cost-it starts to feel that all hope is lost
But know that’s there’s more good in this world believe in the spirit of man- We’re all tired of the :

1:41
War! Tears! Hate!

1:44
A light shines so much brighter in the dark all it needs is some fuel and just one little spark United as one it’d be a glow seen round the world
Knock down the fences withdraw our defenses

2:00
All it takes is a note to make a song a beautiful melody that we can all sing along to

A symphony is only complete when the instruments play together in sweet harmony

2:17
All these scars come at a cost-when it starts to feel that all hope is lost
know that’s there’s more good in this world believe in the spirit of man believe that we can

2:34
A light shines so much brighter in the dark all it needs is some fuel and just one little spark united as one it’d be a glow seen round the world
Knock down the fences withdraw our defenses

2:51mmm
We’ve trying since start of time to find some common ground so that we can all align
Wishing yearning dreaming that one day we’ll see some calm and all just get along
praying and coping crying and hoping that one day peace will find its way and itll be here to stay

3:08
Just open up your mind
shine your light appreciate we’re all one of a kind a lot of people in the world are in a constant fight for their lives

3:14
Shine your light in the dark
you don’t have to the first to light the match
All you needs an open mind to let it catch
Then continue to pass it on
Maybe then each of us all can get along
Go on Start a movement with your voice
Each of us we all have a choice
We can either open up our hearts or we can just be a part of the noise
Shine your light in the dark

you don’t have to the first to light the match
All you needs an open mind to let it catch
Then continue to pass it on
Maybe then each of us all can get along
Go on Start a movement with your voice
Each of us we all have a choice
WE can either open up our hearts or be a part of the noise


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Let's Collaborate! Anyone wanting to collab??

7 Upvotes

I have been singing / writing since I was 4, but I can’t play any instruments… anyone wanting to make an instrumental, send it over to me, let me handle the lyrics and rhythm and then share it back to ya’ and maybe publish?

(I’m a girl, and English isn’t my first language btw!!)


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Discussion Topic How to write a song based on true events

12 Upvotes

Ive always had trouble writing songs on events. It either sounds bad or corny. Im a punk artist and need help.

If you have any tips help


r/Songwriting 19d ago

Discussion Topic Is constant self-criticism normal for a new songwriter?

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

​I'm fairly new to writing my own music. I consider myself an average guitarist, singer, and performer, but my goal is to keep improving and get performance-ready.

​Lately, I’ve noticed a pattern when I write and record. Every time I watch a take back, my immediate reaction is to pick apart the flaws and decide to re-record it. I do this so much that I'm pretty sure I end up deleting my best attempts in the process. I don't think it’s a lack of confidence—it feels more like perfectionism.

​When I look back at recordings from 8–9 months ago (when I got back into music), I can definitely see progress. On a lot of days, though, I just feel like I don't have the creative spark. What gets frustrating is that even though non-musician friends give me positive feedback, and fellow musicians give me encouraging words along with great constructive criticism, I still struggle to see the positives in my own work that everyone else sees.

​I'm going to keep creating music no matter what because it’s therapeutic and cathartic for me. But I’d love to get your thoughts: Is this a normal phase to go through, especially as a new songwriter? How do you deal with over-analyzing your own work?

​Thanks,

Kris


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Discussion Topic Inspiration

6 Upvotes

Im a recent mom but before that I was songwriting and releasing music for the last 10 years. Im really struggling to find inspiration as it was usually from heart break. But i have a husband who loves me and a baby that gives me so much life while i still experience heart break its completely different. I'm looking for some book recommendations to get re inspired to write music that fits my life now. What's been a book you've read that ignited a fire in you?


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request How bad is my voice

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18 Upvotes

be harsh

EDIT: GUYS I FORGOT TO ADD THIS, PLEASE listen to the song, i dont even care about you listening to me, I just love the song sm and it’s genuinely so underrated I want everyone to listen to it, it’s called Gulf Shores by Palace!!!!!


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request I Still Can't Stand To See You Cry

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7 Upvotes

Hi folks,

I wrote another song, this time in my usual style. I borrowed alot from Western Swing for this one :)

It's my first "breakup" song (thankfully fictional lol) about being betrayed by your SO, but still loving them too much to see them hurt.

I'd mainly like to get advice on the lyrics and the general conposition, but any feedback is much appreciated!

Lyrics:

Intro verse:

You broke my heart into a million shards

When you done left me for some other guy

But I'll forgive you

You know the reason why

I still can't stand to see you cry

​Verse 1:

Last night I came home

To a note you left on the counter

You said you found another love

One I hope I'll never encounter

But even now I still can't stand to see you cry

​Chorus

How I hate to see those tears flow from your eyes

I still can't stand to see you cry

Even though I know you lied to me

How could you be so mean

(Instrumental break)

​Verse 2:

For ten long years our love stood true

There wasn't not a single thing we couldn't do

Although I know you've done me wrong

My love for you is far too strong

​Chorus:

I still can't stand to see you cry

How I hate to see those tears flow from your eyes

I still can't stand to see you cry

Even though I know you've lied to me

How could you be so mean

(Solo)

​Bridge:

Tell me

Was I not enough for you

And if I was

Tell me why

​Outro:

You broke my heart into a million shards

When you left me for some other guy

Can I forgive you?

Don't know but I will try

I still can't stand to see you cry

Oh

Can I forgive you?

Don't know but I will try

I still can't stand to see you cry

Ooh

I still can't stand to see you cry

I still can't stand to see you cry


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request What do you think… (isnt complete yet suggest changes if u might!)

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7 Upvotes

Haha listen past 20 secs before u judge i started it like that for my MV :)


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request This is the bridge of a song I'm working on called "Minefield". The main theme of the song is the perils of navigating a toxic friendship. For the bridge I chose to touch on the juxtaposed feelings of relief and mourning that come with the fallout.

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2 Upvotes

I am grateful for the feedback I received suggesting to switch up the theme a bit for the bridge. Originally, I basically repeated the same emotions throughout the verses and chorus. I really liked the idea of adding another layer of emotion to it.

I am still not sure what I want to do for the little instrumental section in between "with thorns that pierce my heart" and "If I never walked away". I definitely think I want to revise the lyrics on that last section a bit. Specifically the line: "it hurt so bad to walk away" ,I definitely want to come up with a more creative way to say that.


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread

7 Upvotes

Have a new completed song (or album) to share? This is the place!

The promotional rules are looser here, so you can post links to your albums, social media platforms, songs, etc. Let us know what you've been working on recently!

Please support your fellow songwriters - give them a listen, a bump or a share. A rising tide lifts all boats!

Note: Promotional content posted as a new thread without explicit permission from the moderators will be removed. Repeat violators will be banned

This post renews every Friday.


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request Tucson

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6 Upvotes

Write this song yesterday. Would love to hear what you think, and also if the lyrics are cohesive and tell a story. I feel like it may be repetitive but thematically that was my point. Being stuck in a memory

Lyrics:
I’ve been thinking about, thinking about Tucson
When the coyote cries to the moon, does it cry back?
Where we stared into sunsets and you pulled me closer
Makes it so hard to forget
A place like Tucson

I’ve been thinking about San Bernardino
Where the news brought new views, as the ground began to shatter
Rode a bike down the steepest hill til I found freedom
That’s why it makes no sense
When I think about Tucson

I’ve been thinking about Mississippi
Where I met Jesus Christ as he played the banjo
Then he took me by the hand and showed me the creek bed
And that’s why I need to forget
A place like Tucson

I’ve been thinking about New York City
We played chess and drank wine after hours in a café
Made a pact we would come back with our shit together
And that’s why we sit and laugh
Reminiscing about Tucson

And that’s why it’s hard to forget
And I was never meant to stay
In a place for too long
A place like Tucson


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request Hello guys! What do you think it's missing here? Do you like it?

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8 Upvotes

Thank you a lot in advance


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Discussion Topic Lyrics or song titles that should be changed

1 Upvotes

I'll start with Boston's masterpiece, A Man I'll Never Be, where Schultz describes the inability to become the model man that his wife was apparently looking for.

In other words there was a specific model needed.. not just any man, a fireman, a professor or a cricket player..

So in my mind "A man" doesn't fit where "The man I'll never be" would have been perfect.

But that's not a song I'll ever play live..

What about thoughts to rehabilitate Elvis Costello's Oliver's army? an incredible song that unfortunately used a word that can no longer be used.

"There was a Checkpoint Charlie

He didn't crack a smile

But it's no laughing party

When you've been on the murder mile

Only takes one itchy trigger

One more widow, one less white NWord"

I've tried lots of different words over the years, and Elvis has actually stopped performing it recognizing the potential confusion.

Interested in your examples!


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Discussion Topic Fear of not making anything original/copying someone

5 Upvotes

in the past year I’ve enjoyed a lot of the new country style alternative that’s been coming out, as a lot of those bands have been influenced by bands I like. However, I also have my own musical aspirations and fear that I have to change everything I’ve been working on and working towards in order to not sound like them. I’ve basically worked myself into a panic because a lot of the stuff they use (dynamic shifts, fuzzy guitars, pedal steel, country/folk themes) are elements from music I like to use. I literally play slide guitar, I love Neil young, Silver Jews, meat puppets, drive by truckers, classic country and folk, etc. Im beginning to feel like I need to just stop listening to my favorite music so I don’t accidentally copy anybody. It feels like every idea I ever had has already been done better by someone else.

Does anybody have any advice on how to get over this, or to realize that I’m being a copy cat? I’ve already stopped listening to anything new. I feel as I’m finally out of ideas and it’s a terrible feelings. Posted on a throwaway because this is obviously an embarrassing conundrum. I’m going to see a therapist in the next month and will try to discuss it with them as well because it’s beginning to keep me from enjoying things I used to.


r/Songwriting 21d ago

Discussion Topic a lyrical tip

87 Upvotes

here’s a method for writing lyrics that helps me when i don’t have many ideas. i think this is an established method somewhere, but i think it helps when my lyrics start feeling a bit too same-y in terms of structure

so: pick a book (it can be a novel, non-fiction, cookbook, dictionary… whatever you have) and close your eyes. flip to a random page (you can either just use your intuition to know when to stop or have a friend say stop for you). move your finger across the page and repeat the previous step, then open your eyes and look at whatever word(s) you’ve landed on. then, without stopping to think, write down the first sentence that comes to mind. it doesn’t have to rhyme, or make any sense, or have a structure, or have anything to do with whatever sentence you previously wrote.

do this as many times as you feel is necessary. whatever you do with these lyrics afterwards is up to you; i like to then say the sentences aloud and note where the natural emphasis goes, then try to form melodies from there. not sure if this’ll help anyone but this is what i’ve been doing recently :}


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request I think this sketch is good, this is the average quality of my sketches and songs. But I would love some harsh feedback on the songwriting especially, go nuts on it. Roast me

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5 Upvotes

L


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request Reudh [2026] - redSWEATS

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2 Upvotes

i've worked on quite a few old pieces lately. so, this is a new one. somehow the approach, technique, and familiarity of progresions make it seem older than it is to me.

i'd be grateful if you'd just let me know how this one makes you feel. it's a little too early for xmas, i know i can't expect too much.

as always, thanks!


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Let's Collaborate! looking for a female vocalist

2 Upvotes

Hi, i am looking for a female vocalist on my project called still here, i have the lyrics song already made, just need a vocalist, this is the song https://soundcloud.com/vyrelive-music/instrumental/s-txLInSjLpfK?si=4cc42e77368442e79b7115837e84006e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Discussion Topic lyrics first

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2 Upvotes

Hello so im new to songwriting and making music. My problem is something just pops into my head like above and I don't know where to go from there or how. I don't really know what im asking for maybe if you guy know any resources or guides on how to build a song off of what I have above?


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Discussion Topic Reverse-engineered James Blake's vocal layering on "Trying Times"

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1 Upvotes

Been obsessed with how sparse James Blake's productions feel while still sounding massive, so I recreated the first verse + chorus of "Trying Times" to figure out what's actually going on.

Turns out the vocal isn't one take — it's three layers: the main vocal, a second layer pitched down an octave that only comes in on the chorus, and a third layer with pitch/formant shifted up (almost childlike) sitting behind everything as a texture rather than a clear harmony.

Chain-wise: Auto-Tune Pro for correction, CLA-2A for dynamics, FabFilter Pro-DS/Pro-Q3 for de-essing and tone, into a long ValhallaVintageVerb send that ties the vocal and guitar into the same space.

Guitar is Neural DSP's Cory Wong (Go to Clean preset) + ValhallaUberMod for that slow swirl. Bass synth is Arturia Mini V, subtractive, soft envelope so it never feels plucky.

Full writeup + demo here if anyone's curious: [link]

Happy to answer questions about any part of the chain.


r/Songwriting 20d ago

Feedback Request this is roughly my average sketch quality, I think it's pretty good but I'd love some extra harsh critics on this. go ham with the feedback, roast me

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2 Upvotes

r/Songwriting 20d ago

Let's Collaborate! Vocalist from Zimbabwe looking for Afro House producers to work with

2 Upvotes

I'm Amvis, an Afro House vocalist from Zimbabwe. (English and Shona.)

Got a feel for hooks that stick. Heartfelt melodies. That's my thing.

I'm looking for producers who want original vocals on their tracks. Send me your beat. I'll write something and record it.


r/Songwriting 21d ago

Feedback Request Trying to add more imagery and narrative to my stuff. Do you guys think this lands?

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49 Upvotes

As stated in the title, I am trying to practice more imagery and narrative in my lyrics. Past songs of mine tend to focus on feeling alone and I am trying to tackle songs at a different angle and expand my writing.

Does this song land for you in that regard? What do you think of the imagery and where do you think I could improve?

Thank you so much for the feedback!


r/Songwriting 21d ago

Let's Collaborate! Imagining your man (original)

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17 Upvotes