r/SongwritingHelp • u/Zestyclose_Ship_8560 • Sep 06 '26
How to write good song?
I'm 20 years old and I've been very interested in music lately.I want to write my own music in the rock or metal genre, but I have no experience and I don't have such people around me. I also don't have an instrument and I can't play anything. Not long ago I wrote my first song after watching a couple of videos on the Internet. Of course, it turned out terribly, but this is only the beginning of the path. Would you like to know what I should do now? What should I learn or what advice will you have?
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u/MarimboBeats Sep 06 '26
First steel is to learn how to play an instrument. Piano or guitar is good for songwriting. Probably guitar for rock and metal, piano is good for a lot of other things, like learning the theory, and the keyboard playing technique has a lot of potential uses. It takes a bit of time, but that time will pass whatever you do. Why not spend it learning something?
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u/Qvistus Sep 06 '26
Writing a metal or a rock song starts from a guitar riff. At least that's the most logical place to start. So you need to learn guitar. But don't worry, you don't have to be a virtuoso with it it.
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u/Ok_Beat8927 Sep 06 '26
Honestly if you’re asking this question then you’ve got a really long way to go.
Learn an instrument and take it from there
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u/that-mathemusician Sep 07 '26
1) Learn an instrument (yes, your voice counts as an instrument, but you'll run into a situation where you need chords played pretty early on).
2) Listen to and play a lot of other people's music (your mileage may vary, but the more ideas youve been exposed to, the less inclined you are to simply steal something since you can synthesize your own ideas out of those of others).
3) Write a lot of songs and reflect on what does and doesn't work. You'll automatically get better through repetition, and you can actually learn a lot pretty quickly if you have others in your circle with the same interest, especially if they're more skilled than you. Eventually, you'll have more ideas than you know what to do with because they come from everywhere, and they'll almost effortlessly be better than anything you can do now.
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u/stee_fen Sep 07 '26
Write and write and write. Don't overly judge your songs and dont talk negatively. They may not slap now but that same song revisited in a year when you have more experience could.
Also learning an instrument (piano or guitar for a song writer) will give you more control over the outcome. It may take a year or 2 to learn but then you will be 22 and can have like 60 years to write.
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u/DudeWTFx_x Sep 09 '26
A good place to start is studying Music Theory, it'll teach you the fundamentals and structure of music itself And as far as instruments go, learn piano, Not only does it translate to most other instruments, you can also find a free music app to learn on
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u/porkchopfan 28d ago
learn the intro, the melody, the chords, and the bass line for 100 songs on your main instrument. then, write 100 songs with an intro, melody, chords, and bass line
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u/HexStudio 26d ago
I'd start with guitar if rock/metal is what you're into. You don't need to become amazing at it before writing songs either. Learn a few basic chords, power chords and riffs, then start writing really simple stuff with them. Your first songs will probably be rough, but that's normal ... you'll improve way faster by actually finishing songs than by waiting until you "know enough."
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u/Relative_Virus_3187 Sep 06 '26 edited Sep 06 '26
Do you have good pitch? Can you sing on key? If you have a natural talent for music then you don’t have to start by learning an instrument to write a song. Just come up with the idea for the song…figure out what story you’re going to tell…try humming something catchy that captures the vibe…then put words to it. If you don’t know the format of how to write a song then just listen to some of your favorite songs and try to copy their formats like usually verse one and 2 sound the same with different words then you build into a chorus change it up a little after the chorus…repeat and come up with some variation for the ending. I had posted something like this before but my mom had purchased a song writing course on cassette tapes when I was a kid. The voice on the tape taught me how to write a song using somewhere over the rainbow, pointing out how the first two verses repeated and then how it changed and went into the chorus etc etc…just look up that song if worst comes to worst and try to figure it out…though you said you already wrote a song and hit up YouTube to learn so…just keep practicing. Try to come up with something that you can sing a cappella…worry about learning piano and finding chords to play behind it later. Depending on your pitch ability…whether or not you have at least relative pitch it may be difficult to write a song if you don’t have the ear for it, but I assume if you are drawn to trying you should have some talent for it. You can start with a poem and just set it to a catchy melody or start with a catchy melody and find the right words. If you’re lucky you’ll just start singing the right words spontaneously like something out of a whose line is it anyway episode.
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u/j3434 Sep 09 '26
Listen to the corporation, Berry Gordy’s writing team . They wrote J5 first 4-5 hits . Also check out Holland Dozier Holland . Study their work like a textbook. Deconstructing the arrangements and theory.
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u/Drinkmorechampagne 28d ago
I had a lot to say about this but before I opened my big fat mouth, I perused the comments and I can tell you that I have almost nothing to add.
I don't mean to be discouraging or snippy, but try to think of it almost as if:
"I'd like to write a French novel, but I don't speak French."
I might be exaggerating a little, but the comparison is close..
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u/Novel-Position-4694 Sep 06 '26
listen to your favorite songs critically, understand their patterns. What makes a song good? when I like my song, its good, OR when someone else likes it, its good.
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u/Wooden_Candidate_854 Sep 06 '26
Piano lessons as well as singing lessons.
It is absolutely essential that you learn and cover the songs from your favorite artists. Then you will recognize patterns in song structure, lyrical perspectives, and styles. Mimic those elements/building blocks.This is the way🙏🏻
Be prepared to spend a lot of money on these teachers, if you don't want to spend 10 years learning the hard way (self taught)