A bright, happy sounding song would work well with major chords and scales. Experiment to find what works best with your lyrics. Light, frolicking lyrics could work well with quick, split note rhythms, like runs of eighth or sixteenth notes. Dramatic lyrics can be highlighted with power chords. Use these to punch up drama at points throughout the song.
Ask yourself, “What is the setting of this song?” Use this question as a guide for the choices you make when producing the tune. What images are brought to mind when you read the lyrics? If you see gentle, rolling hills, you could decrease the tonal contour of the tune to imitate this quality. Setting includes weather and atmospheric lighting. Songs that might be useful for gaining a sense of this include “L’orage” (The Storm) by Burgmüller, “The Planets” by Holst, and Prelude, Op 28, No. 15 (“Raindrop”) by Chopin.
Your lyrics may have the sense of a creeping predator, like a large cat stalking its prey. This could be imitated in the tune with a flowing tonal contour that builds to edgy minor chords. There may be a point in your song that moves at a gallop, like a horse. Include broken note runs and bright, free sounding major chords. Other songs you might want to listen to for a better understanding of the living quality of songs include “Dragonfly Keeper” by Phildel, “Madama Butterfly” by Puccini, and the French horn (wolf) part of the opera Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev.
Some music making programs you can use on your computer include Ableton Live, Fruity Loops (FL) Studio, Steinberg Cubase Pro, and Apple Logic Pro. [5] X Research source It’s best to use a pencil when drafting your song on staff paper. You’ll likely have to make changes as the song develops.
Even if you plan on stretching a note out over many syllables, breaking lyrics into syllables will help you keep track of the beat.
Sometimes, at the end of a musical phrase, a sustained note can add impact and feeling. Experiment with sustained notes to find what works best for your lyrics. In some cases, you may want to leave out music to showcase the lyrics. This is called a “rest” in music. Try inserting a rest for certain syllables to add tension.
Listen to your track and the various parts you add to it throughout the music production. Sometimes tones, chords, or instruments that you expect will work won’t sound very good, and vice versa. Continue to make adjustments to the parts you’ve written or the parts you’ll add later as your song takes shape. Change the music with your pencil and eraser or composing software on your computer.
Create harmony between the main throughline of your song (melody) and the parts played by other instruments. Add more instruments to the mix when at high energy, dramatic, or emphasized moments in your lyrics. Doing so can amplify these qualities.
Your family and friends may not be completely honest with you to protect your feelings. For this reason, you should also play your song for people who don’t know you as well.
Remember to include sub-genres or associated tags. To the tag “drum and bass,” you might add, “uptempo,” “sunny,” or “liquid” to provide more information on your song at a glance. Use the public reaction to your song to improve it. However, take online criticism with a grain of salt. Some critique may be unfounded or even cruel.
Building an online following can take a lot of work. Many professional songwriters have their online accounts managed by publicists and agents. Hold contests through social media to drum up fan involvement. For example, you might give away free merchandise to certain fans through a social media raffle. [10] X Research source
A business card will make it easy for you to pass off your contact information to suitable individuals even at distracting or loud events. Send a friendly message through email or social media to new acquaintances after you meet them. [11] X Research source
