Doesn’t it blow your mind how some songs are so beautifully written yet could be about the simplest things in life. In this article, Brendan De Cruz gives us a crash course into the mysterious world of songwriting. Get your pen and paper, let’s go!
by Brendan James de Cruz
I sat down today, without a topic in mind, and wondered how I would start this article and eventually, I slowly fell into a state of mind I frequently find myself in when I have my guitar, a pen and a blank page in front of me.
So, here we are.
Songwriting.
Firstly, I am no guru on the matter, nor do I have satisfaction-guaranteed methods approaching the subject, but I will relay my experience that has spanned slightly over 12 years, and counting.
Let me begin with how much I sucked at the beginning. Because that is how it nearly always starts with most of us, with anything. However, if you have been trying SO HARD to do something for about 12 years, and you are still bad at it, it is time to MAYBE look elsewhere.
Just saying.
If you are not able to play a musical instrument, it is completely fine. That is how I started too. But I did, eventually, as it just made writing easier in a way, and I fell in love with the guitar.
"At the beginning, writing a song was mostly driven by curiosity for me. I had a journal phase growing up where I would excitedly jot down my not-so-deep and buried-so-very-deep thoughts on a pretty daily basis."
Good for writing practice. Bad for analog privacy settings. Segue.
Use that very same method to get some words out.
It is like writing a poem or an essay in school. There is much to say, but how do you say it?
What do you write?
Pick a topic.
Anything works. Personal relationships, your opinion on a popular subject, your dog, your cat, your gaming console, your shoe, your favourite Netflix programme, and the list goes on.
Now just start writing. Keep it simple, keep it light. You DO NOT HAVE TO USE FANCY WORDS ALL THE TIME. (The caps was just for emphasis, and not me raising my voice)
I will go with my dog.
“There you are on my ground, (because he sleeps on the ground)
You wake me up with your sound, (he barks at anything)
I will leave you now as I go, (when I go anywhere, basically)
Through my day, and back once more” (when I come back, basically)
There really is not much going on here, though the lyrics now sound sad. Or happy. Or it could be about your relationship with your partner. Or it could be about your job.
Keep it light, keep it simple.
"Keep it simple, keep it light. You DO NOT HAVE TO USE FANCY WORDS ALL THE TIME. "
Keep it vague if you like, because then you could be talking about anything, and more people can relate because your lines are not repeating the words, “My dog” or “Leave me alone, Netflix”. Rhyme any which way you would like to as well.
If you would rather not rhyme, that is absolutely fine too. How you feel about what you are writing and how you write are also very important.
Now get on with a couple more verses. You could speak of your experience with the subject you have chosen - your side of the story, the other possible side of the story, the conclusion to the story - time to get into some details.
"Dig deep, get that emotion out. Feel like crying your heart out? Embrace it. "
Emotions are not always sad. So, it could also always be a happy experience, a joyous story.
Something about sunshine, rainbows, and blue, blue skies, it is entirely up to you. Write what you feel. Literally.
Now that you have a few verses, change that pattern up and let us get a chorus going.
"A chorus is basically a few lines strung together that hold a slightly general mood/idea/meaning to the message of the song, that will be repeated at least twice throughout the track."
I am still talking about my dog. (This particular dog’s name is, Nescafe. True story. Not a real song.)
“Leap on me, and bring me down, (because he jumps on me like a madman)
Your brown eyes have no bounds, (because OMG you should see his eyes)
Take this now, and let it be,
Always our memory” (these two are basically one line)
Now that we have a chorus to revisit after every other verse, now we move on to the...
Wait, before we move on, let’s take a break. Stretch, yawn, wink at your partner. Segue.
...the bridge. I have avoided writing a bridge many, many times and I have no idea why. It kind of stuck, and it has been how I have been writing most of my songs. There are some songs with a bridge, and some songs without. There are even songs without a chorus.
So, like I mentioned and will keep mentioning, how you feel about what you write and how you write it is very important.
A bridge kind of strays away from the “rhyming format” of the verses and the chorus, so let us give that a go.
NESCAFE!
“Heaven sent, I needed company, (because, well, doggies)
Show me how you love endlessly” (because, well, doggies)
Now, you can either repeat that, and you have a four-line bridge or write two-six more lines if you have a longer story to tell, or for any other reason known only to you (because it is your song).
Hey, look what you’ve got now, a couple of verses, a chorus and even a bridge!
But, hang on, you are not done just yet. Time to browse through everything again. Change some words up. Visit a thesaurus, it is mighty helpful. Or if you are satisfied with your work, go ahead with it.
Hold up!
Did you just write your first song? Congratulations!
"I remember holding my book in hand and staring at it for a while once I had completed my first song. I am referring to it as a song because my end-goal with relaying my songwriting experience is for it to eventually have music supporting it, thus making it a song. "
I have been asked what my writing process is and I will be honest with you, most of the time, what I have just explained to you, is not it.
This has merely been a general guide to a general process of songwriting. As you dive further into your respective stories and explore different songwriting processes and methods, you will slowly begin to find something comfortable, something of your own in all the noise.
By Brendan James de Cruz
About the Article Contributor:
Passion, and persistence without exception are the two key things that would best describe Brendan James de Cruz as a person, and most of all, as a musician.
After the success of his debut EP, Even So, released in September 2016, de Cruz barely took a moment's breath before hitting the independent the scene with his second record, a 4-track EP titled , Black, which was launched in August 2017, and was mastered by internationally renowned mastering engineer, Pete Maher, who has worked with names such as Damien Rice, The Rolling Stones, U2, and The Killers, just to name a few. His third record, III, recorded and produced by Nadir Studios,
is his best work yet. With a heart made for music & a voice that leaves quite an
impression, Brendan de Cruz best defines who he is & what he does when he says,
“As long as I’m making music, I’m happy.”
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