The 7 Habits of Successful Songwriters

I know I give you a lot of advice and sometimes you probably wonder if I know what I’m talking about. (Hey, I wonder the same thing about other people all the time.)

So, in this post, I thought I’d give you songwriting advice that comes straight from the mouths of songwriters and artists with incredibly successful, long-running, world-wide fame and success. I won’t include their bios or track records because you already know who they are. So, here are “7 Habits of Successful Songwriters” straight from the source!

1. DEVELOP A SONGWRITING PROCESS

Your songwriting process is the way in which you approach creating lyrics, melody, and chords. Maybe you’re a lyrics-first person. Or maybe you grab your guitar and come up with a groove and chords first. Here’s how a couple of successful songwriters approach their own songwriting.

Paul Simon
“I work with my guitar and a legal pad…. I get going fairly early in the morning, because my mind is sharp, and start by dating the pad and putting down personal comments, such as how I am feeling that day, so that it becomes a diary of sorts. … The first page might have all sorts of lines that will never be used, but as I turn the pages, a little thought might come forward and suggest potential for development.” (Making Music, book by George Martin)

Interview with Ryan Tedder

Check out this excellent interview with Ryan Tedder, lead singer and songwriter of OneRepublic and an hugely successful record producer. It’s straightforward, useful information on everything from songwriting to producing to arranging. If you got my recent newsletter and tried the top-line writing exercise, you were writing to a track by Ryan Tedder.

Here are a few short excerpts from the excellent interview by Tom Cole for NPR. (A link to the complete interview below.)

On the importance of melody: “Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don’t care what anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that’s my opinion but because I think it’s actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It’s that simple.”

I love this quote on the difference between Indie and Commercial artists: “I think the best songs are being written by the very under-stated, under-appreciated indie artists. The thing that separates them from mainstream success is they either consciously or unknowingly refuse to deliver on a big chorus.”

On instrumental hooks: “I think a riff can be complementary but when you go from complimentary to primary, then it becomes the hook to me.”

Don’t miss this. It’s worth your time. Here’s the complete interview by Tom Cole on NPR’s “The Record”: Ryan Tedder Interview: A Fan of Music Talks About the Craft of Songwriting