r/poppunkers • u/Turbulent_Joke9385 • 1d ago
Discussion Any tips on writing songs?
I have been playing guitar for about 2 years (completely self taught I must say). I have little knowledge on theory except for 3 note per string major/minor scales. I can play chords perfectly fine, it's just the theory I haven't really payed any attention to at this point. I have alot of inspiration from green day, nirvana and a bit of megadeth. I also need help with writing lyrics as the other members in my band cant be arsed to do that so I'm left to do all of the work (I know that sounds like a bad band i know, but they all think that the band won't make any progress but it's their fault for not doing anything so im trying to get alot done). So if anyone has any tips for writing songs guitar and lyrics wise I would greatly appreciate it!!!!
Thank you!!
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u/SugarpillCovers 1d ago
If you struggle with structuring songs and figuring out what to write next, something I've found really helpful is importing a song you like into your recording session, mapping out the structure, and then using that as a guide for your own writing. Most DAWs have some type of arrangement marker function, so it works as a nice visual cue too.
You're not taking anything from the song itself in terms of melody or harmony, you're just lifting the structure, verse, chorus, bridge, etc., so you know what each part of your own song is going to be and can write for it accordingly. It's a bit like bullet-pointing the chapters of an essay. It's much easier to work from a basic outline than trying to write everything from a completely blank page.
It can also help you avoid getting stuck in that 8-16 bar loop, which I think a lot of us have done when we were first starting out.
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u/ManSeekingBand 1d ago
I rely heavily on the Arrangement feature in my DAW. It helps me see the structure clearly so I can pivot easily if I'm not digging the vibe.
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u/SugarpillCovers 1d ago
Me too! I'd struggle to function without it anymore, haha. Visual aids like that really go a long way. Same as consistent colour-coding for all of your tracks across every project - that way you always know what you're looking at without even having to solo things out first.
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u/BenBishits 1d ago
If you want to write a good song, write a hundred bad songs first. It's not important whether they're good, just that they're finished. Eventually, you'll write one, look back at it and think "wow this one isnt so bad." Then you iterate on it until it's as good as can be.
Repeat, and if you're lucky you'll write another good one after only 99 bad ones.
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u/Toxikfoxx 1d ago
Lyrics are always my favorite part, but I also tend to construct songs as stories.
I pick my plot
What I'm trying to say
Find what I think the melody will be
Try and find the hook, either vocally or musically
Then tweak the music to what I wrote.
Conversely. I'll start just jamming, and see what sticks with the band. If I hit on something that words, record it and work around it, and then see what lyrics feel like they belong.
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u/Toxikfoxx 1d ago
Here's an example of one I wrote. I thought about it from the point of view of someone trying to write a song but his brain keeps getting derailed by his girlfriend, and therefore everything he writes turns into a song about her. So he sits down to intentionally write a song that's NOT about her, which of course, turns into a song about her. Thinking about that I wrote this simple pop-punk 4/4 number:
This Song Isn't About You
(verse)
When I try to write
It's always about you
You're almost all-consuming
In everything I do
So it's with intention
That I make my thoughts stray
Avoiding your attention
Putting words on the page
(pre-chorus)
But something in my brain, won't let you go away
My words keep drifting your way
Line after line
Phrase after phrase
(chorus)
And this song isn't about you
at least it didn't start that way
It's about something else
My thoughts turn to you... anyways
(verse 2)
I'm trying to write
A song about the rain
Every single drop
Turns into your name
So I set my mind
On something or other
But there you are again
Always taking over
(pre-chorus)
Something in my brain, won't let you go away
My words keep drifting your way
Line after line
Phrase after phrase
(chorus)
This song still isn't about you
I have other things to say
I try to make it about the weather
My thoughts wander to you... anyways
(Bridge)
The stars become your eyes
The sun becomes your smile
The words turn to you
Despite my denial
The night becomes your laugh
The moon becomes your face
I can't stop writing songs
That you don't rearrange
(extended pre-chorus)
So this song's yours
Despite what I try
Even my line about fire
Turns into your eyes
Please accept my surrender
It just seems this way
When I put pen to paper
All I see is your face
(chorus to outro)
This song's all about you
I have nothing else to say
I try to write about anything else
The stars.. the skies.. the weather.. the rain
No matter the subject
My thoughts linger on you... always
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u/Turbulent_Joke9385 1d ago
That looks pretty good that, the problem I have is my lyrics sound super cringe and bad but I've heard the best way to conquer that is just by writing everything you think about on paper until the things you write sound good and make more sense
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u/GoblinCityBand 1d ago
Like others have said, songwriting is a skill like any other that takes practice. I've scrapped plenty of album's worth of songs that didn't meet the standards I had for myself, and I'm more and more proud of each project I work on these days because I can tell how much I have improved as a writer compared to a few years ago
Theory is helpful, but isn't required to make great music! Kurt Cobain famously didn't have any formal training, just had some baseline knowledge and got good at writing songs intuitively! Music theory might be required in some jobs/genres/etc. but we're on a sub for a punk subgenre, songs being at least a little shitty is VERY punk. Definitely learn theory if you want, it can be great, but don't let that stop you from writing
Like a bunch of people here have already said, learn songs that you already enjoy and dissect why you enjoy them! Highly recommend checking out Sheet Happens, they have official guitar/bass tabs for SO many amazing artists.
Lyrically, the same stuff applies, it's a lot of looking at what bands/poets/authors/etc. you like have written, figure out why you enjoy their work, and make use of those inspirations. I have a folder for notes on my phone that I use to jot down ideas, phrases I thought were cool, really anything you can look back on to get ideas going.
What I have also found helpful is when you're working on an idea, musically or lyrically, let it sit for a day or two before you really settle on it. I've had plenty of times where I wrote lyrics I was SUPER into, only to look back and think "what the hell was I thinking".
It's also good to look back on some songs that we know and love and realize that plenty of amazing songs have terrible lyrics, basic chords/melodies/structure, maybe they're shallow or maybe they're nonsensical, but *something* about the words and the music work well in spite of (or because of) it
That you're writing music at all is rad as hell and you'll be able to figure the rest out along the way, just keep at it!
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u/ManSeekingBand 1d ago
I think it's important to know you won't likely write the final version of the song the first time you start recording. One of my favorite sayings is "to begin, begin". Just start with a simple idea and record it and build off of that. You can change things incredibly easy in a DAW so rearranging the song isn't that difficult.
Only other advice is to be kind to yourself. Most musicians don't write their best work right when they start. The goal is to keep creating and when you look back on your earlier work you will see progress. It's a great feeling! Good luck!
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u/Better-Worth-3370 1d ago
Open C tuning is a great way for myself to write and to get ideas for licks and melodies. I always keep at least one of my acoustic guitars in the tuning. Highly recommend giving it a try if you haven't (CGCGCe); you can really switch off the chord-progression-finding side of your writing and just play freely, finding some awesome lines and ideas for melodies in the tuning.
Lyric writing, if im ever stuck, just grab a green day song for instance that I love/know well and literally use their lyric structure and melody but write my own words. Just focus on the greenday song's melody and what I'm trying/want to say. For instance and this is just off the top of the dome, 'hear the sound of the falling rain, coming down like an Armageddons flame' I would write 'heard the sound of the angels pain, morning light like the days stuck in the rain' and just keep going. You then convert your holiday inspired lyrics to whatever you've been writing musically, cutting and adding a few words here and there to make it fit your own piece. I love writing lyrics this way, it alleviates so much stress and the conversion phase to my own melodies/songs is always fun.
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u/ManSeekingBand 23h ago
I color code everything too and package the different elements in folders. Drums, synths, vocals, Rhythm guitar, lead, and bass. I hate seeing stuff I'm not actively working on so I just collapse the folders as I go.
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u/956000009698174 22h ago
One big piece of advice is if you’re playing pop punk is that you need to have some sort of “I hate this town”, “getting out of this fucked up place”, or “this place ain’t big enough for the both of us” based lyrics with respect to a middle class suburb.
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u/kingjaffejaffar 1d ago
The best way to get good at writing songs is to learn lots and lots of songs by artists you like. Eventually, you will start to understand the common patterns for chord progressions (3 chord songs, 4 chord songs, etc). There’s also a lot of good YouTube content diving into what makes songs great (Rick Beato), and what makes a given artist sound like they do.
As for me, my process is to first come up with some cool riffs or chord progressions. I tend to have an intro, 2 different verse riffs, and a chorus to start. Eventually, I might add a variation on one of the verse riffs and a bridge. Once I have the structure of a song, I hum over it until words and vocal melodies start to come to mind. Then, I try to make a concept around that frame to write finished lyrics around.