Songwriting is an art and it is often difficult to write a song. I even know some good musicians who can’t write a song although they are very good musicians.
Some people think that songwriting is an innate talent. This can be true however I feel people can also work to achieve some songwriting skills.
You can check out this good article about songwriting which gives precise details on how to write a song.
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You can definitely learn the art. Just keep writing and trying to learn as much as possible.
Listen to classical music some to get a feel for melody too, at least in my case.
Yes I agree with you Chris! We can learn the art and we should keep on writing.
There’s a theory that I quite like that goes: if you do something for 10,000 hours, you’ll be good enough to compete with the best in your field. Doesn’t make sense to me that people are born with innate talent; gives me a lot of hope that we can learn it.
Don’t get me wrong: 4 hours of songwriting a day, 5 days a week, that works out at around 9.6 years. Not an easy ride. But worth it.
I agree with 10000 hours theory. I agree with the point that you have made. People will indeed become good songwriters if they invest so much time in songwriting.
The heart of all songwriting is experimentation. Lots of it.
While I agree that songwriting is a skill and a craft that can be honed like any other, and not something that ‘you either have or you don’t', it’s not just a question of spending 10,000 hours doing it. What you do within those 10,000 hours will itself determine whether you are going to get good at songwriting or not.
Like you said, experimentation is crucial. You have to go to where you are weak and be willing to grow there.