Some people say you need to be a musician or at least know some music to be a good songwriter, others say that is not necessary, so what is the truth?
What if I were to tell you that there are many non musicians who are great songwriters and in contrast, many trained musicians can be very terrible composers? Would you believe me? You don t? Sigh, guess I ve got a long explanation to do then.
You see, I know of many songwriters who play musical instruments and also those that can t play anything at all. Those who play music instruments reasonably well or who are musically trained will understand pacing, tempo and syncopation better, in other words, the dynamics of music. They will probably also understand the creation of melody or tune along with the structure of harmony and music theory better than most non musicians.
This is not only because they are trained in music but also the many songs through the years they have played with their instruments, these musical and rhythmic elements are naturally ingrained into their brain s so called muscle memory both in theory and in practice. These skills are certainly an advantage when it comes to writing your own songs. Of course, there are also talented and untrained talented non musicians who are gifted with these skills as well.
However understandably, more musicians will have these elements than non musicians. Although this could be an advantage on the musician s part, it could also be a disadvantage and thus the paradox. Here are the reasons why this is so.
Many musicians find it difficult to write great songs simply because of this same reason. You see, some musicians are so mentally structured or schooled that they are pre programmed into thinking that perhaps a certain melody must be panned out in a certain way, or maybe a chord sequence should not be formed out of a fixed structured progression because subconsciously they get caught up in some music theory that indirectly tells them this is not the way thus cramping their musical creativity.
In contrast, the good news for aspiring songwriters who don t know anything about music theory or playing any musical instruments will be able write freely without these mental baggages. That will mean that they won t think of whether something is musically or theoretically correct or not. Of course, that doesn t mean that you can write some musical crap and expect to get a standing ovation.
However, it could also mean that you can write the song the way you want it to be without having to think about the first verse having 8 bars and the second having twelve. Who cares anyway, except for the purists? If your composition sounds great, then it s great. Period!
On the other hand, an untrained musician who go on to learn some basic guitar or piano chords and rhythms can give themselves an extra edge on their creativity in writing their own songs. So, if you play an instrument and you wish to be a good songwriter, then don t think too much about what s musically correct or wrong. Let your creative juice flow freely and the chords and melody take you away on an exciting trip.
Yes, by all means, stick to the rules of music, but just don t get too caught up in it and let it become your hang up. If you not a trained musician, then you may wish to learn some basic chords on the keyboard or guitar as this will definitely give your songwriting prowess more punch. You will be amazed with the kind of stuff you can produce when you do just that.
So, don t ever let anyone tell you that you can t be a good songwriter if you are not a musician! That person that says that probably don t know anything about songwriting.
Author Resource:
Chris Chew writes regularly for a music education site at http://www.playmusicsing.com and health and fitness site at http://www.sgfitness.com
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