I Want to Be a Songwriter!

I have a few ambitious students who would like to become songwriters, so this post is dedicated to them.

First, a disclaimer: I am not a songwriter.  That being said, I have lots of friends who are composers, and there seems to be a general path for how to become a songwriter.

1) Get some good music theory textbooks, or take a few courses in music theory.  While most of these courses are geared to classical composition, all serious songwriters of any genre need to understand the basics of how music works, how to analyze compositions etc...

2) Once you have achieved competency in music theory, start buying sheet music of your favorite songwriters/composers and analyzing how their pieces work.  Whether the composer is Mozart, Gershwin, or U2, each composer has their own unique style and tendencies that you can learn from and copy.

3) Start composing!  It is okay if your first works sound very similar to your favorite artists; you learn first by imitating.  Over time, you should develop your own style and know when and how you can break the rules.

DWS