by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: December 24, 2010   Last Updated: December 29, 2010

When writing songs, it helps considerably to have a knowledge of music, and to be able to use that knowledge to create the tune to a song. Although, of course, this can be done without one, having a musical instrument helps with the creativity aspect of writing a song. The elements which have to be taken into consideration when writing a song are:

•Tune

•Speed of song
•Style of song
•Wording
•Rhythm of song

Just as with poetry writing, there are certain conventions to respect. Words have a set number of syllables and these are used to fit with music. Once a tune is devised, this makes writing the words a lot easier, since any discrepancy in the number of syllables written can be rectified.

Creating the tune can be as simple as thinking up a tune in your head. Having an instrument helps because the musician can write down the notes and sequences which make up that tune, to remind themselves of the beat, the timing and the chords used for the song. This written work makes a great aide memoire while writing out the words of the song.

The style of the song is quite important, because this dictates the audience it is aimed at. For example, a sad folk style song would have words which are geared to that genre of music, whereas a pop style song could use more modern wording and do just as well. Style comes into play, because if you write songs which don't fit their particular genre, they don't come over as fitting into that style of music, and this can often put listeners off.

When writing, try to establish a rhythm for the words, as this will make the writing a whole lot easier. Although words can be stretched over two or three notes, stretching them too far can result in the words sounding strained. It is better to have the correct amount of syllables and to a certain extent to apply the rules of poetry to the words.

Some of the best singer songwriters of the last century are amazing poets, so an element of poetic use is vital to the equation. Looking at writers such as Bob Dylan and contrasting their work with the work of Leonard Cohen, it is clear that words can be cleverly incorporated to give individual perspective and unique styling to a song.

To recap, the starting point is the tune, the chords and the speed at which the song is sung. This gives the songwriter a framework within which to write. It's almost like working within the rules of poetry, though put to music. Work out verses and also if there is to be a chorus. With a chorus, a

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