“Record labels will be so much more impressed if you can make your own song”

These days the competition within the music industry is greater than ever as the medium of social media has made budding singers and songwriters into overnight successes.

Whether you think these people deserve it or not, the bottom line is that they have made their own music and put it out there for people (and producers) to see.

Justin Bieber is probably one of the finest examples of how social media can thrust your talent into the limelight. He started out by playing his own songs on YouTube and was discovered by a major music producer in America.

How you can make your own song…

The best thing about Songwriting is that you don’t have to be a musical genius to produce a good song. Just like any other skill there are rules and techniques that you can use to make great music time and time again.

I have spent many years, travelling all over to meet some of the top singer songwriters of our generation and have discovered some amazing secrets that most people would never know.

There are so many tools and free music software around these days that pretty much anyone can make their own songs on demand.

Learn how to make your own song today!

Dan Scott teaches you how to write a song like the ones in the charts!

Some metaphors have become so clichéd and it can be cringe worthy to hear them repeated. I’m talking about things like “It’s raining in my heart” or “You make me feel like its winter inside”. So avoid using obvious metaphors and try and think cleverly regarding your lyrics.

How To Write Lyrics Top Tip – “Clever use of cliché make you appear clever!“

I say don’t talk about the music industry and your dealings with it (post success) because people don’t want to hear about how easy things are for you, people need something to relate to.

Considering most people who listen to your music will not be huge stars in the music industry, they’re not going to be able to relate to your successful lifestyle. Especially in the UK, people are more interested in hearing about the underdog, there’s some kind of mentality the UK has where we want success that’s against the odds. (Other countries and cultures differ in this sense.)

So a good idea is to look at subjects or topic that successful songwriters write about and apply them to your songs. You’d be better served to write from this perspective if you want to reach out to more people.

“Knowing how to write lyrics is all about understanding other peoples need to relate to the words you are singing.”

Don’t talk about how people don’t understand you. People generally will not appreciate a song where the singer is just complaining and wanting sympathy. It would be much better if you phrased the song in such a way that it seems as if you understand the listener, again so that they can relate to the words you are saying.

Lyric Writing is all about making a connecting with the listener and even starting a relationship with them. This is how ‘fan mentality’ is fuelled. People feel as if they know the artists through their lyrics, almost like they are talking about that person’s life.

Read my Top 5 Secret Strategies on How To Write Lyrics for more detailed instruction on Lyric Writing

All I’ve ever wanted to do is write great songs that touch people, and to teach people how to make a song that can do that is really rewarding. Sometimes you can forget how achievable it is to write great songs.

You don’t need lots of money, a record label or anything like that. You can make a great song from the comfort of your own home, and there’s nothing stopping you!

“I love teaching people how to make a song great and I’ll continue to do so as long as I can…”

When you know that you’ve had a hand in helping to teach someone how to make a song great and then they go on to do that, it is an amazing feeling. That’s why I’m trying to spread as much of my knowledge to people as possible.

Once you have the tools available to you, you will know how to make a song so much better in a short space of time and then it’s just up to you to put the pieces together.

If there’s anything that comes close to writing a great song and seeing people truly touched by it and that resonates with people, it is teaching others how to do the very same thing.

Click the following link to read my Top 5 Tips on How To Make A Song into a Hit

Songs begin with inspiration. Learning from songwriting tips on everything from structure to topline melodies is a great way to improve your songwriting ability, and so you should be sure to take note of the help that is on offer from successful songwriters.

I try to give away as many songwriting tips as I can as often as I can, not only to help others but also to re-inforce in my memory what makes a good song.

One of my Top Songwriting Tips

One of the cheeky songwriting tips that I learnt from Gary Barlow is to take the vocal into falsetto on the chorus. This really separates the chorus vocal melody from the rest of the song really well and has a rising feeling.

If I had never been given songwriting tips like these over my career then I’m sure that I would never have progressed with my songwriting as much as I have. I think that taking songwriting tips from respected songwriters is an important part of improving your own songwriting ability and that you should grab every chance that you can to build your knowledge on songwriting if becoming a successful songwriter is your aim.

Subscribe today to receive Daily Songwriting Tips from Successful Singer/Songwriter Dan Scott!

Don’t be too proud to take songwriting tips from successful songwriters, you’ll gain nothing by purposeful ignorance when there’s so many songwriting out there to help you.

1. The first time I had my song played on BBC Radio

This was a big deal for me as it really validated the fact that I was a good songwriter and that I could write songs that were radio-worthy. To have my song played by such a reputable station made me feel so proud.

2. The first sale of a CD containing purely songs that I’d written

As a songwriter there’s nothing more empowering than when people, especially people you’ve never met before, are willing to part with their own money to purchase songs that you’ve written, because they like them that much. This proved to me that my songs were connecting with people and that my music did have a positive effect on other people’s lives, which is an amazing feeling.

3. Recording my first single

In my case I am both a songwriter and an artist, so I tend to be the one who performs the songs that I write. Although there is an option to write songs for others to perform, my main focus is to write songs for myself as an artist. Whilst I have previously written songs for other people, being an artist is a strong passion of mine.

To record my first ever single was a big deal and it was absolutely amazing to come out of the recording studio with a song that sounded exactly like how I had imagined that it would when I initially wrote it. This was such a proud day for me.

“As a songwriter, having your first single recorded in a studio is an unbeatable feeling!”

Whilst you might think that the achievements get bigger as you progress as a songwriter and become more popular, it is those initial steps that really make a huge difference to your life. Realising that it’s possible to do this, it’s possible to make songwriting your career. It really does change something inside of you that makes you light up. (Especially when the alternative is to work in an office doing some boring job that you hate!)

Can You Make Your Own Music WITHOUT An Instrument?

The capabilities of computers and the Internet means you really can make your own music very easily. A lot of recording software is available for free these days and some computers such as Apple Macs come with it already installed i.e. GarageBand – which is actually a powerful bit of kit!

You can use ready made samples played to tempo tracks to piece together your own music that will still sound unique to you as you combine different sounds to create the kind of music that you want to make.

Best Way to Make Your Own Music WITH An Instrument…

Of course the traditional route to make your own music is through learning to play an instrument and using that as the basis for your musical exploits. Now you can combine that with modern technology to fuse the two together.

For instance, rather than trying to record yourself playing piano, which can be quite complicated to do to a high quality level from home, you can now purchase what are called MIDI Keyboards. These are special keyboards that send what’s called MIDI data to the computer when you play them.

Once this has been recorded, you can then choose which sound you’d like that data to make. So you could choose a natural piano sound, a synthesizer sound or even drum noises! The technology you have available to you today is so customizable that the world really is your oyster!