Learning The Art Of Songwriting

Songs are found in every culture and they have been known to exist from the beginning of time.  It is for this reason that songwriting is considered extremely powerful, as the songs tend to hold the interest of the listener and draw out a response bringing a call for action.

Many cultures in the world have songs for freedom, harvesting and planting season, songs to worship and praise deities, songs of war, those that mark a rite of passage, songs to encourage and many others.   A song therefore should be skillfully put together in order to hit its mark and fulfill the purpose for which it was written.

The songwriter must have clarity from the start on the message that he or she is trying to convey.  The lyrics should therefore be crafted in such a way as to convey this message as powerfully as possible.  Words, particularly in music, can be a very powerful medium of communication.  Once the words have been picked, the rhythm of the song must also be chosen.  The main thing to consider when making these selections is the feelings that are to be reflected and drawn out of the hearer.  A happy song is usually upbeat and fast while a sad song may be slow and low.

With the words and mood of the song already selected, the accompaniments in the form of musical instruments must be carefully picked as well.  The reason for this is that the moods as well as feeling of the song are affected in a major way by the background accompaniment in the form or instruments.

Additionally, it is important to think carefully about the tempo and beat of the song as one is picking the instruments to use. The reason for this is that they will set the mood of the song and elicit the emotions and sentiments that the writer is trying to convey.  The consequences are that the experience of the listener of the music will be dictated by this.

War songs, freedom songs, celebratory songs and the like tend to have fast tempos which cause the listener to pump their fist in the air, stomp the feet and bob the head.  Sad songs, dirges or other songs in this genre may cause the listener to stand still or may elicit slight swaying from side to side.

Short-term physical reactions may be drawn out from the listener by the song.  On the other hand, there are songs that bring change for the long term that may affect the decisions made and may cause the person listening to change their own environment.

One cannot underestimate the art of songwriting as the changes brought about by music are felt and are experienced the world over.

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