How Long Does It Take To Write A Song? Discover Answers On This Page
How long does it take to write a song?
Are you really a slow writer or you’re only piling unnecessary pressure on yourself? Discover the answers to these questions running through your mind in this objective article on how long does it take to write a song.
Here’s a highlight of what awaits you if you continue reading this article;
- Answers to the FAQs on how long songwriting should take.
- Quality answer to how long does it take to write a song
- How to write good songs faster
- Explaining the process of writing songs for any newbie
Sounds impressive, right?
Let’s get to it.
But first:
What Is The Best Answer To How Long Does It Take To Write A Song?
Here is an excerpt of the conversation between two of the greatest musicians in history, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to give you a perspective on this discussion.
The story goes thus;
Dylan and Leonard ran into each other one time and after both appreciated the other’s recently published work. Dylan asked Leonard how long it took to write “Hallelujah.” and he replied said ten years.
Leonard also requested to know how long Dylan took to write “I and I”. He replied, “Fifteen minutes,”.
Do you also notice the great time difference?
Nonetheless, both songs were popular among the public leading to an expansion in their fast-growing legacy.
So, back to the question at hand;
How long does it take to write a song?
The truth is; it would be grossly irresponsible to make a scenario of close to 50 decades ago as the sole premise to tell you how long it should take to write songs. However, I discovered that you need to publish songs as frequently as possible especially if you are an upcoming artist.
The internet is flooded with thousands of new songs on a daily basis, consistently showing up with new music is how you will maintain relevance on the release radar, and how you’re going to be able to do this is by writing songs at a faster pace.
Along this line, there will be occasions where you have to spend a long time (months or years) creating a single song. In such instances, don’t rush the process, you are most likely going to end up with a polished gem.
Makes sense?
How To Write Good Songs Faster
The process of writing good songs at a quicker pace may seem complex and not easy to do for a lot of people. This is because writing good songs goes beyond coming up with a string of words and fitting them on any melody.
Good news!
You will discover the other important things that’ll help you write good songs faster in this section.
- #1 Put your focus on one genre
- #2 Keep a journal for jotting ideas
- #3 Learn how to use tools
- #4 Write regularly
Put your focus on one genre
Writing good songs quicker means you must have developed mastery of a particular genre of music. You can’t be a jack of all trades, at least not when you are still trying to improve your songwriting pace.
One genre at a time
That’s how it should be, pick a genre of music, write as many songs as you possibly can, and when you find writing songs in this genre effortless, you can begin writing songs in other genres too. I must say this, to do something effortlessly you must have invested tons of practice honing your skillset!
Keep a journal for jotting ideas
To become faster at songwriting, you must literally turn yourself into a songwriting machine. This means different things to different people. In my own honest opinion, it means you must be equipped with something that signals you as a songwriter wherever you are.
Oft-times, keeping a journal is the best way to achieve this. An insignificant convo with a friend, between others, happenings around you, among other things can inspire you at any time, and keeping a journal helps you keep a record of this so it doesn’t get missing.
Learn how to use tools
The advent of technology has made writing a less strenuous process for ambitious individuals. There are tools that can help you generate the song title, the theme of your song, for providing similar rhymes, and measure the tempo of your song, among other things.
These tools are there to help you exploit your creativity to its fullest potential. Why not take advantage of their use?
Write regularly
It takes a long time to write a song. It can take anywhere from months to years. This is truer if you are a newbie or have been in the game for a while without learning the ropes of fast songwriting.
I recommend for you take time out of your daily schedule to commit your creativity to the task of writing songs.
As much as possible endeavour to avoid distractions during your songwriting process, this helps you to perform at your peak. The unwritten rule of thumb is that the more you do something, the better you get at it.
Ready to jump into the next section?
Answers To The FAQs On How Long Songwriting Should Last
Is it hard to write a song?
The process of writing a song is very complex and it is not an easy task to do. A lot of people don’t know that it’s not just about coming up with the lyrics and then putting them into a melody, but there are many other steps that go into the process as well.
Can you write a song in a day?
Yes! Remember it took Bob Dylan 15 minutes to write “I and I”. Therefore it is not impossible.
Does writing songs get easier?
At first, writing songs may seem complex and hard to crack. However, once you understand the basics of writing a song and have done it regularly for a while, you will find it smoother to advance in your techniques!
What inspires a great song?
There are no limits to what can inspire a great song. Some of the things that can inspire your songwriting are listening to other songs, studying the breakdown of the other song, your personal emotional experiences, among many other things.
What Are The Essential Elements Of A Great Song
Imagine this:
There is a song with numerous covers flying around the internet, it has a million views on Youtube, with massive plays on the radio. Did I forget to mention it is now in the top 5 ranking of Billboard?
Maybe it’s not your song, but there are songs like that, and the genetics of these great songs comes down to the following:
Simple language
Use simple words to form your lyrics. Unless you are making rap, you really don’t need to use complex words to impress your audience. Overly complex songs are hard to remember. Aim for simplicity, that’s how your song would attain relevance in the extremely competitive market.
Melody
Even without hearing the lyrics of a song, merely listening to the melody gives the audience the information needed to judge your song as dope, ordinary, or wack. Great songs have an infectious melody. See to that in your own songs
Great songs evoke emotions
If you can write a song that evokes emotion in the listeners, you are on your way to adding a great song to your portfolio. Regardless of the emotion, your song evokes, people are likelier to listen to songs they can resonate with on an emotional basis than those that trigger nothing in them.
Catchy hook/chorus
The hook or chorus of a song is also a major determinant of how well your song would perform on the market. Keep the chorus of your song catchy and memorable.
The End Of The Road
The process of songwriting varies from one person to another and I hope this piece addressing “how long does it take to write a song?” has provided the answers you need on this.
Over to you;
How long does it take you to write a song?
