How To Write A Country Song Like A Professional Country Songwriter

by Posted on

What does it mean to know how to write a country song in addition to knowing how to write a meaningful song like a professional?

For one, it sets you apart from the competition. Secondly, it makes you more versatile and prolific as a songwriter. Therefore, if you are ready to write a country song, it is quintessential for you to read this post on how to write a country song.

Also;

You’ll discover the following in this article;

    • What makes a country song?
  • How to write a country song step by step
  • Useful tips for writing country songs like a professional
  • Answers to the frequently asked questions on how to write country music.
  • Unraveling 5 country songwriting ideas to help you get started.

Before anything else, let’s first go through;

What Makes A Country Song?

The origin of country music dates back to two decades after the start of the nineteenth century. Since then it has grown, flourished and what embodies country music has undergone changes from what it was in the 1920s but it still managed to retain its core.

Country music is made with elements of folk, bluegrass, blues, and rural dance music. It often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms and folk lyrics. 

When you hear a twangy voice singing about life ordeals on a blend of banjos, harmonicas, electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitars instrumentals then you’re likely listening to a country song.

Some of the drivers of this genre are Johnny Cash,  Gram Parsons, Earl Scruggs, Hank Williams, among others who have played a huge role in the spread of this music. Now, it may be difficult to listen to country music without some element of pop  —Country Pop.

Announcing How To Write A Country Song Step By Step

Let’s get right to it

Theme

What are you writing about? The central theme of country songs usually focuses on human relationships. From missing your loved one, being feeling sorrow, commenting on social matters to failed love relationships. Country songs are filled with audacious use of similes and metaphors.

There are a wide array of themes to choose from, find one that strikes your interest, and follow what comes next.

Choose an instrumental

You can either download beats from the internet, look for a professional producer to make one for you, or create yours with the aid of a guitar, piano, banjo. Listening to the instrumentals before writing the song lyrics helps to inspire the melody and rhythm of your song.

Figuring out the melody and rhythm makes it easier to find the right words to lay on the instrumental of the song. 

Write the chorus, verse, and bridge

The chorus of any country song must be catchy and hooky. The chorus should show the central theme of the song, the verses should deepen the understanding of the audience. It may seem like a herculean task to write a country song, especially when you are clueless as to where to start.

Think of a personal experience that resonates with you as per your chosen song topic, then draw a list of how the event unfolded before transforming into the verse, chorus, and bridge of the song. Write your lyrics using the first person pronoun, it makes it more personalized to your listeners.

Fit the song on the instrumental

A country song is not all about lyrics, your song must exude a melodic vibe as much as the lyrics are meaningful. Sing the lyrics over the instrumental and ensure the cadence and melody are top-notch to give the audience a sense of nostalgia so they always return to play the song.

You may listen to songs in the country music genre to discover how other artists go about forming their melodies to inspire you when creating a melody for your own song. Some of the artists you can listen to are Kacey Musgrave, Johnny Cash, among others.

Useful Tips For Writing Country Songs Like A Professional

Learn how to play instruments

You don’t have to be an expert. But you need to know how to play either a guitar or piano for you to master how to write country music. The lyrics don’t exist in isolation. You should also record your chord progressions or write them down so you don’t forget or mess them up.

Make use of free tools

There are many free tools on the internet that can help you get started easily with writing country music. 

There are tools that provide you with writing prompts to help overcome writers’ block,. There are tools that can help you with rhyming, There are also tools that can help you determine the tempo of your song. 

There is an abundance of tools on the internet, search for the ones that can help you and include their use in your creative process.

Break the rules

Who says your song must have a long verse? Who says you can’t begin your song with a chorus? Who ruled against the chorus being lengthier than the verses? Think about it. There are no rules guiding how to write country music. 

This means you can break the rules, unfollow the stereotype and infuse whatever makes your creativity dazzle into your song. You may score a hit just by doing so.

Be observant

Even the most insignificant conversation can spark your creative juice and inspire your country song. So, open your eyes and mind, you’ll be amazed by what your creative mind can birth.

Answers To The Frequently Asked Questions On How To Write Country Music

What is the structure of a country song?

One of the commonest song structures in this space is the intro – verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge – chorus – outro. Among the geeks in the music community, the shortened form for this structure is the ABABCB structure, where A is the verse, B is the chorus and C is the bridge.

What do most country songs talk about?

Country songs mostly exemplify human relationships. It tells the ordeal of falling victim to unrequited love, love gone sour, relationships lost, loved ones lost, among others. It essentially narrates how frail human relationships are.

What is wrong with country music?

The major problem attributed to this genre is the lack of diversity. The same type of songs have dominated the charts, women are marginalized in the scheme of things. In the same vein, people of colour are marginalized.

Why does country music sound like pop?

Pop and Country music has fused together over the years. This led to the creation of a new genre entitled Country Pop.

Unravelling 5 Country Songwriting Ideas To Help You Get Started

These are songwriting ideas that can get you started without hassle if you are ready to implement what you learned on how to write a country song.

  • Songs that dwell on separation from your loved one, from home, from a community, from a purpose.
  • Personal experiences with unrequited love.
  • Social commentary.
  • Songs about distress, death, accidents, disasters.
  • Betrayal songs; how it feels to be betrayed by a loved one, a trusted ally, among others.

Good?

The End

In this article, we discussed the following;

    • What makes a country song?
  • How to write a country song step by step
  • Useful tips for writing country songs like a professional
  • Answers to the FAQs on how to write country music.
  • Unravelling 5 country songwriting ideas.

Hope you found this piece helpful, please use the comment section right below to raise any comments, suggestions, and comments. 

Published by Josh

Josh here, I am a lover of music and musical instrument. I've been a choir since I was a little boy. I later went to the university to study music and I share everything I know about music and musical instruments on this blog.