A Detailed Guide On How To Write A Song Without An Instrument
So you want to master how to write a song without an instrument?
Many people would say it is quite easy to write a song if you play the guitar or piano and hence conclude you can’t write a song without an instrument.
In a distinct case, I would tell you that writing a song is not dependent on how much of the instrument you understand. You can surely compose or write a song without knowing how to play an instrument.
In this article, I will unveil the techniques of how to write a song without an instrument.
Before going into the principal subject, I will show you some basic requirements of a talented songwriter. By the way, gospel songs (how to write a Christian song) are a good example of songs you can write without an instrument.
A brilliant songwriter requires the following.
- Having a good musical attention
- Having a good flow with the audience
- Understanding various musical rhythms and styles
- Good mastery of language
- Having the right relationships to foster collaborations.
You must have seen that these are basic skills that do not involve using an instrument. No doubt if you can do all of these without having issues then you’re on your way to writing your first song even without an instrument.
We are heading somewhere!
Find Out How To Write A Song Without An Instrument
Be Inspired
This is the first and most important step to writing a song. Find out your best positions. Most people would tell you they get inspired majorly when they are alone or in a place that reminds them of something, be it a tourist center, an art gallery, waterside, or even a village.
So it’s quite important to keep your notepads close to you at all times so as not to miss the wave when it comes.
Discover your solfa notations, pitch
With excellent knowledge about music, you should be able to discover the solfa notations for your song and also what the pitch of the song would look like. You can do all of these even without an instrument by your side.
You’re surely moving forward if you’ve done this successfully.
Write Down Your Lyrics
It is very important to always write down your lyrics alongside your emotions so you can express yourself freely with no breach.
And if you aren’t with your writing materials, record them and make sure you put them to writing in your free time.
Try relating to your lyric
This is one important aspect of writing a song that a lot of people neglect. If you do not relate to what you’re writing personally, you might not be able to relate it to other people. You obviously do not need an instrument to do this.
Bring out the meaning of your song and check out what it is going to pass to your audience.
What impressions would it leave on people? Is it making sense? All these are questions you should ask yourself in order to write down good music. You really have to relate and fall in love with your write-up before other people would.
Structure Your Song
In the aspect of structuring, it involves separating lines, verses, and other aspects that make up a song. It is important to follow patterns so as not to get it all mixed up. You can follow this pattern:
- Intro
- Verse 1
- Chorus
- Verse 2
- Chorus
- Bridge
- Chorus
Your song structure is actually very much important, most especially depending on the style of music you’re incorporating. You should check out the verses suitable for the solo and also check out that which is suitable for the chorus. Check out the lines with more repetitions and you can probably make that your chorus and sometimes you could get your song title from the chorus.
Making Your Harmony
This is most likely to be the most stressful part of songwriting without an instrument but you don’t have to be discouraged. By merely being a person who has an idea of music, you should be able to pick out the rhythms and style you’re incorporating. Develop the beat and also find out possible ways to make the song better.
Also, knowing some harmonic structures beforehand will help you become a better songwriter. This may seem hard but it’s attainable. A few practices will help.
Learn about chord songs (mainly 3 chords).
Talking about three-chord songs where you have the Do Fa So.
Having knowledge of this can greatly help you in structuring the harmony of your song. By merely listening to one chord line you should be able to develop it to a large extent.
Other chord lines include:
- Fa So Do
- Do So Fa
- La So Fa
To get your harmony right, it is expedient that you master some keys and what they represent. For example, the major keys c and f are known to relate joy and happiness while the minor keys c, and d relate a sad sound.
So you see, getting harmony for your song is dependent on the kind of lyrics and the energy you’re giving out.
Does this make sense?
Note that changing keys sometimes is not necessary for your song. Except you discover a need to do so, it’s not an absolute necessity!
Rehearse
The art of music, communication are important.
It is more fun rehearsing or jamming with your best friends. You could pick a night when you’ll meet with your friends, jam together and you could even discover a new song. That’s the fun of music.
If everyone can contribute a lyric or two, discover rhymes, it could just become a build-up pattern. You can’t tell! It would only get better. Develop and rehearse your Melody lines, arrange what you want your music to look like. Harmonize it very well and trust me you’re good to go.
Bonus Point: Record
Having done all of these, you can go ahead to record your result, take it to a studio for proper arrangement, sound engineering, and music production.
That’s all. And there you have it, your handwritten first song!
So the process of writing songs is perfectly possible even if you don’t play an instrument.
What Is A Song Without Instruments Called?
A song rendered without instrumentals is called Acapella.
Is It Hard To Write A Song?
As it is with every other creative pursuit. Songwriting could be difficult, especially if you are a newbie. This, you can always work your way around despite the difficulty. Once you understand the foundational elements necessary to make a song.
The End
The art of writing a song comes with so many challenges and unimaginable frustrations, especially if you’re not doing it with an instrument.
I’d always say, this it’s attainable. Do not neglect the passion to write songs because of a lack of resources.
It is not a skill you can develop in one day. You need a lot of time and practice just to come up with something amazing. Put your best into it and you’ll definitely get results.
I wish you all the success you ever hope for in advance, friend!
