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Songwriting Tips and Advice

Songwriting tips, tricks and advice from Alexandria Maillot and Vancouver singer/songwriter Nat Jay.

A pen and piece of paper lie before you. The page is blank. Think. Think. What to write?

Then, it hits you. The words pour out of you like water from a faucet:

I’ll be there until the stars come out at night
Waiting patiently for daylight to arrive
Every time I see your face
Don’t matter the time
When I look in to your eyes
I get lost in the way you look at me
Your presence is intoxicating
Every time I close my eyes I see love, love, love
Be my love
Be my love.

And, there it is. A song is born.

Songwriting is a piece of your soul. It comes from an internal muse that is waiting to surface. All you have to do is listen, and you will find it – as if the song was already written, just waiting to be heard. Sometimes it comes naturally, other times you have to fight through many layers to catch a glimpse. It can be fragile, or it can come at you aggressively.

No song is the same; each develops a unique personality. Some have room for improvement, while others are perfectly flawed. Songs aren’t paint-by-the-number; they come from within. That’s the magic of songwriting.

I find I write best with a clear conscience, an instrument by my side and a cup of tea to sip. It helps me hone in on the present and the unexplored. I could never kid myself into writing a song about some preconceived thought or idea. Everything must be organic; everything must evolve in that very moment. Otherwise, it is not true.  

Your mind will put up a mental block that will need great force to break down. Songwriting is about being in the moment. Those moments are what make a song so special.

Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody is a perfect example of the magic that comes out of being real, honest and fearless. You never know what you will imagine. The discoveries are endless.

Grab a pen, hold it over some paper and think. Think about what is present, what is real. Contemplate everything but nothing specific. Realize that you have the power to create something magnificent. All it takes is vulnerability, and truth. Now, write.