Lesson 2: Practicing Songwriting
This lesson offers a plan for growing your songwriting/composing
skills (no actual "music theory" in this one).
Songwriters seem to use two basic approaches to growing their skills:
- Intuitive Approach
- Analytical Approach
Intuitive Approach
In an intuitive approach, you just write what "comes naturally". You don't
analyze music or do "exercises". Most composers (myself included) probably
started this way, and plenty of composers use only this approach.
If you're happy with an intuitive approach, that's great. But if:
-
You're in a rut (you feel like you only have a few different musical
ideas);
-
You hear music and think "how can I write something like
that?";
... then an
analytical approach can help.
Analytical Approach
In an analytical approach, you
study why good music sounds good
(which is just what "music theory" is). And you can combine theory with a
structured practice plan which helps you actually
use the theory
when you write.
A Structured Practice Plan
Your own
personal practice plan can take many forms. Here's an example
you can use as-is or for inspiration:
Major activities:
Divide your practice time among these 3 major activities:
- Writing
- Analyzing
- Exercises
Writing:
To grow your writing skills, you have to write (of course).
Analyzing:
This means, study good music and figure out
why it sounds good, how
it's using music theory concepts, "how it works". This is what these
Pop Music Theory lessons are all about.
Exercises:
Finally, to
connect analyzing and writing, do "writing exercises" to
practice actually using the theory concepts you learn. These lessons suggest
some exercises, but you can also invent your own.
Next:
The "real theory" starts with
Lesson 3: Pitch Names.
