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Song Writing Tips
#1:
You should
focus on the message.
Gospel
songs are about the message. That is
where you find the strength for the
song. In secular song writing they
mostly focus on love. And that is
good also for gospel songs. But the
love we need to mention is that of a
God who sent His Son Jesus for man.
There is no greater love to write
about. Let ideas flow out of your
experiences in relation to God.
#2:
Never
think about the money.
There's nothing wrong with a worker
of God getting paid. It actually is
scriptural. But the idea of doing it
solely for money will fail. Gospel
song writing is spiritual not
physical. In the end I believe you
will be rewarded for your work by
money and other blessings. There's no
greater reward than hearing someone
say they were changed by a message
in your song. Money cannot give you
that. If God sees fit to bless you
with good sales through an artist
then that is wonderful. But never
lose sight of the real reason for
writing and using the talent God has
given you.
#3:
Listen to
music.
Listen to lots of
music. Never get trapped into only
one style. Ask
yourself this question. What has made
these songs favored? What
techniques has the songwriter used? Why create mediocrity if you can
do better?
#4:
You should write songs every day.
Writing every day will bring rewards. You
don't necessarily have to write an
entire song each and every day, but a
few lines will go a long way. Practice
makes perfect. The more time you spend
writing songs the better you will
become. God gave you the talent but many
times He wants you to help in the
development. Not every one can write
a song in 30 minutes. Most good
songs take a while.
#5:
Write songs
about your own experiences.
It's much easier to write about
what you know and what you've never
been through. When you've been through
something that God has helped you
overcome, you'll better understand
how to write about it so that others
who hear your words are helped.
#6:
Wealth of
resources.
The bible provides the gospel songwriter with a wealth of information to
write about. If you think it's all
been written about, think again. Listen
to the Spirit of God as He leads you to
write. This will make your writing much
easier and you will get a better sense
of being on target with your song.
Utilize all you have learned but always
be open to new twists in common
messages. Listen to sermons and teachers
both who sometimes say a word or two
that will turn your thoughts and spirit
to a new message for a song. Most of all
keep a strong relationship with the
Lord. God is your greatest resource for
writing material.
#7:
Rewrite and
Polish your songs.
You should
never feel bad to keep rewriting and re-polishing your
songs. Sometimes what you think sounded
great one day may
not create such a great impact later. So
keep refining these lyrics or melodies
which you think need enhancing until your song is polished to
perfection.
#8:
Keep a
recorder close by.
Keep a
tape recorder close by.
Sometimes you may wake up with a
brilliant, idea or nice tune.
You never know.
Sing it into your recorder. If you
don't, your song idea may be
lost.
#9:
You should
carry a notebook.
Carry a notebook
and jot down
ideas that come or maybe titles to that
could work for songs. In time as the
Holy Spirit leads you may find these to
come alive.
#10:
Read Read
Read.
Read books, the
bible and other good Christian reading
material. It's amazing what God will use
in a word or phrase. Be open to it what
God can use.
#11:
Use
catchy phrases. There are
certain phrases which people use
everyday. Why not use them in your
songs with a twist for Gods message? By using these words in your
song, people will be reminded of your
song each time they use them. Write your
lyrics the way people speak.
#12:
Use
different formulas.
There is
a saying which goes like this: If it
works then why fix it. The same is not
always true in music. Using the same
songwriting formulas over and over, may
not work long. Song mechanics need to
change from time to time or your songs
all sound a like.
#13:
Learn
from others.
Even friends you
know may lend ideas that can enhance
your writing. Be open to what others say
especially if it is spiritually related.
You may hear something very fitting for
a song. Some things people say are
simple everyday stuff that can be
applied to a song in a spiritual sense.
#14:
Have
fun. Do yourself a favor and enjoy
creating songs. Remember when you first
started writing? I'm sure you did it
for the fun of it. Have fun and let
those creative lyrics flow. Do what ever
it takes to keep it from be grueling.
#15:
Hook
your listener. The focus of
your song should revolve around the
hook. The hook is the part that grabs
the listener and has him/her
sub-consciously singing your song all
day long, to the point where ... they
just can't get it out of their heads! It
is the sweet part of the song that's
repeated over and over. And if a hook
can line up with God's word you have
something very special.
I hope these tips help in your
song writing. There are also lots of
songwriting resources on the Internet
and books available that can be helpful.
But keep in mind when writing gospel
songs that the message is much different
than that of secular music. Gospel music
is a different kind. The scripture
says we are a "peculiar people", meaning
we are different, with a different
message. We know the truth and we should
be willing to share that truth in our
songs. In all writing I will "not be
ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ".
He is who we are about and who we should
write about. -- Mike Spanhanks
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