Becoming A Better Songwriter
by Joe Kleon

points—harmonies, melodies, or lyrics—and As an indie artist, there is nothing you can do that will be more beneficial than becoming a better songwriter.  To improve your songwriting, analyze songs you love, your own songs and those of others; isolate your weak keep a daily journal to build a catalog of ideas.

Core Practice Strategies

• Analyze your favorites: Break down structure, chord flows, and how melodies support the mood of songs you admire.
• Never underestimate the importance of a good hook.  A melody, a chorus, a memorable phrase, can hook a listener and turn them from a casual fan into a big fan. 
• Isolate your bottleneck: Figure out if you struggle most with chords, melodies, or lyrics, then spend time practicing just that single skill.  Ask other members of your band to help you fill in those areas of a song you are working on.
• Be Specific: Avoid generic statements, as concrete and vivid imagery makes a song feel more universally relatable.
• Study the craft: Learn basic structures and principles like prosody (how the music matches the message) and momentum. 
• Co-write with others: Partnering with someone who brings complementary strengths—like pairing a lyricist with a melody writer—forces you out of your comfort zone and sparks fresh ideas.
• Believe in yourself: Trust your unique perspective instead of trying to write what you think a commercial market or a specific audience

Daily Habits for Growth

• Keep a single idea hub: Store all your voice memos and lyric snippets in one central place, like a running phone app or document.
• Write regularly: Make writing a routine habit, even if you only spend ten minutes a day working on a fragment.
• Don’t lose spontaneous ideas:  Make voice memos on your phone, with lyrics lines, melody lines, ruffs and hooks that come into your head at strange times.  Capture them, so you don’t forget them and lose them.  
• Change your variables: If you feel stuck, shift the tempo, try a different instrument, or play in a new key or time signature.

Moments of “writers block” happen to everyone.  Don’t let it get you down.  Take a break, try writing in different environments, and try to find ways to destress before putting ideas for new songs down.  Think of topics that can be personal, based on your life experiences, or topics, feelings, and vibes interesting to you and commit them to music.  Always look for ways to draft something different, something that will be remembered by the listener (remember the famous phrase: Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!), and ask bandmates, friends, and family for their thoughts on your rough demos and song ideas.

The desire for becoming a better songwriter, combined with actions necessary to build quality songs, will likely result in new music that will excite not only you, but your audience as well.