TWLL #49: What To Do With Your Song Ideas

read time: less than 5 minutes

__________________

You love leading worship, and you're grateful for what you get to do each week with your team and the congregation you serve, but...you've started getting these little ideas for songs, and you don't know what to do with them.

You haven't written songs much in the past, or maybe you did way back when but it's been a long time, and you don't know how to move forward with these little ideas you've been getting recently.

Or maybe you've had some song ideas for years, and have just been sitting on them and really feel like they need to be developed, but you don't know where to start.

Today, I want to give a rough outline for songwriting, to help you take your song ideas and begin to flesh them out.

Understanding Song Structure

It's helpful to have a target when you're working with song ideas, so you know what you're shooting for.  In this case, it means having a basic outline for conventional song structure.

This is probably not new information for many, but I think still helpful to mention so it's fresh in your mind as you work.

The basic outline of a song looks something like this:

1. Verse

2. Chorus

3. Verse 2     

4. Chorus (2x)     

5. Bridge

6. Chorus

The framework above is a typical pattern for what you'd see in a pop song or worship song.  It doesn't mean your song has to fit this exact pattern, it's just something to have in mind for reference as you build out your song.

Characteristics Of Song Sections

Okay, so you have a basic outline for the parts of a song, but what are the typical characteristics or qualities of those parts- lyrically and musically?  In other words, what makes for a strong chorus or a solid verse?

Chorus Lyrics: Lyrically you want the chorus to feature the main message of the song in a simple, straight-forward, but well-crafted way.  Think of the chorus lyric as the takeaway of the song, summarized in a couple sentences.

As you work on your chorus lyric you're aiming for clarity (am I communicating my main message clearly) and quality (am I saying it in a way that hits deep, that is impacting).

Chorus Melody: Melodically you want the chorus to be catchy, simple, and has that "I want to hear it again" factor.  You want it to be strong and distinct from the other melodies in the song (verses, bridge).

I personally LOVE good melodies, and love creating them.  In my opinion a chorus melody can make or break a song.

Verse Lyrics: From a lyrical standpoint, the verse is the part of the song that gives backstory and context for your main message.  If you think of a song like a story, the verse lyric is where you really develop the storyline.  And when it's done well, it actually makes the chorus more impacting and meaningful.

Verse Melody: You want your verse melody to be strong and engaging- especially the opening melodic phrase of the verse, as that's typically what people will hear first when they listen to the song- but it doesn't necessarily need to be as catchy as the chorus. 

You also want the verse melody to be distinct from the chorus melody, and part of that distinction is often created by placing the melody of the verse in a slightly lower register or part of the musical scale than the chorus.

Bridge Lyric: The bridge lyric will be some kind of statement coming off of the message of the chorus.  Almost like you're expounding on the main message, or adding the next logical thought after the statement of the chorus.

Bridge Music: These days, especially in worship songs, the bridge can be just as catchy and as much of a melodic stand-out as the chorus.  Still create some melodic distinction from the chorus, so it feels like it's own part of the song.  Part of the role of a good bridge is almost like a "refresh" in the song, and a distinct melody line helps with that.

Identify Parts Then Fill In The Gaps

Now that there's some clarity about song structure and song-part characteristics, you'll want to go back to your existing song idea and try to identify what you song material you already have.

So you listen back to your song idea, and as you listen you ask yourself "is this a chorus?  Or maybe a verse?  Maybe it's more of a bridge?"  You're just trying to loosely land what you have, so you know what you need to still create. 

For example, if you determine that what you have feels more like verse material, that means you'll need to create a chorus, potentially a 2nd verse, and maybe a bridge.

Sometimes what you already have might be a complete chorus, verse, etc- or it might just be a partial version of one of these sections.  In which case, you'll need to write more material to round out that specific section.

How do you know if what you have is a complete section or just a partial section?  Listen to a few of your favorite songs, and try to recognize a pattern between them, in terms of section length.  How long is the chorus, how long is the verse, etc.?  Each song might not be exactly the same in terms of verse length, chorus length- but it will still give you a general sense of what you're shooting for.

Then listen back to what you have, and see how it strikes you.  Does it feel short?  Does it feel too long?  You're just trying to see what you need to do, in order to round that section out.

Wrapping It Up

How do you know when your song is done?  Go back through the general song framework and see if it checks off the basic boxes- but then ultimately listen back, and simply see how it feels to you.  When you hear it, do you like it?  Do you enjoy listening to it?  Is there a section that feels a bit off?

If you listen back, and you're like "yup, I like it.  This feels good,”  then chances are you're close to being done, if not already done.

It can also be helpful to pull in a friend to listen, and get their feedback.  It's great to have a 2nd pair of ears, because they might catch something you don't catch- or they might confirm something you were already thinking. 

Technically, you could keep tinkering with a song forever- but if you've had someone else give a bit of feedback, and if when you listen back you like what you've got, it might be time to call it done.

Conclusion

Don't let your song ideas keep sitting there!  Take some of the steps we walked through today, and start to move forward with your song ideas.

God has put ideas, themes, and messages in you that other people need to hear.

_________________

Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you: 

1. The Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship Course.  If spontaneous worship has been a struggle, you might want to check out Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship.  It's a self-guided, self-paced course that empowers you to lead spontaneous worship with confidence, enables your musicians to flow with you, and helps your room engage.  

2- Join A Zoom Group.  Every 3 months I host small zoom groups- one focused on worship leading and one on songwriting.  Each group meets once a week for an hour on Zoom over a 12-week period, as we walk through the process of learning to leading worship/write songs out of connection with Jesus.  For more details about the next upcoming zoom group, including schedule & cost, email me at [email protected]