Once you are on the path to improving yourself as a songwriter you will want to carve out your own niche and own a clear style. We understand this, and know how important it is to find the methods and ideas that can help you become unique.
You find your own songwriting style by writing authentic lyrics, melodies, and chord sequences in every song you write. Then you repeat the process and try to improve at least one aspect of your craft every time you write a new song. Combining honesty, authenticity and improvement will give you a clear style.
Let’s dive into all the ideas you can start using today to lock-in your own unique songwriting style.
Analyse and Perform Other Writer’s Songs
Look at which artists have unique styles and work out what it is that makes them individual. Is it their lyrics, the fact that they use a looping pedal, or that all of their songs are piano focused?
Most of the time it will be authenticity and consistency, but you will also find other ideas along the way.
You can see where we have analysed the lyrics of Taylor Swift below.
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You can also become a collector of great ideas. Steal, rework, and transform your favourite chord sequences, rhyming patterns, and drum beats and combine them with other ideas to make them your own.
Take one of your favourite songs that you have created and rewrite another artist’s song or story in that style. See if you can add your unique sound to them to really develop an understanding of what you can add to a song.
Use Genre To Create Your Own Songwriting Style
Think about what factors make the genre you want to write clear to a listener.
Is it the instruments or the style of singing? Is it the drum beats or the content of the lyrics? If you want to stick to a genre, understanding the core elements will give you a clear style.
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Do a cover of a song in the style of the genre you like. Making the song your own through the lens of a genre can really help you hone in on what songwriting style is 100% you.
Think about the artists you would like to work with and what would make you stand out to them.
Make sure that it is something you really want to commit to and is not a superficial technique or idea that you do not want to be known for in the long-term. Then double down at being the best at this aspect of your writing.
Use Lyrics To Create Your Own Songwriting Style
Which type of song do you love to write? If you’re struggling for inspiration then check out our article ‘What Should Be The Topic Of My Song?’.
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Choose ten topics and write ten songs with the same melody. You’ll soon find a style you really connect with when you write.
Think about if you love to use similes and metaphors in your writing or you would rather explain a situation exactly as it is. There is no wrong answer to this, but once you know, stay consistent and commit to why you write like this.
Do you like to rhyme every other line? Do you like to rhyme at all? Experiment whilst writing 10+ songs and then find a rhyming pattern that fits your style of storytelling. If this is consistent, your listeners will come to expect it as ‘your style’.
Use Melody To Create Your Own Songwriting Style
You could craft your whole style using only short melodic ideas. Create amazing ‘catchy melodies’ and then repeat them with little variations. If you can add hard hitting or deeply meaningful lyrics on top of this then you will soon craft a clear melodic style.
You could always have a lower melody when setting up the story in the verse and then go up in your range (or someone else’s) when you reach the chorus. If you repeat this idea in enough of your songs, your audience will begin to see it as your own unique style.
Use Chords and Chord Sequences To Create Your Own Songwriting Style
You can craft a whole style around using specific types of chords in your songs. Do you like simple, stripped back chord patterns? Do you like to use funky 7th and 9th chords? Do you use lots of different chords in your music or stick to two or three chord sequences in a song?
All of these are ideas to try before you land on the one that feels best to you.
Developing your knowledge of music theory and using chords to highlight specific lyrics will give you more options and ideas to experiment with. And just like before, use all the options you like until you start to find the ones that really suit the songs you want to communicate to your listener.
Use Rhythms To Create Your Own Songwriting Style
If you particularly love a style of South American music like bossa nova, North African rhythms like the Nanigo, or British Punk then use the rhythms you love in your songs. Allow them to help you create a tapestry of ideas as an artist and influence your creations.
You may love fast and intricate rhythms in lyrics that switch to longer, soaring melodies in the chorus. If this is the case then lean into it and write 10+ songs in that style and see if it suits you for the long term.
You may like straight forward and simple rhythms that purely allow the lyrics to speak for themselves. Again, write enough songs to see if that feels good when writing songs.
Use Structure To Create Your Own Songwriting Style
Thinking about the structure you would like to use so that your songs are communicated in the best way is a great way to find your own unique style. If all the other elements to your writing already have your unique stamp on them then a verse/chorus structure will suit you well.
Be mindful that your audience will want parts of the song to come back so that your message and story really lands with them.However, you could experiment with a more free form structure like AABA form or just stay in a section until that part of the story is finished.
Instrument Choices
Your instrument choices may be linked to the genre you write in. If this is the case you could experiment with finding a way to mix in instruments that do not usually fit in that genre if you love the sound of them and it adds to your style.
You may want to be a straightforward guitar based singer or singer/songwriter, and this has worked for so many people over so many years.
Similarly, being a piano based singer or singer/songwriter will give you a clear identity and space to work and write within.
You might want to be more computer driven and use Digital Audio Workstations. Using software opens up so many possibilities and allows you to create any sound you can think of in your songwriting journey.
Take The Next Songwriting Step
If you’re ready to dive straight in, we have the perfect article for you to read next on “How To Write A Song For The First Time”.
If you want to improve your music theory knowledge head on over here, and if chords are what you’re looking to master, this article on all chord types (with images and audio) will give you everything you’re looking for.
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