(First Draft) Songwriting: A Trait that Saved Me
“When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead; true story.” It was Neil
Patrick Harris who said this in the show “How I Met Your Mother”. I find this quote powerful,
even though it was meant to be funny, since it can actually be true. When a person is sad, the can
“be awesome” in that they can do something that they are good at and that makes them happy.
This is how I feel about my Songwriting. While not necessarily a trait, I am extremely proud of
the fact that I can write a song and it actually turn out well.
Rhyming, which is something that I have seen most people struggle with, is almost
second nature to me, as I can compare words in my head before I even consider writing the song.
Rhymes are something that come into the song later in development, but I can always come up
with them even before the process starts. It’s always good to have them in my head, since when I
initially put my feelings down, I can start to formulate them and compare lines that could go
together. Songwriting requires a rhyme scheme, at least most of the time, and in most cases just
trying to rhyme the words can be extremely fun.
Songwriting, which is usually a trait that people use to express themselves, is no different
in my case. Not only that, but it has really had a large effect on who I have become as a person.
Had I not been able to get into songwriting, I most likely would have battled heavy depression
more than I already did. Pain, sorrow, love, joy, issues that I felt strongly about in the world, and
even minor issues like hunger or wanting to go to a place like Carowinds have all been topics that I have
discussed in my songwriting. No matter what happens in my life, it is only fuel to the already
enormous fire that burns within me to express my feelings through song. But feelings and words
aren’t the only things that make up a song.
Since I mainly focus on expressing myself, it’s not initially too large of a concern of
mine to create the music behind it; however, this isn’t the case throughout the entire process.
Musical talent must go beyond just being able to come up with lyrics. After the song is written, I
usually come up with a guitar and drum part to back them up. This can be both fun and tedious.
As per a personal rule, I usually try to come up with a unique sound to every song that I choose
to finish. These songs, which are very few in number, aren’t really going to be performed, but
rather I like to finish the ones I really like, just to add a bit of closure. Normally, I try to go for
making two guitar parts, consisting of a lead and a rhythm. The Rhythm is normally not too
complicated, just being a few power chords repeated for the singer to play, should it ever be
performed. It gives the lead guitar a good basis on where it can go with the sound of the guitar.
The lead guitar is much more complicated, using actual chords, as well as picking the strings at
different frets. Most of the time, I keep both at standard tuning while writing, but sometimes I’ll
deviate and tune them a whole step or half step down, as well as using Drop D tuning.
The next step is to write a drum part, which is actually the easiest part. There’s not a lot
of uniqueness that can be put into the drum part, as all it has to do is carry the other parts, with a
bit of deviation here and there. That’s not to say that the drums aren’t important to the song, but
there’s not a lot of room to be unique with it. Next is the bass guitar, which is probably the
hardest part, unless you have it basically, mirroring the lead guitar. The bass is basically just
finger picking, trying to support the song.
This may not seem like a trait as much as a process, but it all adds up to one trait, which
is musical talent. This is a trait that, if I did not have, I would be a much different person, as it is
my most treasured and most used talent. I try to keep myself as well-rounded as possible, but in
the end, I will owe myself to my songwriting and consider it my most treasured quality.