HOW TO WRITE

SONGS THAT
STAND OUT FROM
THE CROWD
 Introduction

About 16 years ago, I started to write songs, and what began as a hobby became my obsession.
Starting at an old desk at my parents' house, I must have written a few hundred songs... Some didn't
suck too bad and some are actually quite decent, looking back :-)

Fast-forward 15 years… I had played my songs in 4 continents (some of them were played on the
radio and tv), got a degree in music arrangement, and created SongCamp, where now songwriters
from all over the world can use our techniques to express themselves, write songs that make a
difference in other peoples’ lives, or simply enjoy the health benefits of making music and have a
great time.

In this cheat sheet, I put together the 5 secrets you can instantly apply to your songs and will make
them sound much more powerful!

So, let’s begin?


Scroll down, and check out the good. :-)

Renato Assis

 1) Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
Repetition is one of the most important elements that you can have in your songs. It makes the ideas
clearer and memorable.

Think about how quickly we forget things in our lives? Pretty quickly, right? So quickly that we
need things to be repeated a few times to make sure we don’t forget them.

Repetition is THE element that makes our songs memorable. It’s also what creates the "ear-worm",
sometimes known as sticky music or stuck song syndrome.

We can add repetition to the melody, lyrics, and even chords. Let’s check some examples:

REPETITION IN THE MELODY

There are many ways that we can add repetition to a melody, but one of my favorite ways is the
rhythmic repetition.

Let’s take the lyrics of the hit song ‘Firework,’ by Katy Perry.

“Do you ever feel

Like a plastic bag
Drifting thought the wind
Wanting to start again”

Now if we create a representation of the rhythm of the melody, it’s can be something like this:
 TA TA TA TA TA
| Do | you | e | ver | feel
| Li | ke a | plas | tic | bag
| Drif | ting | thought | the | wind
Wan | ting | to | start | a |gain

So if we remove the lyrics and notes and only sing the rhythm of the melody with a “TA” sound, it’s
going to be like this:

TA TA TA TA TA
TA TA TA TA TA
TA TA TA TA TA
(TA) TA TA TA TA TA

Can you see the repetition being used there? It’s the same rhythm in the melody for all of the
sentences.

REPETITION IN THE LYRICS

Now how about the lyrics? Well, some of the most famous songs have repetitions in the lyrics.

Let’s take the chorus of ‘Let it Be,’ by The Beatles:

“Let it be, let it be

Let it be, let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be”

It’s an obvious one, right? But in this case, the repetition doesn’t only make the song get stuck in
our minds, but it also emphasizes the big idea of the song, which takes us to the next topic.
 2) The Big Idea
I’ve launched many Songwriting courses over the last few years, and I’ve had hundreds of students
going through a lot of important concepts, but when I’m coaching songwriters, there’s one
‘problem’ that always arises in the songs of beginner songwriters, and this is the first thing I pay
attention to when I provide song feedback.

We have, on average, 3 minutes to convey our message in a song. and if we confuse our listeners,
they’ll be more unlikely to relate to our song. If we analyze some of the most successful songs,
we’ll see that they all have one main idea, that ONE message that the song conveys.

Their Big Idea is usually in the chorus. The other sections of the song are not introducing new ideas,
but they are creating arguments or stories that support the big idea, making it even stronger.

Again, let’s check out Let it Be:

“When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

And in my hour of darkness

she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
let it be”
Can you notice it? The verses are not introducing new ideas, but new angles to support the song’s
‘Big Idea.’

3) Don’t Be Boring
This brings us to the next concept, which I call Repetition and Variation.

In a digital world, with social media, apps, emails, and all the distractions that can steal our
attention in a matter of seconds, we need to make sure that our songs not only catch our listeners'
attention but that they stay with us throughout the entire song.

You need repetition to make your songs memorable, but if you want your listeners to stay
interested and listen to your song until the end, you also need variations, that will bring new
information and always keep your ideas fresh.

That’s why we need to have variations in our melody. There are many ways to get your variations,
and I teach 12 of them in my programs, but one of my favorites is the ‘Melodic Variation.’

With this technique, just like I showed you with Katy Perry, the rhythm of the melody keeps the
same, ‘TA TA TA TA TA’ throughout the entire verse, but the pitches (or musical notes) are always
changing from one sentence to another. So she is repeating the rhythm, but creating melodic
variations at the same time.

The rhythm is:

TA TA TA TA TA
TA TA TA TA TA
TA TA TA TA TA
(TA) TA TA TA TA TA

But the melody is:

C Eb Eb C C
Ab Bb Bb Ab Ab
Ab Bb Bb Ab Ab
(Ab) Ab Ab Bb C C

So if you want keep their attention, surprise your listeners by adding variation between your
sections, between your verses, and (sometimes) inside your verses.
 4 ) L e t Yo u r S o n g Te l l Yo u r S t o r y
Stories are the emotional glue that connects the audience to the message. They create magic and a
sense of wonder at the world.

A common question I receive from my students is: “if I tell a story about something that happened
to me, but my listeners haven’t been through that experience, how is that relatable?”

Have you ever told someone an exciting story about something cool that you found out, and noticed
that all they thought about was how that could apply to them, and how THEY could benefit from it?

That’s what we do! We’re wired to be selfish, and that’s not a bad thing (in this case).

For example, if you write a song about a red Mustang, and your listener has never seen a red
Mustang, but once had an incredible ride on a blue Toyota, his/her mind will find a way to connect
the red Mustang to the blue Toyota, and it will take them right back to that situation.

If you write a song about the time you lost someone important in your life, but the listener’s dog has
recently passed away, guess what they’ll think about when they listen to your song?

And here’s the fun part… the more specific you are with your story, the more details you include,
the more you fuel their ‘selfish mind’ to relate to their own experiences.
 5) Exploring New Chords

For a long time, my songs used to all sound the same. Not just the melodies, but I was always
repeating the same chords.

Later on, I discovered that chords are not just there to support my melodies, but they can completely
change the sensations that I am trying to convey, and amplify my message.

If you don’t believe me, try replacing a C chord for a Cm chord in the same song, and you’ll see
how it’s going to affect it.

But there is a simple technique you can use to find your new chords, and that is:

You can (usually) replace your chord with another one that has 2 or more notes in common.

For example, if your song is in the key of C, and you have a C chord (notes C-E-G) at the end of a
musical sentence, you can replace it with:

A minor (notes A-C-E), which has the notes C and E in common.

Em (notes E-G-B), which has the notes E and G in common.

If you replace the C chord with an Am or Em, it will give you a continuation effect, rather than the
predictable choice of coming back to the root chord.
If you have an F chord (notes F-A-C), try the Dm chord (D-F-A), which has the notes F and A in
common.

If you are more experienced, you can try chords that are not part of the C Major key, like F#m7(b5)
(notes F# - A - C - E).

And instead of replacing, you can also play them as a sequence, creating a moving effect on the
bass without changing too much the intention.

Of course, you need to use this technique wisely and follow your ear. Try the different chord
possibilities, and see what works you for your melody and your song.

Conclusion
Those are the 5 secrets that you can incorporate in your songwriting and experience instant results.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

The Big Idea
Don’t Be Boring
Let Your Song Tell YOUR Story
Exploring New Chords

Keep on writing,
Renato :)