How To Start A Somg

Staring at a blank page is the villain of songwriting. You know the feeling. Your heart is full and your brain is empty. The trick is not waiting for inspiration like some mythic taxi. The trick is building a reliable launching pad you can use whenever the muse ghosts you. This guide gives you three practical ways to start a song plus templates, timed drills, cheat codes for writer block, and recording tips to make a real demo fast.

This is written for the artists who want to write more songs and waste less time. That includes the people who make bops at 2 a.m. in a roommate kitchen and the folks with a home studio who never finish anything because every idea turns into a three hour argument with a plugin. You will leave with repeatable methods you can use right now.

Why Starting Is the Hard Part

Beginning a song triggers a thousand tiny judgements. The brain wants perfection. The brain likes rules. Songwriting wants mess. Start by giving yourself permission to be ugly for ten minutes. Ugly drafts are sacred. They are the raw clay you will sculpt into something that slaps.

Here is the useful promise for today. If you can pick one of these starting methods and follow the five minute hacks inside, you will have a playable idea within thirty minutes. That is a win. Repeat it and you will have songs someone can actually listen to.

Start With a Clear Intention

Before any chord, lyric, or beat pick one sentence that states what the song is about. Call it the core promise. Write it like a text you would send a friend. No metaphors yet. No poetry. Just the feeling. This one sentence guides every decision that follows.

Examples

• I am leaving and I am excited about how ridiculous freedom feels.
• The person I love is ghosting and I keep replaying one stupid joke in my head.
• I remember my dad through songs he used to hum in the kitchen.

Turn that sentence into a working title. Keep it short and singable. The title does not need to be final. It only needs to point the song toward one emotional cliff.

Three Fast Ways to Start a Song

Different brains want different starting points. Pick one method and stick with it for one session. Don’t switch mid draft unless you are copying a habit you want to keep.

1. Melody First

Why this works: Melodies are memory anchors. If you find a melody that feels like breath the rest of the song becomes scaffolding.

How to run it

1. Make a simple loop. This can be one or two chords. If you are on your phone, hum over a 8 bar loop you play with a guitar app or soft keys in a DAW. DAW stands for digital audio workstation. A DAW is the software you record inside such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, or GarageBand. If you do not use a DAW, use your phone recorder and clap a beat.
2. Do a vowel pass. Sing nonsense syllables or pure vowels for two minutes. Vowels help you find shapes that are comfortable to sing. Record the take.
3. Mark the repeatable bits. Listen back and circle the gestures you would sing in the shower. Those are your hooks.
4. Place one short phrase on the best gesture. That phrase is likely your chorus title.
5. Build verses around the melody shape. Keep verse notes lower than chorus notes. A small range shift creates lift.

Real life scenario

You are on the subway and you hum a tune. It feels like a question. Later that night you put your phone mic on, play two chords, sing the tune again, and lock the chorus phrase. You now have a topline and a title. Topline means the main vocal melody and lyric that sits on top of the track. Topline writers often get hired to write the main vocal part for a beat.

2. Lyrics First

Why this works: If you are a storyteller this method lets you anchor the song in a concrete movie. Lyrics first gives you the emotional arc and a natural chorus line.

How to run it

1. Write the core promise sentence at the top of the page. Then do the camera pass. For each line you write imagine a camera shot. If you cannot imagine a shot rewrite the line.
2. Use the crime scene edit. Underline words that are abstract and replace them with objects, actions, and time stamps. A time stamp is a small detail like Tuesday at midnight or July in a parking lot.
3. Pick the most singable sentence as the chorus. Shorten it to one to three lines. Repeat or ring it. A ring phrase means you start and end the chorus on the same short phrase for memory impact.
4. Match the melody later with a vowel pass or by humming into a loop.

Real life scenario

You find a note on your phone from last month that says The last pack of gum had two pieces left and you took both without thinking. That line becomes the first verse. You do the crime scene edit and suddenly the chorus writes itself as I stole your two pieces of gum which is a metaphor for taking the small things. It is honest and weird and now you have a chorus title.

3. Beat or Chord First

Why this works: This is the producer flow. A groove creates emotional color. You can hum melodies and write lyrics into the pocket of the beat.

How to run it

1. Pick a BPM. BPM means beats per minute. Think of BPM like the song’s heartbeat. A wedding ballad sits around 70 to 90 BPM. A pop dance track sits between 100 and 128 BPM. Choose what fits the core promise.
2. Create a chord loop. Use a common progression to breathe. Four chord loops are a classic because they give stability for melody. Example progression in C major is C G Am F. You can transpose later.
3. Record a guide vocal and improvise melodies on top of the loop. Use space and repetition to find hooks.
4. Once you have a hook, build the chorus and then the verses. Let the groove decide the energy. The beat can also suggest where the pre chorus should rise.

Real life scenario

At a house party a friend plays a drum loop. You start clapping. Within ten minutes you and a buddy have a two bar bass line and a four bar chord loop. You hum a melody into your phone and boom you have the skeleton of a song. Later that week you build a chorus around the melody and finish the verse on the train to work.

Common Terms and Acronyms Explained

If acronyms make you roll your eyes this section is for you. Each term comes with a quick scenario so it feels usable, not nerdy.

• DAW stands for digital audio workstation. It is the program you use to record, edit, and arrange music. Imagine Logic or Ableton like a kitchen where you prepare a meal. You chop, season, fry, and plate all inside the DAW.
• BPM means beats per minute. A BPM is like the song’s walking speed. If you want to dance, bump the BPM. If you want to cry, slow it down with intention.
• MIDI stands for musical instrument digital interface. MIDI is not audio. It is a set of instructions that says which notes are being played. Think of MIDI like sheet music for a keyboard. It tells the plugin what to play and when.
• Topline is the main vocal melody and lyric. If your song was a building the topline is the signage on the front door that everyone remembers.
• Hook is any musical or lyrical idea that hooks the listener. Hooks can be melodic, lyrical, or rhythmic. A post chorus chant is a pure hook.
• Pre chorus is a short section that builds pressure into the chorus. It exists to make the chorus feel inevitable.

Create a Starter Template You Can Use Every Time

Templates save time. Use this template in your DAW or in your mind when you start a session.

1. Set BPM and key. Pick a comfortable key for the vocalist and a BPM that matches mood.
2. Create a four bar chord loop for verses and a slightly wider progression for chorus such as moving the bass up by a third.
3. Add a simple drum loop. Keep it light for writing. You can fatten it later.
4. Record a scratch vocal in one take. Keep the phone mic close and honest. This is your guide.
5. Use a folder labeled IDEAS and drop the session there even if it is trash. Too many people lose the good trash because they are perfectionists.

Topline Method That Actually Works

This method is what hitmakers use when they need a hook fast.

1. Vowel pass. Record two minutes of singing on pure vowels over your loop. No words. Do it like you are telling a joke with melody.
2. Pick a gesture. Find the 8 or 16 beat pattern that repeats naturally. That gesture is the backbone of your hook.
3. Rhythm map. Clap the rhythm of the gesture and count the syllables you will need. This gives you a syllable grid for lyrics.
4. Title anchor. Put a short, emotional phrase on the pick up. The phrase should be easy to repeat. Test it by imagining a friend texting it back to you without the rest of the lyrics.
5. Prosody check. Say the lines out loud at conversation speed and make sure the natural stresses align with the strong beats of the rhythm.

Lyric Hacks for Writers Who Hate Writer Block

Use constraints. Constraints are cheats. They force creativity.

• Object drill. Pick any object in the room. Write four lines where that object appears and does something in each line. Ten minutes.
• One vowel constraint. Write four lines using words that include only the vowel O. That forces you into unexpected phrases.
• Timebox. Set a timer for 12 minutes and write without editing. The pressure gets you past perfection paralysis.
• Dialogue drill. Write two lines as if you answer a text that says I am outside. Keep the punctuation like real texting language.

Real life scenario

You are stuck on the chorus. You pick up a coffee cup and write four lines about how the cup remembers your lipstick. Suddenly the chorus title appears because the cup becomes a metaphor for small consistent habits. Use that.

Choosing Key and Range Without Tears

Key choice can ruin good songs when handled badly. Use this simple method.

1. Sing your chorus in the key you first found it. If your voice cracks on the highest note transpose down in half step increments until it sits comfortably. If it sounds too low transpose up.
2. If you work with guitar use a capo to try keys fast. If you work with piano use a simple transpose function in your DAW or plugin.
3. Remember the chorus should feel like the top of the hill. The vocalist needs to be able to sing it live night after night. Stay in real world range rather than studio perfect range.

Recording a Demo That Actually Shows the Song

Fake polish is better than no demo. Your demo only needs to communicate the energy, the hook, and the structure. Here is a quick checklist.

• Record a clear vocal. Use your phone in a quiet room or a cheap condenser mic. Close windows and put towels on reflective surfaces if needed.
• Keep the rhythm simple. A basic drum loop or a clap pattern is enough. It gives momentum so listeners can imagine production.
• Label sections in the file name like Verse1 Chorus Bridge. This helps collaborators and managers scan it quickly.
• Export a single mp3 at reasonable quality 192 kbps or higher. Put the file in the cloud and send the link. No attachments that crash inboxes.

Collaboration Tips

Working with other writers and producers can explode your output if you follow these rules.

• Bring one clear thing to the session. A title, a beat, or a melody. Do not bring a vague mood and expect the room to fix it.
• Use the 30 minute rule. If the idea has not moved in 30 minutes pick a new idea or change roles. This keeps sessions productive and prevents ego fights.
• Record everything. Someone will hum something weird that becomes the hook. If you did not record it you will regret it.
• Explain acronyms to new collaborators. If you say DAW or MIDI to someone who is new to the studio, say what you mean. This keeps energy and time from leaking into confusion.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

These are the traps I see all the time and how to escape them.

• Trying to be original first. Originality follows clarity. State a clear emotion and then twist one detail to sound fresh.
• Making the chorus too busy. Fix by reducing syllables and widening rhythm. Let the chorus breathe.
• Writing verses that repeat the chorus. Verses should add detail. Use the crime scene edit to force new images into each verse.
• Editing while drafting. Separate writing and editing. Draft for speed. Then edit like a surgeon.

Actionable 30 Minute Plan

Do this in any session and you will always end with a usable idea.

1. Minute 0 to 5. Set intention and title. Write one sentence that states the core promise.
2. Minute 5 to 10. Choose your starting method melody, lyrics, or beat and set a simple loop or open a document.
3. Minute 10 to 20. Do a vowel pass or a timed lyric dump. Get at least one chorus idea recorded either on phone or in your DAW.
4. Minute 20 to 30. Record a rough demo of the chorus and one verse. Export an mp3 and label it with title and date.
5. After 30 minutes. Close the session and walk away for a coffee. Come back later and do a crime scene edit on the verse and a prosody check on the chorus.

Example Start to Finish Mini Song

Follow this example to see how a song can be born in an hour.

Core promise sentence: I keep rehearsing how to leave but my hands forget the bags.

Template

• BPM 92
• Key G major
• Chord loop for verse G D Em C
• Chorus moves to Em C G D for lift

Vowel pass result: hummed melody with a repeat on the word stay but that felt dishonest.

Working chorus title: My hands do not pack themselves. The line is weird and specific. It laughs while it hurts.

Verse one camera shot line: The shoebox of receipts still says your name across the lid. That gives place and object.

Pre chorus short climber: I practice the door in my mouth. The image points to the chorus and creates tension.

Chorus: My hands do not pack themselves. They keep practicing holding your sweater. They learn the rhythm of leaving but not the act.

Demo: phone vocal over simple keys and clap. Labeled HandsDontPack_2025-11-01.mp3

Later edits: remove repeated words in chorus. Add a small countermelody in final chorus. Keep the original title line as a ring phrase.

When to Stop Editing and Ship

Perfectionism kills songs. Stop when the song clearly communicates the core promise and the chorus is singable. If the next change is a stylistic preference rather than clarity do not make it. Ship the version that gets feelings right and iteratively improve based on listener feedback. Set a rule like only three changes after external feedback unless the change fixes a clarity problem.

Tools and Gear That Help You Start Faster

Not everything needs expensive gear. Here is a tiered list.

Phone level

• Smartphone voice memo app. Use it for quick idea capture and demos.
• Free metronome app to set BPM. Use it to create a consistent pocket.

Home studio level

• DAW such as GarageBand or Reaper. GarageBand is free on Mac and very usable for demos.
• USB condenser mic. Affordable mics record vocals clearly for demos.
• Headphones with flat response for balanced listening.

Pro level

• Interface with 48 volt phantom power for better mic performance.
• Monitors for accurate mixing reference.
• Plugins for vocal comping and tuning. Use them lightly in the demo stage.

FAQ

How long should I spend starting a song

Spend no more than 30 minutes getting a first playable idea. If you still feel lost after that try a new method or take a break. The goal is to capture an idea you can return to. Lock that idea as a file and call it progress.

What should I record first

Record the core hook or chorus first. A clear chorus gives you a destination. A one phrase chorus can guide the verse and the arrangement. If you find a great verse first that is fine. Record that. The point is to capture anything that will vanish if you do not record it now.

Should I write verses before chorus or after

There is no rule. Many writers find the chorus easier first because it states the promise. Others prefer verse first because it gives context. Use whichever approach gets you moving. You can always rearrange later.

How do I know what BPM to use

Match BPM to the feeling you want. Slow ballads sit around 60 to 80 BPM. Fender groove mid tempos sit around 90 to 110 BPM. Dance and club tracks sit between 120 and 130 BPM. If you cannot decide pick a tempo around 90 to 100 BPM as a versatile starting point.

What if I can only write lyrics or only melodies

That is normal. Collaborate. If you write only lyrics find a melodic writer or a producer to voice the topline. If you write only melodies find a lyricist to anchor the phrasing. Many songs exist because people joined the things they did best. If collaboration is not available trade services with friends. Help them record demos and they will help you write.

How do I beat writer block

Use constraints and timeboxes. The object drill, vowel pass, and dialogue drill work fast. Also change your environment. Go to a cafe, a park, or even a grocery store. New sights and sounds prime new images. Commit to producing one demo per week even if you think it is garbage. Quantity breeds quality.

Do I need music theory to start

No. You can start without formal theory. Basic concepts are useful such as knowing relative minor and major, and how to move between four chords. Learn as you go. If you want to accelerate learn simple chord functions and common progressions. That knowledge makes starting faster but does not replace having an idea.

How do I keep my songs sounding different

Keep one signature sound per song and anchor the lyric in specific detail. The signature sound could be a synth texture, a drum sample, or a vocal effect. Avoid changing everything between songs. Variation in detail and attitude creates identity more than swapping genres each song.

Is it okay to use a phone demo for pitching songs

Yes. Many publishers and collaborators accept phone demos if the idea is strong. Make sure the structure is clear and the hook is audible. Label the file clearly and include the tempo and key in the message. If a publisher requests a better recording do it then.

How do I know if a chorus is good

If someone who hears it once can hum or text the line back it is working. A good chorus has a singable hook, a clear title or ring phrase, and an emotional punch that relates to the core promise. Simplicity and repetition are your allies.

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