If you've got an idea for a song but don't know how to write music or play an instrument, fear not. With modern day software, you don't need to be a musician to make music; all you need is an idea.
Maybe you want to write a love song for someone special, a political ballad to help your cause or a fun ditty to get everyone dancing; it's this germ of an idea that you are going to expand on. So first, get out your notepad and pen and jot down your initial concept. What will the song be about? Are you inspired by another song or artist? What about the format?
Once you've got the rough shape worked out, you can start writing lyrics. This will probably be the hardest part of the process. Start by writing down the first thing that comes to mind and then work on 'prettying up' your lyrics. Use
similes,
analogies and clever rhymes to really make it pop. They say that you should write what you know and this is true of songs – don't write a rock song if you're a hardcore rap fan.
With the lyrics underway, you can start on the music. This is where your online software comes in handy.
Jam Studio is a drop and click site that provides dozens of different instrumental tunes and also writes the music as you lay it down. The
Music Lab is a simple program designed for children. For piano sounds,
Button Beats allows you to play your computer keyboard like a piano. These programs are free to use and allow you to record your song.
When you've got a library of songs together, you might like to burn it onto a CD and hand it out to family and friends.
