I love writing worship songs!
So I do my best to utilize any available learning opportunity to get better at it. This includes attending training programs, reading books, blogs etc. From all that I’ve learned from the many wonderful worship songwriters out there and my limited personal experience, here’s a collection of handy tips to improve the art of crafting worship songs that I’ve found very helpful:
Pray - the Holy Spirit is the Master of inspiration.Write down your prayers during different seasons in your life and then try tweaking them into something singable.
Keep listening to good songs, analyze them and try to find out what makes them tick - learning from others helps...a lot.
Write with passion.
Write songs on a variety of themes - Cross, joy, justice, intimacy, hope, repentance, forgiveness, salvation, communion...the possibilities are endless.
Rewrite a lot - chances are pretty slim for the Holy Spirit to give you ready-to-record lyrics and melody in one shot.
Pay attention to technique like rhyme, alliteration, syllables etc.
Don't treat songwriting like a task/chore.
Try out difference song structures like one liners, choruses, hymns, single verse, multiple verses, with/without bridge, with/without pre-chorus etc. - flexibility will make you a better songwriter.
Read books like God Songs.
Test how easy it is to worship with your songs in personal worship. If it's not easy for you, it’ll be twice as hard for the congregation.
Take breaks and return to a song with fresh eyes and ears.
Write both horizontal (about God) and vertical (to God) songs. Try not to mix the two in the same song.
Select a group of people whom you can trust and take feedback from them regularly.
Write different types of songs like prayer, lament, longing, prophetic, remembrance and so on.
Exercise due-diligence on lyrics taking help from others if need be - theology shouldn't be compromised.
Co-writing can produce great songs. Lookout for co-writing opportunities within your community or even online sites like musos.org.
Attend songwriting training programs/seminars.
Practice a method of storing ideas whenever inspiration strikes so you don't end up losing them. A mobile phone/laptop/tablet with the right apps should suffice.
Maintain a backup of your lyrics and melody recordings using your favorite tool like Google Docs, Evernote, Springpad, Dropbox, Box.Net etc.
Read, reflect and memorize scripture regularly- the best song ideas are in there for the taking.
Avoid writing contrived-sounding 'hits', there's no substitute for authenticity.
Try to write something new avoiding clichés, God and His Church deserve originality.
Experiment with different rhythms, chord progressions, melodies, keys and musical instruments.
Use software like verseperfect.
Do word studies with a dictionary/thesaurus; find alternative words and expressions to add a different flavor to your lyrics.
Zero in on one theme per song - focus works, meandering doesn't.
Write 'we' songs more than 'me' songs if you're looking for congregational usage.
Write to express not to impress.
If you have a great melody idea, work hard to marry it to an equally good lyric and vice versa. A weak melody can spoil a nice lyric and vice versa.
Aim to write more of God-centered lyrics, instead of me-myself-and-what-I-do-for-God type of songs.
Be brave enough to sing your songs in public worship without announcing who wrote them - this way, you'll get more honest feedback.
Record your songs and listen to them dispassionately, consciously forgetting you are the songwriter - you'll spot improvements more easily.
When rewriting, sometimes the initial idea or melody may change to something else, be willing to let go of what you started with and allow the change - chances are you will end up writing a better song.
Check for simplicity. If the song requires a detailed explanation of what you actually mean, it's better to rewrite to simplify. Good songs speak for themselves.
Avoid vagueness in lyrics – aiming for too much of the poetic can lead to ambiguity.
When deciding on song title, look for the most memorable line in the lyrics, especially in the chorus. Try to make it unique.
Make songwriting a habit - set aside specific time every day or week and stick to it.
If you haven't done so already, learn to play at least one musical instrument like the guitar or the piano.
Be extra careful when paraphrasing scripture - stay true to the original meaning.
Compose on minor chords too.
Write more about truth and less about feelings.
Write out of love for God. The Psalmist didn’t write songs for fame, recording deals etc.
Be yourself and develop your own style of songwriting - copying is a surefire method to come out with mediocre/bad songs.
Keep writing - during a songwriting training session, Andy Park mentioned he wrote a whopping 500 songs before his first recording.
Do you find this list useful? Would you like to add some more?
