| How to Write a Song As a Gift Sep 23rd 2012, 17:00 If it's a special occasion for a loved one or family member, a personally written song makes an amazing present that will be long treasured. A song shows that you're creative, thoughtful and value the recipient enough to give the gift of your talented effort. Giving somebody a song could encourage that person to really like you, accept you or just make his or her day. Here's how to make somebody very happy. - Decide who the song is for. Depending on the person you're writing the song for, this will impact the meaning of the song you're hoping to get across. You wouldn't write the same type of song for your boyfriend as for your cousin, would you? If you've just been asked to write a song for somebody, ask the person who it's for. Here's a few examples of the types of songs you would write to a certain person:
- Love songs would be suitable for:
- Boyfriend
- Girlfriend
- Crush
- Possibly a relative (in this case, the love song might be about your sibling/parental/child love, or it could be a song about something/someone the relative loves.)
- Funny songs would be suitable for:
- Child
- Friend
- Relative
- Teacher
- Meaningful songs could be given to such people as:
- Somebody going through a hard time
- Boyfriend
- Girlfriend
- Crush
- Ex.
- Choose the type of song you would like to write. It could be one listed above or one you've thought of yourself. Bear in mind the person you're writing for and their current life as you pick a song. That being said, you don't have to write a sad song to somebody who is feeling depressed, it could be a love song or even better, a song to cheer that person up. If it's your boyfriend's birthday, you could write a love song about how he means the world to you or you could write him a funny happy birthday parody. It's all up to you.
- Choose your instruments. Usually, you can borrow or rent any instrument you like but it's better to use your own. The instruments needed will depend on the song too; a hard rock love song will probably not get the same message across as an acoustic love song. On the other hand, punk rock was originally fast and loud but over time it turned acoustic and slightly poppy. Be original. If you have an acoustic guitar and can play it, you can pretty much write any song you like. If you have a keyboard, you can make a basic drum beat too. You should be all set to start writing now.
- Write the melody and lyrics. This is probably the hardest but it's also the most fun process in writing your song. The lyrics are pretty obvious, but the type of chords used in every different style of music vary. Here are some examples:
- Love songs: Lyrics about loving somebody. They tend to use softer, quieter chords (A,C,Dm,etc)
- Funny songs: Lyrics that will make people laugh. They usually use higher, upbeat chords (D, A, etc.).
- For the nitty gritty details on songwriting, read how to write a song and how to write song lyrics.
- Record the song. Mic up all your instruments and record the song. If there's only one person but many rhythms and melodies, you will have to record each part separately and mix each part through music editing software. This part is much more fun and slightly less stressful than the last. Once you've recorded the song, listen to it and edit or re-record it. Make sure you listen to the whole song––there could be a major slip up at the end that you missed.
- Burn the finished song to a CD. Listen to the CD and make sure that everything is 100 percent perfect and that the CD actually works in a CD player or car radio.
- Give the fully checked CD to whoever you wrote the song for. It's already copyright protected by law but if you live in the USA, you can also seal this by applying for specific copyright protection (see how to copyright a song). Enjoy the appreciation of the recipient––it's bound to be a lot more effusive than the usual off-the-shelf gift!
- If you're good at writing songs and you have a friend in a band, why not write that person a song to help boost their success? This could make a really fun gift that could enter the annals of history should everything come together at the right time in the right way!
- Giving somebody an inspirational but funny song before a test or interview may help to calm their nerves. At the very least they'll know they're cared about.
- If you want, send it to a record label.
Edit Warnings - Never write a racist or offensive song as a joke––you will disappoint the recipient and in some jurisdictions, racist or offensive language can break the law.
- If you do get signed, the person you wrote it to may feel you only wrote the song for fame and not for them. Be sure to talk to them openly about what's happening, and help them to be flattered, not annoyed.
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