How to Get Better at Songwriting: Find Your Weak Spot and Fix It
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You get better at songwriting by finishing songs and fixing one thing at a time. Writing a lot matters, but writing a lot while making the same mistake doesn’t move you forward. Improving comes from knowing your weakest spot and working on that, song after song.
This guide shows how to improve your songwriting with a simple loop, and a table to find your weak spot and what to do about it.
The improvement loop
- Finish a song, even a small one.
- Listen back the next day with fresh ears.
- Pick the one thing that bothers you most.
- Practice that one skill in a few short sessions over a week.
- Write the next song, and get that one thing right.
Then go around again. Each lap is one song and one skill.
Find your weak spot
Find the row that sounds most like your songs right now, and start there.
| If this sounds like your songs | The skill to work on | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| You start songs and never finish them | Finishing | Write a small song in five sessions |
| The chorus sounds just like the verse | Contrast between sections | How to write a chorus |
| Nobody remembers any part of the song | Hooks and repetition | How to write a hook for a song |
| The melody wanders and never lands | Melodic shape | What makes a good melody |
| The words sound awkward when sung | Fitting words to the beat | How to write a melody for your lyrics |
| The lyrics feel vague or general | Specific detail | Exercise: ten minutes on one object |
| The last chorus feels like a loop | Structure | What a bridge is and how to write one |
| Every song you write sounds the same | Range of starting points | Songwriting prompts |
How to get better at songwriting
1. Finish more songs
An unfinished song teaches you about the part you wrote. A finished one teaches you how the whole song fits together: how the verse sets up the chorus, how the song ends, where it drags. Make songs small enough to finish, and finish them even when they aren’t good.
2. Listen back with fresh ears
Leave the song for a day, then play it once from the top without stopping. Write down every spot where your attention drifts or you wince. Don’t fix anything during this listen. You are only collecting notes.
3. Pick one thing
Look at your notes and choose the one problem that hurts the song most. Use the table above to name the skill behind it. Trying to fix everything at once usually means nothing improves much. With one clear target, you can tell on the next song whether it worked.
4. Practice that skill on its own
Spend a few short sessions on that skill alone, away from the song. Our songwriting exercises are grouped by skill, with a line for each on how to tell you are improving.
5. Look back at how you edited
Compare your first draft with your last. What did you change, and which changes made it better? Writers who save their drafts can see their own habits: the lines they always rewrite, the sections they always cut. That is advice only your own drafts can give you.
6. Write with someone else
A co-writer hears your song without your habits. They will suggest moves you would never make, and you will notice what you defend and what you let go. Even one co-written song can show you a different way to work.
7. Take apart songs you love
Taking a song you love apart, section by section, and asking why it works builds your instincts for structure. Our songwriting exercises have a drill for this, “Map a song you love.”
Keep going
Start with the row in the table that fits your songs best. If you are not sure, start with finishing: how to start writing songs. A simple recording of each finished song makes listening back easier, and how to make a song demo shows how. To try the loop on your own songs, start a free trial of Mouta Studio on a desktop browser.
Common questions
How long does it take to get better at songwriting?
There is no fixed timeline. Progress is easier to see in finished songs than in weeks, so keep count of the songs you finish. Each lap of the loop above is one finished song and one skill.
How do I become a better songwriter?
Finish songs, listen back honestly, and work on one weak spot at a time. The table above shows where to start.
Do I need to learn music theory to improve?
It helps with some problems, such as melodies that never settle. Finishing songs and listening back honestly are the place to start, and theory can come in when a specific problem calls for it.
How do I get honest feedback on my songs?
Ask specific questions: where did you lose interest, which line do you remember, could you sing the chorus back? They get more useful answers than “do you like it?”