Songwriting Exercises: 11 Drills for Melody, Lyrics and Structure
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Songwriting exercises are short, repeatable drills for songwriting practice. Each one trains one part of writing a song, the way scales train a player’s hands. Each takes 10 to 20 minutes, works on one skill, and gets easier the more you do it.
Below are eleven exercises in four groups: melody, lyrics, structure and rewriting. Each one says what it trains and how to tell you are getting better. If you want ideas for what to write about, our songwriting prompts are the place for that. Here is the first exercise, done in two steps:
Step 1: rhythm only, on one note
Step 2: the same rhythm, now with pitches
Melody exercises
1. One note first
Trains: rhythm. Take a line of lyrics and sing it on one note until the rhythm feels natural, with the stressed syllables on the beat and the important words long. Then add pitches without changing the rhythm, as in the example above. You are improving when the one-note version already sounds like a song.
2. Five endings
Trains: how phrases end. Write a short phrase, then give it five different last notes or last two notes. Sing each one and notice which sound finished and which sound like a question. You are improving when you can choose an open or a closed ending on purpose.
3. One idea, three ways
Trains: developing a melody. Take three or four notes and write them three more ways: repeated, moved up a step, and turned upside down. Our guide on how to come up with a melody shows an example. You are improving when you stop throwing ideas away because they seem too small.
4. Hum it down
Trains: catching ideas. At the start of a session, or whenever a tune comes to you, hum whatever comes for 30 seconds and record it. Do it a few times, then listen back and keep the best few seconds. You are improving when you have more fragments than you can use.
Lyric exercises
5. Ten minutes on one object
Trains: specific detail. Pick an object in the room and write about it for ten minutes without stopping, using sight, sound, touch, smell and taste, and what it reminds you of. You are improving when your verses start to contain things a listener can see.
6. Say it, then sing it
Trains: lyrics that fit the beat. Say a line out loud, mark the stressed syllables, then sing it with those syllables on the beat. Our guide on how to write lyrics shows how. You are improving when you hear a misplaced stress before you sing it.
7. Ten titles in ten minutes
Trains: finding the idea. Write ten possible song titles in ten minutes, each five words or fewer. Don’t judge until the timer stops, then circle one. You are improving when the circled title already suggests a chorus.
Structure exercises
8. Map a song you love
Trains: hearing structure. Pick a song you know well and write down its sections in order, with roughly how long each one lasts and when the first chorus arrives. Our pop song structure guide has the section names and the bar math. You are improving when you can name the sections on first listen.
9. Two choruses, one verse
Trains: contrast. Write two versions of the same chorus melody, one starting higher than the other, and sing each after the same verse. Pick the one that lifts more. You are improving when your first try already lifts.
Rewriting exercises
10. Rewrite an old chorus
Trains: editing. Take a chorus you wrote a while ago and change only its melody, keeping every word. You are improving when you can say what was wrong with the old one.
11. New words, same tune
Trains: fitting words to a melody. Take one of your own melodies and write a completely new set of lyrics to it, on a different subject. You are improving when the new words sit as naturally as the old ones.
A simple weekly songwriting practice plan
Four short sessions a week cover all four groups. Rotate the exercises inside each group from week to week.
| Session | Group | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melody | One note first, on a line you already have |
| 2 | Lyrics | Ten minutes on one object |
| 3 | Structure | Map a song you love |
| 4 | Rewriting | Rewrite an old chorus |
Keep a short log: the date, the exercise, and one sentence on what was hard. After a few weeks, read it back. The things that stopped being hard are your progress.
Keep going
Exercises build the skills, and finished songs use them. If you haven’t finished a first song yet, read how to start writing songs. For something to write about, pick one of our songwriting prompts. To check a melody you have written, see what makes a good melody. To choose which skill to work on first, see how to get better at songwriting. To try these exercises in the browser, start a free trial of Mouta Studio on a desktop browser.
Common questions
Which exercise should I start with?
Start with the group that feels hardest. If melodies are the problem, begin with “One note first.” If your lyrics feel vague, begin with “Ten minutes on one object.” Then follow the weekly plan above.
What is the difference between songwriting exercises and prompts?
A prompt gives you something to write about. An exercise trains a specific skill, like rhythm, detail or contrast, and you can repeat it with any material.
Can exercises turn into real songs?
Often. A good fragment from “Hum it down” or a title from “Ten titles in ten minutes” is a fine start for a song. Keep everything you make.