Songwriting: a music career! It is a powerful profession that requires creativity, dedication, enthusiasm and a clear understanding of human emotions. Songwriting allows the writer to capture the essence of life in the lyrics. Like life, it is usually about a situation and emotion.
Required skills
Some people are born skilled writers and rhythmic words come to them like breath; however, this might not be the case with others. Songwriting skills can be discussed, understood and implemented with the help of crafts. Tangible skills are manipulated to draw listeners into whatever emotion the songwriters want them to feel. Songwriters have to work hard almost all the time to get the words and melody right. There is a certain kind of mystery in songwriting that gradually unfolds with tremendous satisfaction, after completing a song.
A song is basically an abstract musical entity that serves as an umbrella for various interpretations. It is an extension of one’s mind and soul leading to the fine blend of simplicity in creativity. The sole purpose of writing beautiful songs is to keep them alive forever. A good song conveys human feelings or tells a good story in an interesting and engaging way.
Songwriting is a lucrative career, full of opportunities and immense job satisfaction. Composers develop their own material which includes writing material, developing the concept, hiring musicians and engineers, as well as recording and producing the material. Therefore, they have the last word on the development of their material.
Career Options
Careers in songwriting would include songwriter, radio and television jingle writer, lyricist, songwriter, and music or song producer. Composers can work both as employees and as freelancers.
COMPOSERS: A composer usually creates instrumental pieces that can stand alone or be combined with lyrics. They may also work as film composers who score music to enhance videos or movies.
JINGLE WRITER: A jingle writer can be a singer-songwriter, composer, or lyricist who specializes in writing music for radio and television commercials. They are responsible for musically portraying their client’s product. They must be good arrangers, capable of composing well and skilled in all techniques.
LYRICISTS: Lyricists are the people who can express themselves with words and can develop careers writing lyrics for songs. A talented lyricist would just create the words and team up with a music composer.
SONG AUTHORS: Songwriters create and perform their own music. They write both lyrics and music and are the masters as performers of their material. They can work as soloists or as leaders of a group presenting their material.
MUSIC PRODUCERS: The music producer writes songs, makes arrangement adjustments, and is also in charge of creative mixing. They keep an eye on the overall marketability of the project.
Songwriting is certainly a fascinating career as it helps the writer to grow both personally and professionally. One can reach the zenith of success by creating songs that feel larger than life, yet are relevant to everyone. A good songwriter often manages to move listeners with honest ideas, emotions and situations and thus captures hearts and affects people’s lives in a meaningful way.
