Commentary: In Songwriting, Quantity Leads To Quality

Becoming a great songwriter takes an enormous amount of practice and patience. Writing one or two good songs is not enough to become a consistently great songwriter. The key is volume – writing many songs, especially when you are first starting out. There are a few reasons why writing a large volume of songs is so important for developing your songwriting craft. We’ll talk below about the top 5.

5. Practice Makes Perfect.

Like any skill, songwriting improves with practice. The more you do it, the better you will get. Your skills will strengthen, you will get faster, and you will develop your own style. Repeated practice is the only way to truly master the craft. Writing one song a month or even one song a week is not enough practice for most songwriters to significantly improve their skills. Aim for writing multiple songs per week when you are first starting out.

4. Quantity Leads To Quality.

When you write a lot of songs, a few gems will inevitably emerge. Not every song you write will be a hit or even good – in fact, most will not be. But the more you write, the more likely you are to stumble upon a great melody, lyric, or song concept. Prolific songwriters increase their odds of writing a truly extraordinary song through high output. The truth is, inspiration is found more often through work and repetition than waiting for a spontaneous creative spark.

3. Finding Your Style Takes Volume And Time.

You will develop your own unique voice both acoustically and from a songwriting standpoint. By writing many songs, you will start to see patterns in your writing and notice the subjects, styles, and sounds you are drawn to. Your creative preferences and strengths will emerge. This self-awareness is key to crafting a unique voice and style as a songwriter. If you only write occasionally, it is harder to identify your creative fingerprints and write confidently in your own unique style.

2. You Will Create Novelty.

Some songs will surprise you. When songwriting becomes a habit, you will enter an almost meditative creative state where unexpected ideas can emerge. Some of your favorite songs that you write may surprise you in the moment. Prolific songwriting leads to more of these happy accidents and songs that seem to come out of the blue. Inspiration strikes more often when the muscle of songwriting has been exercised.

1. Quality Leads To Saved Effort.

If quantity leads to quality, quality leads to saved time and effort. The better a songwriter you are, the easier and faster you can write new songs. The faster you can pen new ideas, the more work you can take on, the quicker you produce new records, and you can even find the time and mental energy to take on new challenges like learning mixing and mastering or playing an instrument if you don’t already play one. When you ace one skill, you make space for another.

There are no shortcuts to becoming an accomplished songwriter. While talent and inspiration do play a role, consistent practice and repetition are the building blocks of mastery. Make songwriting a habit and aim for volume, especially when you are first starting out. Write multiple songs per week, and do not be too critical of the results. Focus on using the process as practice. Over time, your skills will strengthen, your voice will emerge, and you will increase your odds of writing truly memorable and meaningful songs. With enough perseverance, quantity will lead to quality. So keep writing songs!

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