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Addilyn
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
3
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What skills am I going to need to go into this profession and what will be the work of Intel?
I want to become a singer/songwriter in my future.
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2 answers
Dr H
Dr. H's Research
1464
Answers
Australia
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Hey Addilyn,
Being a singer/songwriter is all about turning what’s in your heart into something the world can feel too — and trust me, you don't need to have everything figured out to start.😇
First off, the most important skill is just being yourself in your music. Your voice and your perspective are what make your songs special, even if you're still finding your sound.
But if you're trying to really level up, here’s what I know helps:
Songwriting — Practice writing little lines or poems every day, even if they're random. The more you write, the easier it gets.
Playing an Instrument — Guitar or piano is a huge bonus for writing your own stuff, but even learning a few chords can take your songs to a whole new level.
Melody Writing — Even if you're not playing instruments yet, just hum random tunes over your lyrics to figure out what sounds good.
Basic Music Theory — You don't need to be Mozart, but knowing a little about chords and song structure helps you build songs faster.
Recording Basics — Apps like BandLab or GarageBand can help you record ideas and hear how your voice sounds over music.
Confidence — This one's tricky, but the more you sing (even alone in your room), the more you'll feel like you're actually meant to do this.
The music world needs more voices that aren't afraid to be real. Don't wait until you feel "ready" — just start writing, singing, and creating whatever feels like you.
all the best Addilyn, hope this helps!
Your voice is your main instrument, so practice singing every day — even just along to your favorite songs. So just vocal practice as much you can but be sure to rest it too, don't go burning it out.
Self-Recording is really good to start. Learn how to record demos at home with apps like BandLab or GarageBand. It helps you hear yourself and get ideas down fast.
Songwriting is like working out. The more you do it, the better you get — even when the songs feel bad at first. Here's your do-it-right-now move: Write one short verse about how you're feeling today. Don't think too hard — just one little thought like: "I'm stuck inside my head again, waiting for a song to begin." Even if you only get one line down, you're already closer to becoming a songwriter than you were five minutes ago.
Being a singer/songwriter is all about turning what’s in your heart into something the world can feel too — and trust me, you don't need to have everything figured out to start.😇
First off, the most important skill is just being yourself in your music. Your voice and your perspective are what make your songs special, even if you're still finding your sound.
But if you're trying to really level up, here’s what I know helps:
Songwriting — Practice writing little lines or poems every day, even if they're random. The more you write, the easier it gets.
Playing an Instrument — Guitar or piano is a huge bonus for writing your own stuff, but even learning a few chords can take your songs to a whole new level.
Melody Writing — Even if you're not playing instruments yet, just hum random tunes over your lyrics to figure out what sounds good.
Basic Music Theory — You don't need to be Mozart, but knowing a little about chords and song structure helps you build songs faster.
Recording Basics — Apps like BandLab or GarageBand can help you record ideas and hear how your voice sounds over music.
Confidence — This one's tricky, but the more you sing (even alone in your room), the more you'll feel like you're actually meant to do this.
The music world needs more voices that aren't afraid to be real. Don't wait until you feel "ready" — just start writing, singing, and creating whatever feels like you.
all the best Addilyn, hope this helps!
Dr recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much, Dr, for your amazing advice! I never thought about writing little lines every day to build my songwriting skills — that really inspired me! I usually just write down when I have like a lot of lines to go with and I guess I would do this now! Also, Do you have any tips on how to overcome writer's block when I can't think of anything to write? It's been happening quite often as I don't usually can go outside🥺
Sama
I'm sooo happy to hear that little tip inspired you! Honestly, writing random little lines every day is like planting tiny lyric seeds — you never know which ones are gonna grow into full songs later.
As for writer's block (ugh, the worst enemy of all songwriters 😩), here's the trick that always helps me:
Write something bad... on purpose.
Seriously, just sit down and challenge yourself to write the absolute WORST song lyric ever. Like...
"I'm staring at the ceiling... this song has no meaning."
99% of the time, once you get past the pressure of trying to write something good, your brain sneaks in and starts dropping little gems without even realizing it.
Dr H
And if you can't go outside — write about that! What does it feel like? What would you want to see if you could? What would your perfect escape sound like in a song?
Your voice matters, even when you don't feel like you have anything to say. Trust me — the world needs Sama songs, you got this dear stay blessed!
Dr H
Jeff Corle
Independent Music Artist/Professional Speaker
1
Answer
Windber, Pennsylvania
Updated
Jeff’s Answer
As someone who has written songs since I was 10 years old, in looking back over all those years, I'd have to say the most important skill a singer-songwriter can possess is the ability to let themselves be honest and vulnerable so that a truth about what you're feeling shines through your lyrics.
To me it doesn't really matter what technical skills you possess in the beginning because if you like writing songs and singing them to others then your skills will evolve as you go.
But if you're young and in the beginning of your singer-songwriter journey then really focus on finding a way to put into words exactly what it is that you're feeling with whatever technical ability you may currently have.
The first song I ever wrote was written on the guitar that my mom bought me for my tenth birthday. I didn't even know how to tune the guitar, but I figured out how to make the bottom two strings sound good together and since I didn't know any songs to play, I wrote one and have been writing songs ever since.
So don't worry so much about your technical skills in the beginning, that will come. Focus more on finding your own way to say what you want to say. Only you are in possession of your own authentic voice from your own authentic point of view.
Now find a way to put that authentic voice into song!
Keep a journal. Try to write about what you're feeling and experiencing every day. This becomes a rich source of song ideas and lyrics.
Become proficient enough on an instrument to be able to accompany yourself, particularly guitar or piano.
Sing enough to gain confidence in your voice so you can perform your songs for others and in public.
Listen to great singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Carole King, John Prine, Billie Eilish and pay attention to how they turn a phrase, how they create rhyme, how they say what they want to say within the confines of a song.
Here's an old saying I heard years ago when I was starting out that I think is really at the heart of things, "Singers sing, actors act, writers write." So, write, write, write write write!
To me it doesn't really matter what technical skills you possess in the beginning because if you like writing songs and singing them to others then your skills will evolve as you go.
But if you're young and in the beginning of your singer-songwriter journey then really focus on finding a way to put into words exactly what it is that you're feeling with whatever technical ability you may currently have.
The first song I ever wrote was written on the guitar that my mom bought me for my tenth birthday. I didn't even know how to tune the guitar, but I figured out how to make the bottom two strings sound good together and since I didn't know any songs to play, I wrote one and have been writing songs ever since.
So don't worry so much about your technical skills in the beginning, that will come. Focus more on finding your own way to say what you want to say. Only you are in possession of your own authentic voice from your own authentic point of view.
Now find a way to put that authentic voice into song!
Jeff recommends the following next steps: