Aaron Scholz
As far as new songwriters go, I'm not sure how it works for anyone but myself. I started writing when I was in my 20's and hadn't really attempted to do so before that time. I found that my best inspiration came from favorite songwriters and songs themselves. Not just for lyrics but for melody and musical content. I grew up a Beatles fanatic and carefully examined every bit of their output trying to figure out what it was that made me like it so much. And if I like a band or a song or a songwriter at all, I put them under the microscope and try to determine what makes their stuff great. And when I started writing songs, I didn't sit there with my guitar and say "ok I'm going to write a George Harrison number today" but rather thought: I know what I like about songs and songwriting and I'm going to try to shoot for that level of sophistication in all aspects. This is not to say that it's a successful goal most of the time (or really any of the time) but aiming high can help reign in impulses that might derail an otherwise great song. I am a good songwriter because I have good musical instincts (and good taste I would think) but mostly because I'm a good editor. I am my harshest critic much of the time and it works to better what I am working on.
I write for my own pleasure but also keep sight of the idea that I want other people to hear this and need to have some part of it that works on that level. And while I feel like I've done well and gotten great feedback on my music from friends and strangers who hear my stuff, I know I'm nowhere near the greats. And once upon a time that bugged me, but it really doesn't anymore. My strength lies in my 10+ years of experience but being a good songwriter is just one aspect of music. Since I started writing I've learned how to play the piano, I've spent a lot of time playing the drums and bass and recording at home and playing out with my own stuff and with other people as well. Keep music in your life in whatever way you can, the more you are in it the more knowledge you will amass and the better you will be at figuring out what your place is in it all.
I feel strongly about the creative process and while I'm not sure you can teach people how to write good or great songs, I know you can get people to examine their creativity and reflect on it - which has always made songwriting easier for me.
Mark Chambers
My advice to new song writers is don't be afraid of what other people think and be yourself, because what you are writing is probably a lot better than your perception. I think 75% of major or minor artists record their best material in the first 5 years of their creative life, contrary to the usual 'I think this is the best album we've ever recorded' that most artists will say, when usually in truth its only feels so fresh because its new, 2 years down the line they'll be slagging it off.
[Dr Nick writes – Actually, when I had been writing for a couple of years I heard an interview with a songwriter who said that it takes 5 years of writing before you get any good at it. At the time I thought that was rubbish because I had already written songs that I thought were great. But actually, for me, almost exactly 5 years after I started writing I hit a strong run of form and wrote a long series of songs that I still look back on as being the start of me being a “good songwriter”. I have written better songs and worse songs since then. I say this not to contradict Mark – not to say he’s wrong and I’m right or that he’s right and I’m wrong – merely to point out that there is no wrong and right, there’s just what you think. I’ve certainly met (and performed with) many people who include songs in their sets that were amongst the first songs they ever wrote)]