Song writing communities?

[JasonE]

Hey Guys!

I have tried writing my own songs many times over many years and I just can't get it done. I am to the point where I would like to find a song writing community or some others that have successfully made it trough this process. I need someone to work with that can help me figure out why I am stuck and can help me get through this. I have always felt that if I can get this process working that it would open the flood gates for me. I have had a lot of ideas that just never go anywhere because I haven't' figured out how to get through the whole process. I think it would be best to be able to get on video calls to talk through things to figure this out. What suggestions do those of you that are putting your own stuff out have to get through this?

 

[SymphonicDischord]

I’m kinda surprised no one has responded to this yet. A simple way to start is with collaborating with someone. You may not know where to take an idea or riff necessarily but working with someone who can add to it and keep it moving forward can definitely inspire you and give you a different viewpoint depending on the direction they move with it.

I used to be in a band where the other primary songwriter would come in with these great riffs but he couldn’t get them to flow to together without them seeming disjointed. I had a knack for coming up with transition riffs that would compliment his and give everything a more natural flow.

 

[JasonE]

43 views and one reply... Does that mean none of you use a community? Any teachers that could be recommended that could do remote lessons on this? I am willing to invest in some lesson calls if they are worth the money and I can move this process forward.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Collaboration as mentioned, or perhaps taking up a second instrument. Both these things really helped me propel my writing. Being able to think like a drummer and knowing how to play proper bass lines made me collaborate with different versions myself, if that makes any sense.

 

[0XI0]

there's a website called weekly beats that is a yearlong community thing, if nothing else it's a goldmine of inspiration and ideas to check out, the dude that runs it is the creator of the ridiculous and mighty M8 tactical calculator lol

Weeklybeats 2026

weeklybeats.com

Dirtywave

Dirtywave

dirtywave.com

 

[FuzzyAce]

A.I. IS THE FUTURE BRO. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME DIY'ING.



jk.
Seriously though, I've never felt I was a good teacher of things. I usually go about my business and do things the way I want to so it is difficult to teach that imo. I'm no guru at writing, but I've always enjoyed the process ever since I started playing guitar. I've co-written and written a crap ton of songs, but there are 100's that I've just forgotten about because they were never documented properly, or weren't worth documenting in my opinion at the time. I'm less critical these days of my own stuff, but that wasn't so for many years. Part of that was wanting to be something I wasn't and not being comfortable where I was and enjoying the present moment. Warts and all. A lot of it was self-doubt and insecurity, and not that all of that has gone away - but it's much better now. It does help when you can co-write with a partner because it builds confidence and songs get completed quickly ime. I've been fortunate to play with some really good songsmiths over the years, a lot can be learned from just listening and playing along.
I've heard people say that to become a good writer of books, you need to write about 4 or 5 before they really become good. Song writing isn't different except maybe the number is higher. The thing is, write whatever comes out and don't be overly critical of yourself. Perfection is a myth and you can't please everyone. Also, there is no substitute for the process of actually completing something. Doesn't matter if it's 1 verse and a chorus. Just do it and move on to something else if that's all you got. That is the best learning imo. Doing. Time involved in the craft will yield future results you're more comfortable with.

 

[JasonE]

Collaboration as mentioned, or perhaps taking up a second instrument. Both these things really helped me propel my writing. Being able to think like a drummer and knowing how to play proper bass lines made me collaborate with different versions myself, if that makes any sense.

I play guitar, bass and mandolin. I haven't had the mandolin out for a while. Maybe I should pull that out and play around a bit on it. I do like playing bass at times. It makes me see my scales on a different way.

A.I. IS THE FUTURE BRO. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME DIY'ING.



jk.
Seriously though, I've never felt I was a good teacher of things. I usually go about my business and do things the way I want to so it is difficult to teach that imo. I'm no guru at writing, but I've always enjoyed the process ever since I started playing guitar. I've co-written and written a crap ton of songs, but there are 100's that I've just forgotten about because they were never documented properly, or weren't worth documenting in my opinion at the time. I'm less critical these days of my own stuff, but that wasn't so for many years. Part of that was wanting to be something I wasn't and not being comfortable where I was and enjoying the present moment. Warts and all. A lot of it was self-doubt and insecurity, and not that all of that has gone away - but it's much better now. It does help when you can co-write with a partner because it builds confidence and songs get completed quickly ime. I've been fortunate to play with some really good songsmiths over the years, a lot can be learned from just listening and playing along.
I've heard people say that to become a good writer of books, you need to write about 4 or 5 before they really become good. Song writing isn't different except maybe the number is higher. The thing is, write whatever comes out and don't be overly critical of yourself. Perfection is a myth and you can't please everyone. Also, there is no substitute for the process of actually completing something. Doesn't matter if it's 1 verse and a chorus. Just do it and move on to something else if that's all you got. That is the best learning imo. Doing. Time involved in the craft will yield future results you're more comfortable with.

Being critical is definitely an issue for me. I am not trying to please everyone. I am just trying to please myself and I am kind of a critical judge. I put the best of myself in everything I do. I feel like the stuff that has come out of me is not representative of what I know and can do on a guitar. I know there are a ton of 3 chord songs out there but when I create something like that is sounds super boring to me. I used to delete stuff. I have definitely regretted doing that. I think I could have revisited things and vastly improved them later. I made myself a promise to not delete things anymore. I just file them away now.

I have a couple of ideas that seem to keep coming up. I seem to get a bit more motivated with the lyrical end of the songs, which is interesting because the lyrics are probably the last thing I focus on when listening to a song. What seems to be drawing me back to wanting to write is some things from life that I want to say something about. I quit drinking at the first of the year so I don't get the drunk stream of consciousness blocks of writing that I had been doing. The interesting thing is the same ideas have come up in my head again and I came up with some lyrical ideas and when I added them to my documents where I write them I found that I had already written almost all of them in earlier writings. One thing I am going to try is to get myself in a room where I can control the noise level and what is going on and try focusing on my thoughts and words and try to start forming these thoughts into the structure of a song.

I think once I get the lyrics in more of a song structure that may lead me to the feel of the music part of it. I know that songs are written in all sorts of ways. Some people start with a hook or the music and others will start with a lyrical hook or part of a chorus or verse and build from there. I haven't really found what is going to work for me yet. I have come at it from a few different directions but haven't created anything I am proud of yet.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I feel like the stuff that has come out of me is not representative of what I know and can do on a guitar.

That is exactly how I felt for years, and still do to some extent. But it shouldn't hold us back either from putting something together to the best of our current abilities. It gets easier to better express yourself the more you do it.

I know that songs are written in all sorts of ways. Some people start with a hook or the music and others will start with a lyrical hook or part of a chorus or verse and build from there. I haven't really found what is going to work for me yet. I have come at it from a few different directions but haven't created anything I am proud of yet.

If you keep a good log of ideas, have you tried combining multiples into one idea? Even if they don't seem to match up on the surface, sometimes they just need a connection piece or transition to make them work together. I've done this before and it can help some new ideas flow because you're trying to connect the dots so to speak. Maybe it's just changing the key or time signature of one of them to make it fit, stuff like that.

 

[Space Pickle]

I am a musical nobody, but here is my take:

"Songwriting" is too broad a term, you need to really nail down the individual skills that go into writing a rock/pop song. What is hanging you up? Is it understanding harmony/melody? Is it creating the arrangement and understanding the role of all the instruments/voices in a song? It it writing lyrics that aren't embarrassing garbage? Is your process for recording demos too convoluted?

Once you can answer these questions it becomes a lot easier.

 

[PatF]

The Youtuber, Trey Xavier has sells some extended courses on songwriting that seem well prepared. They are a couple of hundred dollars. He tries to teach how to write accessible professional songs without what he calls riff salad. I didn't buy them because I insist on riff salad.