October 17, 2025 • 33 mins
So you’re wanting to start with or improve your songwriting, but you’re somehow feeling blocked… If you’re experiencing this, there’s a fair chance that you have some limiting beliefs around songwriting. So let’s address some common songwriting myths so that you can get unblocked and start writing (again)!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
myth No. 1
you need to know music theory to write a good song
mythos I know a lot of music theory
but I have literally never used it in my songwriting
not once myth No. 2
you need to know how to play guitar or piano
or just an instrument in general to write a song
(00:22):
nope mytho
then the next one is ooh this this
this is this is something I used to believe
this next myth
I don't have any trauma so I can't write good songs
Mito mito
next myth if I can't remember the melody I wrote
it's not a good melody not necessarily
the next myth is no
lyrics are more
(00:43):
are the most important part of songwriting
nope what is the most important part of songwriting
Juliana
Hey Vox Star
and welcome to from singer to artist
I'm Lara Chapman award winning singer and songwriter
(01:04):
turned viral vocal coach and the host of this show
at VoxTape Studios
we help singers from all over the world
level up their voices
by teaching them the three fundamental skills
all singers need technique
awareness and artistry whether you're looking to go pro
or just develop your voice for fun
my team and I are here to help
check the link in the description
(01:24):
to book your first session
or grab some of our other resources
Alrighty are you ready
let's get started
just like there are a lot of singing myths out there
like
you cannot drink dairy or you're gonna be a bad singer
hahaha
there are also a lot of songwriting myths
that are circling the internet
(01:45):
and people's minds
and I have Coach Juliana with me here
hello hello
to address some of these uh
some of these songwriting myths that you might believe
or might not believe and um
yeah I would say let's just
let's just get right into it
yeah yeah
let's do it let's go
alright myth number one
(02:05):
oh hold on
what's myth in Spanish
we did this with mistakes as well
what's myth in Spanish
that's a great question yeah
I can't think of the German word either
mito mito
mito mythos
it's the same in German now that you said it
mythos
but that's not a word I would ever use
yeah I feel like
(02:26):
anyways myth No. 1 uh
you need to know music theory to write a good song
hmm hmm
no girl
I know a lot of music theory
but I have literally never used it in my songwriting
not once
yeah it's not necessary
(02:46):
like it definitely helps
it makes things easier
but especially when it comes to core progressions
I do think there it's helpful
but we mostly teach people how to topline hahaha
now we can help with beats
yes exactly
we can help with core progressions and
you know like
all of that stuff like
we both have done that too
we both play instruments um
(03:07):
and we both sometimes write songs with our instruments
too um
meaning we know a little bit about music theory uh
but it's not necessary to write a good song
all the best songs I've written
I have never thought about
right the music theory
yeah I mean I
I think when I started writing music
(03:27):
I didn't really know music theory per se
and sometimes
I still listen to some of those songs that I wrote
when I was like 15 16
I'm like dang girl
that was good yeah
and I knew zero music theory
so you don't have to
it doesn't mean that if you know music theory you're
you know in big trouble
(03:47):
no not at all
no but don't get caught up in it
because
what can happen when you get caught up in the music
theory of it you overcomplicate it
yeah yeah
and then it doesn't feel natural anymore right
and then people are like ah
this is not really singable or whatever right
not sing sing alongable
because now you made it too complicated
anyways you don't need to know music theory
(04:10):
it's alright so
nope Mitos
she's the same right
Mitos numero DOS
I need to learn how to speak Spanish
I don't know why I'm but anyways
Juliana is from Colombia originally
maybe that's why I'm doing it
yeah hahaha
um and we're going to Mexico next week
oh yeah oh my gosh
our little retreat and we have some
(04:31):
I'm so excited some of
some of our students they were working on their songs
like
the original songs that they wrote together with you
and now we're recording it together in Mexico
like I am so stoked
and like we're literally leaving in like a couple days
like in like 3 days wow wow
it's gonna be so fun I'm excited
anyways I gotta practice my Spanish before then
(04:52):
I don't speak any Spanish at all
but that's fine um
anyways myth No. 2
you need to know how to play guitar or piano
or just an instrument in general to write a song
nope
nope nope
nope nope nope
most songwriters don't play any instruments
oh what
yeah ah
say that again for the people in the back baby
(05:13):
most songwriters do not play any instruments
I think that is a myth that I no
I don't think I know that
this is a myth that I used to believe
and here's
here's exactly why I know that I believe this
when I was in high school in Switzerland
it's a little bit different
but when you go to high school
you already pick a major like you would hear in college
(05:33):
so my high school major was music
with my main instrument being voice
and there were people in my class
it was a small high school
like I didn't
we didn't have that many people in my class but um
there were people that did music with an instrument
and some people that did music with voice
voice is also instrument but again
it's your body right
it's different anyways
(05:54):
in the last year in senior year
there was a songwriting competition
now they did not prepare us for that at all
they never taught us how to write a song
but they were like
now there is a songwriting competition
and you have to participate
like it was mandatory to participate in it
and we had singers like
people that were a music major
understood music theory
(06:16):
because we had to learn it because we were music majors
but they didn't play any instruments
and I was like well
this is so unfair
how are these singers going to write songs
they don't play any instruments
like and I
you know I started piano lessons at like
in third grade however old you are in third grade
I don't know under ten
and so like
(06:36):
I was I was already
you know I could already play
and I was like
how are these people who don't play instruments
how are they gonna write a song
it's impossible to write a song
they did it they made it happen
I have no idea how they did it
um I think there was just a lot of help
from other people in the class
they would just like
write the music for them and they would topline
(06:57):
essentially um
but it was like a big
big big mystery to me
and then it wasn't until I was teaching voice lessons
where I was sick and I had a sub
this was like day one of vlog tape okay
this was pre Juliana joining the team
which means no
(07:17):
it's useless no
but uh uh
Corey was her name she was the substitute teacher
wonderful wonderful
wonderful lady um
and she gave an assignment to one of her students
Marin and the assignment
and she was a little girl
and one of the assignments
was to pick a track on the internet
(07:38):
and write a song to that track
and then when I came back and I heard that song
I was like Maren
you wrote this she's like yeah
and I'm like
girl this is amazing
and then yeah
she actually ended up recording it
even making a music video to it like
it was fantastic it was so cool
and it wasn't until then that I realized
you don't need to be able to play an instrument
(07:59):
to write a song and that's when I also realized that
my entire record that I wrote
uh for like
my own artist project that one
songwriting contests internationally and nationally
it's how I got these two guitars right there
because I won songwriting contest
I didn't buy that stuff I got it sent to me
but anyways that's when I realized like
(08:21):
oh my god
all those songs that I wrote
I did not ever touch an instrument for it
I toplined
but I didn't make that like
I didn't have that realization until that moment
I was like oh
my god and now when we teach songwriting
we actually start with no instruments
(08:43):
even if you play an instrument
the first song will make you write
is no instruments on purpose
we can always do that in the second song
or in the third song or whatever
right if you do play an instrument
but you don't have to
hmm anyways
that was a long it's so much easier
it's so much easier oh
my god and then
you can focus on the things that actually matter
oh my god
anyways melody
(09:04):
I lyrics we
we are broken records
yeah but it's not
it's not that complicated
and it matters exactly anyways nope
top lining is cheating is the next myth
no
we we broke it a couple seconds ago
(09:26):
it's not I mean
you have to like
you gotta use it especially if you're wanting to use it
in the mainstream world
if you wanna be an actual songwriter
that works as a songwriter
most songwriters are toplining like yup
99.9 of them are top lining
and you know what no one tells you about that
(09:46):
no one tells you
most people have no idea what top lining is
and that that even exists
and it's crazy because it's the industry standard
in today's day and age it is the industry standard
and most of the time
when you are working in the industry
and you're a writer
or you're an artist who writes with other people
(10:10):
you go to the studio or someone's house or wherever
and there's a producer there and he makes the or or
or she they make the track as you hmm
this is a very limiting belief right there
oh my gosh
like all producers are male
eh no right no
just because the majority of them are
doesn't mean all of them are
uh whoever is the producer
they will make the track as you are
(10:31):
like top lining over it again
that's how I created my record
I was in the room with my producer and my co writer
three of us and uh
we created the song together
and each one of us got 33% of the songwriting credit
that is just that's Nashville Standard
that you divide equally
(10:51):
by however many people are in the room
hahaha um
but that can also be different
like if you want to do it differently
that's fine too uh
if you topline two tracks from YouTube
or Beatopia or whatever
you get to keep 100% of the songwriting credit
so again top lining is not cheating
it is in fact the industry standard
and you should hop on that train
(11:13):
because the train is moving
whether you get on it or not
get on that train I am so tangy today and like
get on these rants
because I'm just so passionate about it
it's so fun to talk about
well yeah it's just like
ugh like
I didn't know any like
I graduated from the Berklee College of music
and nobody has ever taught me anything about toplining
(11:36):
wild why not
why not and I'm not that old
I didn't graduate that many years ago
haha like
it's not that new so
anyways I graduated a long time ago
but that's a secret that we can keep between us alright
uh top lining is not
in fact cheating
the next myth is nope
(11:56):
lyrics are more
are the most important part of songwriting
nope what is the most important part of songwriting
Juliana Melody because why
cause that's what people sing back
and what they will remember
what they will remember what
what transcends language barriers
exactly all of the above
(12:17):
yeah yeah
cause lyrics are very important
second important but melody is the most important
and then chord progressions don't matter
no hahaha
they do but top lining is they're just down the line
yes yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
um OK
melody is the most important part of songwriting
(12:39):
that is the truth okay
then the next one is ooh this
this this is
this is something I used to believe
this next myth I don't have any trauma
so I can't write good songs
no no
no no no
does you you don't have to go through horrible things
to be able to write a beautiful song
(13:00):
you know what you're an actress
you know you can make that comparison too
that is like saying
you have to be a method actor to be a good actor
no
most actors are not method actors
and they're phenomenal actors
so actually
method acting can be quite dangerous sometimes too
yeah so you know
(13:21):
you don't have to go through trauma to write good songs
no me is the example
I am just a delicate little flower
that doesn't have much trauma
which is lovely um no
just use your imagination exactly
get inspired
write about honest things that you see and hear
(13:42):
and experience and they don't have to be traumatic
yeah to be
you brought up the um
Taylor Swift album and like this
like it was all stories that were not her stories
but stories of other people or stories that she made up
you don't need to go through the pain
if Taylor Swift can do it
you can do it I always say that girl
(14:03):
if it's good enough for XYZ
insert famous person here
it's good enough for me and it's good enough for you
yep yep yep
yes and she's doing great
yes yes
and yes you are special
but you're not that special
hahaha
um okay
love it
next myth is good lyrics have to be poetic and or rhyme
(14:27):
mmm
no
it's honestly the simpler the better in pop music
like
you don't have to write these crazy analogies and ideas
just like be honest
get to the point and be relatable
and you don't have to rhyme it
cause we said it before and we'll say it again
(14:49):
we're not writing children's songs
we're not writing nursery rhymes
we're writing real life songs
so yeah
no yeah
it's if you
if you think it needs to be poetry
well just write poetry right now
I do know people uh
oh my god what's his name
John
(15:10):
I think his name was John
he was in the studio here
and um
he was writing poetry before he started writing songs
and I found that very interesting
but also like what does it even mean writing poetry
like you can have to the point
just like songwriting of poetry
(15:33):
and it's still poetry you know
like yeah
it doesn't need to be this elaborate crazy thing
yep
uh huh
his name was not John his name was Jess
sorry I just remembered
it's something with J is Jess Jess
sorry Jess
if you're watching oh um
but anyways
it doesn't need to be so many names to deal with
(15:54):
I know right
oh my gosh so hahaha
but it's okay um
but yeah
you don't have to write poetry to write good songs
and it doesn't always need to rhyme
nope
it's okay if it doesn't rhyme
sometimes it's cool if it rhymes
it's cool yeah
but it doesn't always need to rhyme
alright next myth
(16:15):
if I can't remember the melody I wrote
it's not a good melody
not necessarily you might just have a bad memory
or you are pumping out so much content
like so many different melodies
you can't remember all of it
just like I can't remember all of the people's names
I have ever met hahaha yeah
(16:37):
and that's why we have our devices
so you can record what you're doing
and you can you know
rely on those recordings I
especially if you're being a good songwriter
and writing consistently and
you know every week
every day hopefully
that'd be great um
but if you're writing a lot
it's impossible to remember every freaking melody right
like oh my gosh
(16:58):
we are not you know machines
no absolutely absolutely
if you write a lot
you're not gonna remember everything you wrote
no and that's okay
that doesn't mean it's not good
uh huh
myth busted hahaha
um
next myth is melodies should never repeat
(17:21):
that makes a song boring haha
what a lie it's a big fat lie
what a lie no
especially in pop music we need repetition
that is what makes the song catchy
makes it memorable it makes it memorable yeah
nobody's gonna remember your song and your melodies
if you never repeat them
nobody can listen to something once
(17:42):
and then remember it
and I think I said this in another episode a while back
as well where me
as a trained musician I want to be able
if we're talking about pop and pop similar
like if it's rock pop
R&B like any of that
it's not jazz right
I'm not talking about jazz
yeah but if you're writing contemporary stuff
(18:03):
country um
then I as a trained musician
I wanna be able to sing along to your song
at the latest after the second time I heard your chorus
not the verses I don't wanna like
you know I'm not gonna remember the lyrics
but I wanna be able to sing along to your chorus melody
by the time um
(18:25):
I heard it twice
yep otherwise it's probably not very catchy
exactly
we need to repeat yeah
it has to be there yeah
and this is something that
you know when
when I'm working with a songwriter too uh
or sometimes even they're
they're singers and they're coming to us
for voice lessons not necessarily songwriting lessons
but they're coming to us for
(18:46):
for voice lessons
and then they bring in an a song that they wrote
an original song uh
and then you know
I'm trying to work on on that with them
and then we're like I can't sorry
can you sing the melody again
I can't wait can you do it again
and by then I'm usually like
it's not a good melody I I
I heard it five times and I cannot sing it back to you
(19:06):
even if it's one phrase right right
like we're just going over one phrase
I should be able to sing that back to you
after hearing it once again
I'm a trained musician I should be able to do that
if I can't do that
how the heck is your average audience member
going to do that when they have no training in music
yep right
now that's not necessarily repetition
yes repetition plays into that
(19:27):
but it's also keeping it simple right
like you don't have to overcomplicate your stuff
keep it simple
but anyways make it simple
make it simple and keep repetition only
don't overdo the repetition because then it gets boring
but we need repetition but it has to be there
yes yeah
yes yes
the next myth is
you have to be born with talent to write songs
(19:51):
I am the prime example for this hahaha
zero talent over here oh yeah
it's a skill
if you can learn how to drive
you can learn how to write songs
I like that comparison
we're not born with a driving instinct
it's not in our nature maybe singing is in your nature
but maybe songwriting is something you can develop
(20:13):
over time yeah
the more you do it yeah
that was me right
I said this a million times already but uh
singing was always my main passion
and what I like to think
I was born to do on this planet
is sing and help other people
how to sing too
and it's developed over the years but um
(20:33):
like songwriting was a necessity for me
because I wanted to have a career as a singer
it was a necessity for me to learn how to write songs
because sorry
I hate to break it to you
you need to know how to write a song
if you want to be a singer period
like there's no negotiating here
you don't have to be the best songwriter on this planet
but you need to know the basics
and at least be able to write something
(20:55):
non negotiable not anymore
not in today's music industry
it might change but we can't rely on that anyways
um I only think it's just gonna get more and more
and more important not less important
that you can write songs but anyways
going off on a Tangent um
it was a necessity for me
and so I really had to learn it
like
if you listen back to some of the first lyrics I wrote
(21:17):
I was like oh
my god now melodies
I was pretty good with melodies from the beginning
but lyrics
I'm a little girl in my own world
I mess around but I still feel the ground
and this is my sound this is my story
I'm not sorry for who I am
that's the chorus this is my
(21:40):
and girl
when I tell you that I wrote this song
in my senior year of high school
I should have known better by then okay
I should have known better by then
but it's okay that also means like
it's never too late it's never too late to get better
um like literally
I was 18 years old
(22:01):
or 17 years old when I wrote these lyrics
and they are so so
so so
so so so
so so bad
but now I Learned how to do it better
right and even if you're 70 years old now
you can still learn how to write better lyrics
or better melodies or just better songs period
yep yep
anyway always anyways
(22:24):
um every song has to be completely original
I don't think so
what does that even mean completely original
we are it's impossible
literally we are
a collection
of the things that we have heard throughout our lives
I truly believe no idea is truly original
(22:45):
somebody else has done it before you
somebody has said it we only have 12 notes in the
you know western music
uh world
so you're gonna repeat something someone's sung already
yeah or
and that's okay
a progression that already exists 100,000 times
(23:07):
or you're gonna write about heartbreak
oh someone's already done that
yeah a bajillion times
yes
but also that doesn't mean that you need to be afraid
that you're gonna run into copyright issues
or something like that'cause
you sometimes see that in the news right
like Ed Sheeran's song is
you know play direct
blah blah blah blah whatever right
like no
(23:27):
you don't need to be afraid of any of this stuff
unless you're actively ripping somebody off
like the ripping somebody off
that would be different that's
don't do that
but don't be afraid to
just create and just let whatever wants to come out
come out don't judge it as you're doing it
or trying to figure out
did somebody else already write this
(23:48):
like just do and
and worry about that later
we can always make adjustments
if it's too similar to something
or whatever but again
like there's
I don't think that there's something out there
that hasn't been created yet
so just just do
just do and and yep
stop worrying about
what other people have done before you
or what other people will do after you
(24:09):
just live your life yep
hahaha a little easy adult advice
stop caring about what other people think
just do whatever it is you wanna do
I love it um
next myth you need to wait until inspiration strikes
to write something good
no okay
I think the no
it's a skill
the something good part is the important part here
because we've addressed that inspiration
(24:33):
like no
we can make inspiration happen when we are in flow
but you have to get in flow in the first place
and we use a framework to do that
and if you've heard any of our other podcast episodes
you're like girl
stop talking about that no
we know so
I'm not gonna continue going into
down that rabbit hole
but the something good part of the statement
(24:53):
I think is important because a lot of people think like
if the song doesn't just flow out of you
it's not gonna be a hit song
no
mmm hmm
it it can happen
no there are plenty of stories out there for like
that singers have shared and they were like
I literally wrote this song in an hour
or in two hours or whatever
and it's a big massive hit
(25:13):
that can happen and that's amazing when that happens
but it's not the major exactly
no it's not no
it's not the common experience
I mean especially if you have multiple songwriters
like
it goes through edits and it goes through producers
and it goes through the final artist
who decides to also change a few lyrics
like a song is never done until it's released
(25:37):
and even then we have edits and remixes
and so like no
like it takes time to build something good
yeah uh
Max Martin
he is one of the biggest songwriters out there
when it comes to contemporary music
like if you're looking at um
like the songwriting credits from any songs that
you know are like
Beyonce has sung or Christina Aguilera has sung or like
(26:00):
literally insert person like
insert whatever singer here
there's a very good chance
that Max Martin has a song on their record
like he's the writer of the song or one of the writers
and he is so very particular
about every single
(26:21):
little detail in the songs that he writes
like the syllable count has to be perfect and like
everything needs to be absolutely perfect
and that means that doesn't just flow out of you
in a matter of an hour or two
no that's a process right
like the initial idea might flow out of you
in an hour or two
but then you edit and edit and edit and edit
(26:41):
and edit and edit and edit
and also I do believe that you can write a good song
that takes three days to write
yeah
doesn't make it any less of a good song
because it took you a little bit longer
the timeline does not affect the outcome of the song
like it's just
it's a factor it's not yeah
a determining factor you know
it's just it is what it is
yes love
(27:03):
we got two more next myth if the snow way
hold on we just went to that
oh we just got one more
just one last myth go writers block is a myth
so we kind of talked about this in the previous episode
but it's not a myth per se
it happens but we can avoid it
(27:24):
yes yes
writer's block is avoidable workable
there's ways to make sure that your flow is constant
if you do have a framework
if you do have a system in practice
it's not gonna prevent it from happening altogether
writer's block could happen
and we're human yeah
and we're gonna have little moments of brain fog
(27:46):
but it doesn't mean it's forever
yes you said that perfectly
and all I can do is summarize what you just said
so that
I can feel like I added something to this conversation
even though I absolutely didn't
writer's block is not a myth
it does happen nope
and I think you already know that it's not a myth
because it's probably happened to you before
(28:08):
right where you didn't finish a song
or you never even got started with a song
because you were experiencing some sort of
writer's block
but there are ways to get around it
so it doesn't happen
or it doesn't happen as frequently or whatever
right so again
like I said I just absolutely added nothing to this
conversation that you know
Juliana just
(28:29):
whatever she just said but
I just had the feeling that I needed to summarize it
but anyways those are some myths
and I hope you didn't believe too many of them
and if you did
I hope that we were able to show you that
the reason why those are myths
not just like that's a myth
moving on but also showing why that is a myth
(28:50):
so that you can maybe
potentially change your mind on it
hahaha
right good
just because somebody else said yes or no
doesn't make that true
but I hope that this gave you some food for thought
to think about it and make some changes if you need
but anyways my friends
if you've heard any of our other uh
(29:11):
episodes or you joined us in our live training
that we had a couple days ago
doors to our songwriting for singers cohort and course
are closing on Sunday
so we're down to the last couple of days
the last couple of hours um
this is a eight week cohort
where you're getting the songwriting for singers course
(29:31):
where you're learning all about the framework
so that you don't have to experience
writer's block anymore
and that you can finish all of your songs
you can go through the course and in the cohort
that means you're in small groups
together with our wonderful coach Juliana
the stunning the one and only Juliana
um and you
(29:52):
know she will help you work through whatever
Roblox you are experiencing
give you feedback on your song
um make some suggestions
of other things that you could try
whatever it is you need in it
in small group formats these will literally be very
very very small groups
less than 10 people per group
so that every person has the chance to get
direct feedback on their specific song
(30:14):
and I just love the group aspect of it
because you can learn so much from other people
like what the songs that they're writing
and the feedback that they are getting on their songs
you can learn just as much from that
as you can from getting feedback on your own song
and yes I understand
it's scary
to put something out there into a group of strangers
that by the way
(30:34):
will become your best friends
it's just what's gonna happen
uh but it can be scary to share something
especially when you're not comfortable with songwriting
just yet but
diving in the deep end is the best way to get started
and again we're all on the same journey
everybody's here to learn
not to judge these are not a calls
(30:56):
where you showcase your songs that you've written
and everybody's be like wow
you're so good or hmm
it's a bad song like no
that's not what this is about
it's just to learn and work and improve
and develop a process that works for you
so that by the end of the eight weeks
literally by the end of the year
the goal is to have at least two to three songs
(31:17):
that are completely done and even recorded
because you're getting the recording for singers course
as well where you can professionally record yourself
from the comfort of your own home
and don't worry
we'll show you how to do that right there in the course
but anyways you wanna have two to three songs
between now and the end of the year completely
completely done and you have the framework
so that you can rinse and repeat
(31:38):
as much as you want in the New Year
so that you could write a song every week
if you wanted to
that means you're writing 50 songs a year
that's multiple albums a year
if you think about it so anyways
if you wanna know more about like
the entire course and what not
you know just check the link in the description
it's gonna take you to a page
where you see all the bonuses
and how exactly it works and testimonials
(31:59):
and because this is not our first Rodeo
so anyways you know
go check it out there
but I do just wanna say one last thing
and that is you know
if you're like ah
I don't know if I'm gonna have the time
to hop on a call every week
and watch these videos and blah blah blah
blah blah
I hear you we're adults
we get busy
and there's always so many other things that pop up
especially you know
with the holidays coming up now too
(32:22):
but I urge you to listen to your desires
and put yourself first for once
and take the time
to do something that you've been wanting to do
maybe for three days maybe for three years
maybe for 30 years
it doesn't matter how long you've had this desire
if this is something you wanna do
put yourself first and just make the choice to be like
(32:43):
no you know what
I'm gonna show up and I'm gonna get the framework
and I'm gonna get the help that I need
to kick start this journey
and then you fly out into the world
is beautiful little butterfly
and you don't need us anymore Yay
anyways thank you guys for tuning in
we hope to see you in our little
songwriting for singers cohort
and no it's not just for singers
we're just trying to get the point across
that you don't need to play an instrument
(33:04):
be a musician no music theory
any of the above
this course is for anyone who wants to just
get started with songwriting
improve their songwriting whatever
either way we can't wait to see you there
thank you for tuning in have a lovely weekend
and again doors close on Sunday
don't forget don't be too late hahaha alrighty
(33:24):
see you there bye
myth No. 1
you need to know music theory to write a good song
mythos I know a lot of music theory
but I have literally never used it in my songwriting
not once myth No. 2
you need to know how to play guitar or piano
or just an instrument in general to write a song
(00:22):
nope mytho
then the next one is ooh this this
this is this is something I used to believe
this next myth
I don't have any trauma so I can't write good songs
Mito mito
next myth if I can't remember the melody I wrote
it's not a good melody not necessarily
the next myth is no
lyrics are more
(00:43):
are the most important part of songwriting
nope what is the most important part of songwriting
Juliana
Hey Vox Star
and welcome to from singer to artist
I'm Lara Chapman award winning singer and songwriter
(01:04):
turned viral vocal coach and the host of this show
at VoxTape Studios
we help singers from all over the world
level up their voices
by teaching them the three fundamental skills
all singers need technique
awareness and artistry whether you're looking to go pro
or just develop your voice for fun
my team and I are here to help
check the link in the description
(01:24):
to book your first session
or grab some of our other resources
Alrighty are you ready
let's get started
just like there are a lot of singing myths out there
like
you cannot drink dairy or you're gonna be a bad singer
hahaha
there are also a lot of songwriting myths
that are circling the internet
(01:45):
and people's minds
and I have Coach Juliana with me here
hello hello
to address some of these uh
some of these songwriting myths that you might believe
or might not believe and um
yeah I would say let's just
let's just get right into it
yeah yeah
let's do it let's go
alright myth number one
(02:05):
oh hold on
what's myth in Spanish
we did this with mistakes as well
what's myth in Spanish
that's a great question yeah
I can't think of the German word either
mito mito
mito mythos
it's the same in German now that you said it
mythos
but that's not a word I would ever use
yeah I feel like
(02:26):
anyways myth No. 1 uh
you need to know music theory to write a good song
hmm hmm
no girl
I know a lot of music theory
but I have literally never used it in my songwriting
not once
yeah it's not necessary
(02:46):
like it definitely helps
it makes things easier
but especially when it comes to core progressions
I do think there it's helpful
but we mostly teach people how to topline hahaha
now we can help with beats
yes exactly
we can help with core progressions and
you know like
all of that stuff like
we both have done that too
we both play instruments um
(03:07):
and we both sometimes write songs with our instruments
too um
meaning we know a little bit about music theory uh
but it's not necessary to write a good song
all the best songs I've written
I have never thought about
right the music theory
yeah I mean I
I think when I started writing music
(03:27):
I didn't really know music theory per se
and sometimes
I still listen to some of those songs that I wrote
when I was like 15 16
I'm like dang girl
that was good yeah
and I knew zero music theory
so you don't have to
it doesn't mean that if you know music theory you're
you know in big trouble
(03:47):
no not at all
no but don't get caught up in it
because
what can happen when you get caught up in the music
theory of it you overcomplicate it
yeah yeah
and then it doesn't feel natural anymore right
and then people are like ah
this is not really singable or whatever right
not sing sing alongable
because now you made it too complicated
anyways you don't need to know music theory
(04:10):
it's alright so
nope Mitos
she's the same right
Mitos numero DOS
I need to learn how to speak Spanish
I don't know why I'm but anyways
Juliana is from Colombia originally
maybe that's why I'm doing it
yeah hahaha
um and we're going to Mexico next week
oh yeah oh my gosh
our little retreat and we have some
(04:31):
I'm so excited some of
some of our students they were working on their songs
like
the original songs that they wrote together with you
and now we're recording it together in Mexico
like I am so stoked
and like we're literally leaving in like a couple days
like in like 3 days wow wow
it's gonna be so fun I'm excited
anyways I gotta practice my Spanish before then
(04:52):
I don't speak any Spanish at all
but that's fine um
anyways myth No. 2
you need to know how to play guitar or piano
or just an instrument in general to write a song
nope
nope nope
nope nope nope
most songwriters don't play any instruments
oh what
yeah ah
say that again for the people in the back baby
(05:13):
most songwriters do not play any instruments
I think that is a myth that I no
I don't think I know that
this is a myth that I used to believe
and here's
here's exactly why I know that I believe this
when I was in high school in Switzerland
it's a little bit different
but when you go to high school
you already pick a major like you would hear in college
(05:33):
so my high school major was music
with my main instrument being voice
and there were people in my class
it was a small high school
like I didn't
we didn't have that many people in my class but um
there were people that did music with an instrument
and some people that did music with voice
voice is also instrument but again
it's your body right
it's different anyways
(05:54):
in the last year in senior year
there was a songwriting competition
now they did not prepare us for that at all
they never taught us how to write a song
but they were like
now there is a songwriting competition
and you have to participate
like it was mandatory to participate in it
and we had singers like
people that were a music major
understood music theory
(06:16):
because we had to learn it because we were music majors
but they didn't play any instruments
and I was like well
this is so unfair
how are these singers going to write songs
they don't play any instruments
like and I
you know I started piano lessons at like
in third grade however old you are in third grade
I don't know under ten
and so like
(06:36):
I was I was already
you know I could already play
and I was like
how are these people who don't play instruments
how are they gonna write a song
it's impossible to write a song
they did it they made it happen
I have no idea how they did it
um I think there was just a lot of help
from other people in the class
they would just like
write the music for them and they would topline
(06:57):
essentially um
but it was like a big
big big mystery to me
and then it wasn't until I was teaching voice lessons
where I was sick and I had a sub
this was like day one of vlog tape okay
this was pre Juliana joining the team
which means no
(07:17):
it's useless no
but uh uh
Corey was her name she was the substitute teacher
wonderful wonderful
wonderful lady um
and she gave an assignment to one of her students
Marin and the assignment
and she was a little girl
and one of the assignments
was to pick a track on the internet
(07:38):
and write a song to that track
and then when I came back and I heard that song
I was like Maren
you wrote this she's like yeah
and I'm like
girl this is amazing
and then yeah
she actually ended up recording it
even making a music video to it like
it was fantastic it was so cool
and it wasn't until then that I realized
you don't need to be able to play an instrument
(07:59):
to write a song and that's when I also realized that
my entire record that I wrote
uh for like
my own artist project that one
songwriting contests internationally and nationally
it's how I got these two guitars right there
because I won songwriting contest
I didn't buy that stuff I got it sent to me
but anyways that's when I realized like
(08:21):
oh my god
all those songs that I wrote
I did not ever touch an instrument for it
I toplined
but I didn't make that like
I didn't have that realization until that moment
I was like oh
my god and now when we teach songwriting
we actually start with no instruments
(08:43):
even if you play an instrument
the first song will make you write
is no instruments on purpose
we can always do that in the second song
or in the third song or whatever
right if you do play an instrument
but you don't have to
hmm anyways
that was a long it's so much easier
it's so much easier oh
my god and then
you can focus on the things that actually matter
oh my god
anyways melody
(09:04):
I lyrics we
we are broken records
yeah but it's not
it's not that complicated
and it matters exactly anyways nope
top lining is cheating is the next myth
no
we we broke it a couple seconds ago
(09:26):
it's not I mean
you have to like
you gotta use it especially if you're wanting to use it
in the mainstream world
if you wanna be an actual songwriter
that works as a songwriter
most songwriters are toplining like yup
99.9 of them are top lining
and you know what no one tells you about that
(09:46):
no one tells you
most people have no idea what top lining is
and that that even exists
and it's crazy because it's the industry standard
in today's day and age it is the industry standard
and most of the time
when you are working in the industry
and you're a writer
or you're an artist who writes with other people
(10:10):
you go to the studio or someone's house or wherever
and there's a producer there and he makes the or or
or she they make the track as you hmm
this is a very limiting belief right there
oh my gosh
like all producers are male
eh no right no
just because the majority of them are
doesn't mean all of them are
uh whoever is the producer
they will make the track as you are
(10:31):
like top lining over it again
that's how I created my record
I was in the room with my producer and my co writer
three of us and uh
we created the song together
and each one of us got 33% of the songwriting credit
that is just that's Nashville Standard
that you divide equally
(10:51):
by however many people are in the room
hahaha um
but that can also be different
like if you want to do it differently
that's fine too uh
if you topline two tracks from YouTube
or Beatopia or whatever
you get to keep 100% of the songwriting credit
so again top lining is not cheating
it is in fact the industry standard
and you should hop on that train
(11:13):
because the train is moving
whether you get on it or not
get on that train I am so tangy today and like
get on these rants
because I'm just so passionate about it
it's so fun to talk about
well yeah it's just like
ugh like
I didn't know any like
I graduated from the Berklee College of music
and nobody has ever taught me anything about toplining
(11:36):
wild why not
why not and I'm not that old
I didn't graduate that many years ago
haha like
it's not that new so
anyways I graduated a long time ago
but that's a secret that we can keep between us alright
uh top lining is not
in fact cheating
the next myth is nope
(11:56):
lyrics are more
are the most important part of songwriting
nope what is the most important part of songwriting
Juliana Melody because why
cause that's what people sing back
and what they will remember
what they will remember what
what transcends language barriers
exactly all of the above
(12:17):
yeah yeah
cause lyrics are very important
second important but melody is the most important
and then chord progressions don't matter
no hahaha
they do but top lining is they're just down the line
yes yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
um OK
melody is the most important part of songwriting
(12:39):
that is the truth okay
then the next one is ooh this
this this is
this is something I used to believe
this next myth I don't have any trauma
so I can't write good songs
no no
no no no
does you you don't have to go through horrible things
to be able to write a beautiful song
(13:00):
you know what you're an actress
you know you can make that comparison too
that is like saying
you have to be a method actor to be a good actor
no
most actors are not method actors
and they're phenomenal actors
so actually
method acting can be quite dangerous sometimes too
yeah so you know
(13:21):
you don't have to go through trauma to write good songs
no me is the example
I am just a delicate little flower
that doesn't have much trauma
which is lovely um no
just use your imagination exactly
get inspired
write about honest things that you see and hear
(13:42):
and experience and they don't have to be traumatic
yeah to be
you brought up the um
Taylor Swift album and like this
like it was all stories that were not her stories
but stories of other people or stories that she made up
you don't need to go through the pain
if Taylor Swift can do it
you can do it I always say that girl
(14:03):
if it's good enough for XYZ
insert famous person here
it's good enough for me and it's good enough for you
yep yep yep
yes and she's doing great
yes yes
and yes you are special
but you're not that special
hahaha
um okay
love it
next myth is good lyrics have to be poetic and or rhyme
(14:27):
mmm
no
it's honestly the simpler the better in pop music
like
you don't have to write these crazy analogies and ideas
just like be honest
get to the point and be relatable
and you don't have to rhyme it
cause we said it before and we'll say it again
(14:49):
we're not writing children's songs
we're not writing nursery rhymes
we're writing real life songs
so yeah
no yeah
it's if you
if you think it needs to be poetry
well just write poetry right now
I do know people uh
oh my god what's his name
John
(15:10):
I think his name was John
he was in the studio here
and um
he was writing poetry before he started writing songs
and I found that very interesting
but also like what does it even mean writing poetry
like you can have to the point
just like songwriting of poetry
(15:33):
and it's still poetry you know
like yeah
it doesn't need to be this elaborate crazy thing
yep
uh huh
his name was not John his name was Jess
sorry I just remembered
it's something with J is Jess Jess
sorry Jess
if you're watching oh um
but anyways
it doesn't need to be so many names to deal with
(15:54):
I know right
oh my gosh so hahaha
but it's okay um
but yeah
you don't have to write poetry to write good songs
and it doesn't always need to rhyme
nope
it's okay if it doesn't rhyme
sometimes it's cool if it rhymes
it's cool yeah
but it doesn't always need to rhyme
alright next myth
(16:15):
if I can't remember the melody I wrote
it's not a good melody
not necessarily you might just have a bad memory
or you are pumping out so much content
like so many different melodies
you can't remember all of it
just like I can't remember all of the people's names
I have ever met hahaha yeah
(16:37):
and that's why we have our devices
so you can record what you're doing
and you can you know
rely on those recordings I
especially if you're being a good songwriter
and writing consistently and
you know every week
every day hopefully
that'd be great um
but if you're writing a lot
it's impossible to remember every freaking melody right
like oh my gosh
(16:58):
we are not you know machines
no absolutely absolutely
if you write a lot
you're not gonna remember everything you wrote
no and that's okay
that doesn't mean it's not good
uh huh
myth busted hahaha
um
next myth is melodies should never repeat
(17:21):
that makes a song boring haha
what a lie it's a big fat lie
what a lie no
especially in pop music we need repetition
that is what makes the song catchy
makes it memorable it makes it memorable yeah
nobody's gonna remember your song and your melodies
if you never repeat them
nobody can listen to something once
(17:42):
and then remember it
and I think I said this in another episode a while back
as well where me
as a trained musician I want to be able
if we're talking about pop and pop similar
like if it's rock pop
R&B like any of that
it's not jazz right
I'm not talking about jazz
yeah but if you're writing contemporary stuff
(18:03):
country um
then I as a trained musician
I wanna be able to sing along to your song
at the latest after the second time I heard your chorus
not the verses I don't wanna like
you know I'm not gonna remember the lyrics
but I wanna be able to sing along to your chorus melody
by the time um
(18:25):
I heard it twice
yep otherwise it's probably not very catchy
exactly
we need to repeat yeah
it has to be there yeah
and this is something that
you know when
when I'm working with a songwriter too uh
or sometimes even they're
they're singers and they're coming to us
for voice lessons not necessarily songwriting lessons
but they're coming to us for
(18:46):
for voice lessons
and then they bring in an a song that they wrote
an original song uh
and then you know
I'm trying to work on on that with them
and then we're like I can't sorry
can you sing the melody again
I can't wait can you do it again
and by then I'm usually like
it's not a good melody I I
I heard it five times and I cannot sing it back to you
(19:06):
even if it's one phrase right right
like we're just going over one phrase
I should be able to sing that back to you
after hearing it once again
I'm a trained musician I should be able to do that
if I can't do that
how the heck is your average audience member
going to do that when they have no training in music
yep right
now that's not necessarily repetition
yes repetition plays into that
(19:27):
but it's also keeping it simple right
like you don't have to overcomplicate your stuff
keep it simple
but anyways make it simple
make it simple and keep repetition only
don't overdo the repetition because then it gets boring
but we need repetition but it has to be there
yes yeah
yes yes
the next myth is
you have to be born with talent to write songs
(19:51):
I am the prime example for this hahaha
zero talent over here oh yeah
it's a skill
if you can learn how to drive
you can learn how to write songs
I like that comparison
we're not born with a driving instinct
it's not in our nature maybe singing is in your nature
but maybe songwriting is something you can develop
(20:13):
over time yeah
the more you do it yeah
that was me right
I said this a million times already but uh
singing was always my main passion
and what I like to think
I was born to do on this planet
is sing and help other people
how to sing too
and it's developed over the years but um
(20:33):
like songwriting was a necessity for me
because I wanted to have a career as a singer
it was a necessity for me to learn how to write songs
because sorry
I hate to break it to you
you need to know how to write a song
if you want to be a singer period
like there's no negotiating here
you don't have to be the best songwriter on this planet
but you need to know the basics
and at least be able to write something
(20:55):
non negotiable not anymore
not in today's music industry
it might change but we can't rely on that anyways
um I only think it's just gonna get more and more
and more important not less important
that you can write songs but anyways
going off on a Tangent um
it was a necessity for me
and so I really had to learn it
like
if you listen back to some of the first lyrics I wrote
(21:17):
I was like oh
my god now melodies
I was pretty good with melodies from the beginning
but lyrics
I'm a little girl in my own world
I mess around but I still feel the ground
and this is my sound this is my story
I'm not sorry for who I am
that's the chorus this is my
(21:40):
and girl
when I tell you that I wrote this song
in my senior year of high school
I should have known better by then okay
I should have known better by then
but it's okay that also means like
it's never too late it's never too late to get better
um like literally
I was 18 years old
(22:01):
or 17 years old when I wrote these lyrics
and they are so so
so so
so so so
so so bad
but now I Learned how to do it better
right and even if you're 70 years old now
you can still learn how to write better lyrics
or better melodies or just better songs period
yep yep
anyway always anyways
(22:24):
um every song has to be completely original
I don't think so
what does that even mean completely original
we are it's impossible
literally we are
a collection
of the things that we have heard throughout our lives
I truly believe no idea is truly original
(22:45):
somebody else has done it before you
somebody has said it we only have 12 notes in the
you know western music
uh world
so you're gonna repeat something someone's sung already
yeah or
and that's okay
a progression that already exists 100,000 times
(23:07):
or you're gonna write about heartbreak
oh someone's already done that
yeah a bajillion times
yes
but also that doesn't mean that you need to be afraid
that you're gonna run into copyright issues
or something like that'cause
you sometimes see that in the news right
like Ed Sheeran's song is
you know play direct
blah blah blah blah whatever right
like no
(23:27):
you don't need to be afraid of any of this stuff
unless you're actively ripping somebody off
like the ripping somebody off
that would be different that's
don't do that
but don't be afraid to
just create and just let whatever wants to come out
come out don't judge it as you're doing it
or trying to figure out
did somebody else already write this
(23:48):
like just do and
and worry about that later
we can always make adjustments
if it's too similar to something
or whatever but again
like there's
I don't think that there's something out there
that hasn't been created yet
so just just do
just do and and yep
stop worrying about
what other people have done before you
or what other people will do after you
(24:09):
just live your life yep
hahaha a little easy adult advice
stop caring about what other people think
just do whatever it is you wanna do
I love it um
next myth you need to wait until inspiration strikes
to write something good
no okay
I think the no
it's a skill
the something good part is the important part here
because we've addressed that inspiration
(24:33):
like no
we can make inspiration happen when we are in flow
but you have to get in flow in the first place
and we use a framework to do that
and if you've heard any of our other podcast episodes
you're like girl
stop talking about that no
we know so
I'm not gonna continue going into
down that rabbit hole
but the something good part of the statement
(24:53):
I think is important because a lot of people think like
if the song doesn't just flow out of you
it's not gonna be a hit song
no
mmm hmm
it it can happen
no there are plenty of stories out there for like
that singers have shared and they were like
I literally wrote this song in an hour
or in two hours or whatever
and it's a big massive hit
(25:13):
that can happen and that's amazing when that happens
but it's not the major exactly
no it's not no
it's not the common experience
I mean especially if you have multiple songwriters
like
it goes through edits and it goes through producers
and it goes through the final artist
who decides to also change a few lyrics
like a song is never done until it's released
(25:37):
and even then we have edits and remixes
and so like no
like it takes time to build something good
yeah uh
Max Martin
he is one of the biggest songwriters out there
when it comes to contemporary music
like if you're looking at um
like the songwriting credits from any songs that
you know are like
Beyonce has sung or Christina Aguilera has sung or like
(26:00):
literally insert person like
insert whatever singer here
there's a very good chance
that Max Martin has a song on their record
like he's the writer of the song or one of the writers
and he is so very particular
about every single
(26:21):
little detail in the songs that he writes
like the syllable count has to be perfect and like
everything needs to be absolutely perfect
and that means that doesn't just flow out of you
in a matter of an hour or two
no that's a process right
like the initial idea might flow out of you
in an hour or two
but then you edit and edit and edit and edit
(26:41):
and edit and edit and edit
and also I do believe that you can write a good song
that takes three days to write
yeah
doesn't make it any less of a good song
because it took you a little bit longer
the timeline does not affect the outcome of the song
like it's just
it's a factor it's not yeah
a determining factor you know
it's just it is what it is
yes love
(27:03):
we got two more next myth if the snow way
hold on we just went to that
oh we just got one more
just one last myth go writers block is a myth
so we kind of talked about this in the previous episode
but it's not a myth per se
it happens but we can avoid it
(27:24):
yes yes
writer's block is avoidable workable
there's ways to make sure that your flow is constant
if you do have a framework
if you do have a system in practice
it's not gonna prevent it from happening altogether
writer's block could happen
and we're human yeah
and we're gonna have little moments of brain fog
(27:46):
but it doesn't mean it's forever
yes you said that perfectly
and all I can do is summarize what you just said
so that
I can feel like I added something to this conversation
even though I absolutely didn't
writer's block is not a myth
it does happen nope
and I think you already know that it's not a myth
because it's probably happened to you before
(28:08):
right where you didn't finish a song
or you never even got started with a song
because you were experiencing some sort of
writer's block
but there are ways to get around it
so it doesn't happen
or it doesn't happen as frequently or whatever
right so again
like I said I just absolutely added nothing to this
conversation that you know
Juliana just
(28:29):
whatever she just said but
I just had the feeling that I needed to summarize it
but anyways those are some myths
and I hope you didn't believe too many of them
and if you did
I hope that we were able to show you that
the reason why those are myths
not just like that's a myth
moving on but also showing why that is a myth
(28:50):
so that you can maybe
potentially change your mind on it
hahaha
right good
just because somebody else said yes or no
doesn't make that true
but I hope that this gave you some food for thought
to think about it and make some changes if you need
but anyways my friends
if you've heard any of our other uh
(29:11):
episodes or you joined us in our live training
that we had a couple days ago
doors to our songwriting for singers cohort and course
are closing on Sunday
so we're down to the last couple of days
the last couple of hours um
this is a eight week cohort
where you're getting the songwriting for singers course
(29:31):
where you're learning all about the framework
so that you don't have to experience
writer's block anymore
and that you can finish all of your songs
you can go through the course and in the cohort
that means you're in small groups
together with our wonderful coach Juliana
the stunning the one and only Juliana
um and you
(29:52):
know she will help you work through whatever
Roblox you are experiencing
give you feedback on your song
um make some suggestions
of other things that you could try
whatever it is you need in it
in small group formats these will literally be very
very very small groups
less than 10 people per group
so that every person has the chance to get
direct feedback on their specific song
(30:14):
and I just love the group aspect of it
because you can learn so much from other people
like what the songs that they're writing
and the feedback that they are getting on their songs
you can learn just as much from that
as you can from getting feedback on your own song
and yes I understand
it's scary
to put something out there into a group of strangers
that by the way
(30:34):
will become your best friends
it's just what's gonna happen
uh but it can be scary to share something
especially when you're not comfortable with songwriting
just yet but
diving in the deep end is the best way to get started
and again we're all on the same journey
everybody's here to learn
not to judge these are not a calls
(30:56):
where you showcase your songs that you've written
and everybody's be like wow
you're so good or hmm
it's a bad song like no
that's not what this is about
it's just to learn and work and improve
and develop a process that works for you
so that by the end of the eight weeks
literally by the end of the year
the goal is to have at least two to three songs
(31:17):
that are completely done and even recorded
because you're getting the recording for singers course
as well where you can professionally record yourself
from the comfort of your own home
and don't worry
we'll show you how to do that right there in the course
but anyways you wanna have two to three songs
between now and the end of the year completely
completely done and you have the framework
so that you can rinse and repeat
(31:38):
as much as you want in the New Year
so that you could write a song every week
if you wanted to
that means you're writing 50 songs a year
that's multiple albums a year
if you think about it so anyways
if you wanna know more about like
the entire course and what not
you know just check the link in the description
it's gonna take you to a page
where you see all the bonuses
and how exactly it works and testimonials
(31:59):
and because this is not our first Rodeo
so anyways you know
go check it out there
but I do just wanna say one last thing
and that is you know
if you're like ah
I don't know if I'm gonna have the time
to hop on a call every week
and watch these videos and blah blah blah
blah blah
I hear you we're adults
we get busy
and there's always so many other things that pop up
especially you know
with the holidays coming up now too
(32:22):
but I urge you to listen to your desires
and put yourself first for once
and take the time
to do something that you've been wanting to do
maybe for three days maybe for three years
maybe for 30 years
it doesn't matter how long you've had this desire
if this is something you wanna do
put yourself first and just make the choice to be like
(32:43):
no you know what
I'm gonna show up and I'm gonna get the framework
and I'm gonna get the help that I need
to kick start this journey
and then you fly out into the world
is beautiful little butterfly
and you don't need us anymore Yay
anyways thank you guys for tuning in
we hope to see you in our little
songwriting for singers cohort
and no it's not just for singers
we're just trying to get the point across
that you don't need to play an instrument
(33:04):
be a musician no music theory
any of the above
this course is for anyone who wants to just
get started with songwriting
improve their songwriting whatever
either way we can't wait to see you there
thank you for tuning in have a lovely weekend
and again doors close on Sunday
don't forget don't be too late hahaha alrighty
(33:24):
see you there bye
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