Embrace Your Authentic Songwriter: How & Why to Play Your Own Tune

Copyright © 2023 Beth Kille

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning or other electronic or mechanical methods without prior written permission except in the case of brief quotations used in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover design by Erik Kjelland, Noon Thirty Design. Back cover photo by Marsha Mood.

To contact Beth Kille directly visit www.bethkille.com

ISBN 979-8-35-093714-5

To Mom and Dad

Contents

FOREWORD

PREFACE

PART ONE

CHAPTER 1 WHY PEOPLE LISTEN TO MUSIC

Human Connection

Playing with Our Emotions

Emotional Expression and Modulation

Lyrics Help You Put a Name on It

Live vs. Recorded Listening

Expanding and Stimulating Our Brains

Distraction vs. Living in the Moment

CHAPTER 2 WHY YOUR BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT MATTER

Get in Tune with Your Body

Community Matters

Questions to Ask Yourself

CHAPTER 3 GET TO KNOW YOUR SONGWRITER ORIGIN STORY

My Songwriter Origin Story

Writing Your Own Songwriter Origin Story

CHAPTER 4 WHY DO YOU WANT TO WRITE SONGS?

The Nashville Hammer

Your Intention = Your Why

Internal vs. Internalized Voices

The Big Why vs. The Little Why: Song Purpose Types

PART TWO

CHAPTER 5 SONG STRUCTURE

Verse-Chorus Variations

Verse-Chorus Variations in Action

AABA Format

Other Song Sections and Terms

Lyric Chord Sheets

CHAPTER 6 INSPIRATION

Write What You Know

Grasp This Concept: Emotional Truth Does Not Equal Nonfiction

Understand that Emotional Truth Does Not Always Have to Be Poignant

Journaling

Try Spider Writing

Learn Cover Tunes

Pick Up a New Instrument

Flip Your Flow

Start with a Drum Beat

Do February Album Writing Month (FAWM)

Lower Your Standards

Schedule a Co-Write

Embrace the Theory of Abundance

Practice Makes Prolific

CHAPTER 7 LYRIC WRITING TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

Conversational vs. Poetic Lyrics

How to Get Away with Lyrical Murder

Impactful Lyric Writing Techniques

To Rhyme, or Not to Rhyme, That Is the Question

Working Hard to Find Rhymes

Rhyming Patterns

Singability

CHAPTER 8 MELODY

Emoters and Technicians

Melodic Parameters, Tips, and Techniques

The Importance of Timbre

Adding the Special Sauce

CHAPTER 9 MUSIC THEORY FOR SONGWRITERS

In the Beginning

Natural Note Names (The White Keys)

Intervals

Scales

Why Should I Care What Key I’m In?

Chords

Building Chords within Your Key

Roman Numerals Denote Chord Position within a Key

Chord Function

I’ve Written Chords, Now How Do I Figure Out What Key I’m In?

If I Write a Melody First, How Do I Find My Chords?

Expanding Your Chord Vocabulary Beyond I, IV, V

Putting Roman Numerals to Use

CHAPTER 10 ADDITIONAL COMPOSING CONCEPTS

Writing Hooks

Creating Contrast

PART THREE

CHAPTER 11 INSPIRING TALES

Mandi’s Story: Breaking Down Walls in Safe Spaces

Jackie’s Story: It’s Never Too Late

John’s Story: Leave a Legacy

CHAPTER 12 THE THRIVING SONGWRITER

Creativity as Your Compass

Recognizing and Overcoming Obstacles

Playing Nicely with Others

Celebrating Successes

Appendices

Appendix A: Lyric Chord Sheet Examples

Appendix B: Noun, Adjective, Verb List

Appendix C: Roman Numerals and Chord Function Chart in All Keys

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

NOTES

BOOK SUMMARY

AUTHOR BIO

FOREWORD

As a high school senior, my English teacher invited us to write stories about whatever we wanted. This was the seed that would later blossom into my songwriting. Though I didn’t know that then, I did know it was the only learning activity I did in four years of high school that felt joyful. Like other teenagers, I was experiencing new friendships, budding romances, and increasingly difficult academics. At times, I also witnessed racism and friends’ overuse of alcohol and drugs. As is likely true for many young people, there was a lot to navigate. Through writing fictional stories about what was going on in my world, I was able to process and find my way through these experiences. As a result, my burden was lighter. In college, I dove deep into The Indigo Girls’ and Peter Gabriel’s music. In their songs, I felt a sense of belonging. Growing up, I had listened to pop radio and its many breakup songs. I had also learned to play classical piano pieces. However, Peter, Amy, and Emily’s deeply psychological and philosophical lyrics gave me a space where I uniquely recognized myself (I thought, Oh, other people think about these things too?! and Maybe I’m not such a weirdo after all.). It was likely while listening to the song Come Talk to Me or Watershed, that I first thought, If I ever write a song that feels this true and moving, my life will have been worthwhile.

Years later, after I’d been working as a touring singer-songwriter, I was invited to teach songwriting at various places like GRAMMY Camp, Berklee College of Music, Interlochen, and songwriting retreats across the country. At first, I didn’t know if other people would use songwriting the way I had (as a place to process relationships, grieve losses, celebrate victories, etc.). What I found is that many approached songwriting in this way. Even when people came to a workshop primarily to have fun, they often used the songwriting opportunity to work through a challenge or loss. Through these experiences, I realized that songwriting has unique features that can help one get to know oneself better and that it can be a potent healing practice in one's journey towards wholeness.

Enter Beth Kille, author of this book! Perhaps more than any other songwriter I know, Beth is all about songwriting as a journey toward wholeness! Through reading this book, you will come to love her as a person, value her tips and tools, and discover how songwriting can possibly be this for you too!

Beth Kille is an open, loving, kind, extremely silly soul who relates to others easily and teaches in a non-hierarchical way. You know Beth is leading because she’s standing on stage talking into the mic. However, you never feel like she’s above you. I first met Beth through Girls Rock Camp Madison, where, for several years, I watched her lead songwriting workshops for groups of up to 40 campers. In this role, she is self-effacing, funny, and, most importantly, she takes away the notion that songwriting needs to be a) difficult or b) something you need innate skill to do.

Beth breaks songwriting down into small pieces and uses fun writing prompts (such as giving campers random objects to write about). She also has boundless amounts of energy to inspire and support. If you doubt yourself, Beth’s enthusiasm will carry you until the point you don’t doubt yourself any longer. She’s 100% dedicated to letting people know that their voices, points of view, and experiences matter! To Beth, it’s a given that everyone is worthy of being heard loudly and listened to closely.

Beth engages with songwriting holistically. As a physical therapist and as someone who studied psychology, Beth loves helping people maximize their potential and lead balanced lives. She knows that just as we are healthier when we eat healthy food or exercise, we are also healthier when we create in ways that light us up. Authentic songwriting is one of those ways. When we write our truth, we stay current with ourselves, express emotions, and connect with our body, mind, and spirit.

Over the years, cultural narratives about successful bands have often included drama, drugs, and the harming of self. In Beth’s world (and mine), this is an old paradigm that no longer needs to apply. Authentic songwriting is not only a fun way to take good emotional care of oneself, it also fosters positive relationships and builds resilient communities. Every summer, I see campers who are afraid to talk to each other until they find something they want to write a song about (like being the first woman president or not being judged for their appearance) and they are off and running!

When people express themselves honestly through song, they are vulnerable and powerful at the same time. They are vulnerable for sharing their truth and point of view. They are powerful for being brave enough to write and share it. When people write songs together, they share, integrate, and make something out of their authentic parts. This creates a strong bond between people who now give each other the benefit of the doubt, which can be a rare thing in the world these days. Beth embodies this way of thinking and being and shares it with her students and community!

This book you have in your hands is a treasure that will continue to give to you for as many times as you read it and do the exercises. Beth is a gentle and loving guide. Consider this book your chance to learn about songwriting and yourself. Consider it an opportunity to love yourself more fully!

– Anne Heaton

PREFACE

Hello, dear reader. You may be wondering what prompted me to write this book. First off, I thought, I have many things to share about songwriting. I am an avid reader of books on songwriting and music business as well as genres ranging from fiction to self-help. Books have helped me, and I like to help people, so I decided to write a book that others might find helpful. That’s deductive reasoning from Philosophy 101, baby.

There are a few things I want you to know before you dive into this book. One is that I’m a goofball and I tend to get animated when I talk. Also, I get super-duper excited when people embark upon a creative journey. So, if you want to capture my tone, please read my words with a healthy dose of gesticulation, a side of snideness, and a heaping dollop of unconditional love directed at your inner songwriter. I am like that slightly embarrassing mom in the bleachers, wildly cheering you on, no matter where you are in the pack. Or you can picture me as that happy-scrappy dog who greets you enthusiastically at the door, listens with eagerness to every brilliant word you speak, and then hides your sneakers just for fun. Oh, and I will bite anyone who tries to hurt you. Just sayin’. There’s no room for creative bullies in my house.

I’ve written this book for anyone interested in exploring songwriting. If you’ve never written a song before but have the desire, great! If you’ve already written some tunes and want to expand your skills, fabulous! There are three parts to this book. Part 1 is a philosophical dive into why music exists and what it means to you and your listeners. In part 2 we’ll explore specific lyric writing and basic musical techniques to apply to your tunes. Part 3 is intended to personalize all you’ve gathered throughout the book, so you can confidently and authentically step forward into your life as a songwriter.

I’m going to ask you to do the work. Embracing your authentic songwriter requires discipline. I’ve included assignments at the end of each chapter to guide you. I encourage you to read this book near a device that allows you to look up lyrics and listen to the song examples I use. If you play guitar or piano, you’ll need your instrument within arm’s reach. If you’re a novice guitarist, have a chord chart handy so you can look up the chords I reference. Your songwriting muscles will strengthen with practice.

It might be tempting to skip parts 1 and 3 so you can focus solely on the nuts and bolts of songwriting, but I’d urge you to reconsider. I've attended and taught songwriting workshops for many years and have found that there is a lot of effort put into teaching people how to write. For example, there are tons of resources to help you with lyric writing. And there are certainly books you can buy on music theory. And, of course, we can all find teachers willing to show us how to use our instrument(s) of choice (guitar, piano, drums, voice, etc.). But funny enough, I have never attended a workshop on why we write. (Shout out to Nancy Moran, who does a fabulous workshop on finding your why for being in the music business.) Why is it that we don’t give as much thought to why we write? We all have our own reasons; I hope to connect you with yours. 

In part 2, I share a bit on how to write. I put the word how in quotes because I firmly believe what I tell people at my workshops all the time: the number one rule in songwriting is that there are no rules in songwriting. I prefer to think of the tidbits in this book as tools you can use like a hammer you pull out of your toolbox when you need to drive in a nail. I have seen some incredible performing songwriters look at me like, What in the world are you talking about? when I start to mumble about music theory in a cowriting session. And I can think of other amazing performing songwriters who have never taken a songwriting class or read a book on writing songs. They just have a gift and have figured out a lot of things by trial and error (e.g., Hey, people clap really loud when I play this song . . . I guess this one is good!).

You might have a gift too. But maybe every once in a while you get stuck. That is when you should open your toolbox, pull out something you learned, and apply it, so you can get past the barrier. Maybe all your songs are starting to sound the same and you need to bust out of a rut. Applying some newly learned tricks might spark your creativity. But never, ever, ever do I want you to think, "Oh, the book says I should write using this formula, so I can’t do that." Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! NO! No and just . . . no. That is not what any of this information is for. Yes, I just ended a sentence with a preposition. Why? Because I’m a songwriter, darn it, and I don’t believe in rules.

The right half of our brain controls the left half of our body and the left half of our brain controls the right side. The left and right hemispheres of our brains are responsible for different executive functions (although there is some overlap and a lot of variability from person to person). Left-handed people are often referred to as right-brain dominant and right-handed people are considered left-brain dominant. This isn’t a hard-and-fast neurological rule, but right-brain dominance often causes lefties to lean more toward creative, big picture thinking, while right-handed people tend to be more logical and structured.

I am somewhat ambidextrous. With my left hand, I write and throw a frisbee (a critically important life skill). With my right hand, I do most other things: sports, playing guitar, sewing, and using scissors. Then there are activities that confuse me, so I switch hands, like playing ping pong, putting on eye makeup, and using a fork. I often feel that there is literally a battle going on between the hemispheres of my brain. The right half is always trying to dream big, follow butterflies through the field, and write snippets of songs that flitter around with the butterflies, never to land. Then the left half of my brain will kick in and say, Settle down, Beth, and finish the task at hand. Organize your kitchen, write the second verse to that song, and stop chasing butterflies.

I think this is quite handy, though (pun intended). If your habit is to identify more strongly with one of the hemispheres and never fully engage the other, it might make your songwriting life more difficult. I hope to give you the tools to engage both halves of your brain, along with your whole heart.

Full disclosure: I do not have a formal degree in music and I am not a hit songwriter, at least not by Billboard’s standards. And while what I have to share certainly could propel you to write songs that make you a lot of money, that isn’t what matters to me. This is a book to give you the tools so that you will become the best songwriter you can be.

I tattooed the word Inspire on my left forearm for my 40th birthday. It’s my personal mission to connect people with their creative spirits so they can express themselves and share all their beauty with the world. I believe every song is a gift. I hope you