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Get blank music staff paper. Decide on a time signature. Discover your key. Find out your chord progression. Create a chorus. Create verses. Create a bridge.
You can download blank staff paper off the Internet or buy it at almost any music store. If you prefer, you can even create your own. Make 2 rows of 5 straight lines, one on top of the other with some space in between. Then split each row into 4 columns to make the measures. Be sure to use a ruler so that you get clear straight lines. A time signature notifies you how a song will be counted. You'll see it written like a fraction at the beginning of any piece of music. If your song has a quick pace, you might use 2/2 or "cut" time. The most frequently used time signature is 4/4, also called "common" time. The top number means that you'll have 4 beats in a measure. The bottom number means that you'll count each beat as a quarter note. In common time, there a few different types of notes that have varying values. A half note has the value of 2 quarter notes or 2 beats. A whole note has the value of 4 quarter notes or 4 beats. An eighth note has the value of 1/2 of a quarter note. A dot immediately following a note increases that note by half its value. A half note would then last for 3 beats. The key is basically the arrangements of sharps and flats in your song. If you have no sharps or flats in your scale, you will be in the key of C major. For every fifth you move up from C, you add a sharp (black key above a note) to your scale. If you move from the key of C to the key of G, you would add an F sharp. For every fifth you move down from C, you add a flat to your scale. So if you dropped from the key of C to the key of F, you would add a B flat. This system is called the circle of fifths. The order in which sharps are added is F, C, G, D, A, E, B. The order in which flats are added is reversed, B, E, A, D, G, C, F. Minor keys have a darker tone and follow the same rules. The key of A minor has no sharps or flats and you can move up or down from there. Every key has a different mood or "color" so experiment a bit until you find one that feels right for your song. A good chord progression for your song will give it a coherent structure. There are few different chord progressions you can follow. One of the most popular is the Nashville progression. To use the Nashville progression, you'll have to find your root chord, (the same as your key) your dominant chord, (the fifth chord above your root) your sub-dominant chord (the fourth chord above your root) and the six chord (this will be a minor chord). This may sound confusing but it's actually pretty easy. If you're in the key of C, you would count a fifth step from C to find your dominant chord. You would say "C, D, E, F, G." G would be your dominant chord. In the key of C, C is your root chord, G is your dominant chord, F is your sub-dominant chord, and A minor is your six chord. Your chorus will be the most recognizable part of your song. It's the part of your song that will hook your audience in. You'll repeat it, exactly the same way, over and over throughout your song. You want it to be as catchy as possible. You can set your chorus apart from the rest of your song by making it louder. Make it emotionally moving by creating a memorable chord progression. Your audience will likely connect with your chorus more than any other part of your song. Verses tell the story of the song. If your song has lyrics, your verses should relate to the chorus. Your song should have several verses and each one should come before a chorus. All your verses should have a similar tune or chord progression, though there can be slight variations in rhythm, instrumentation, or vocals. You can make each verse its own story or you can continue a story through all your verses. Your last verse should be the payoff. It should reward the audience for listening to the song and end the story. For example, if your song is about falling in love, the last verse may be about when the lovers finally kiss. Your bridge will only appear in your song once. It serves to break up the song and its tune should be very different, musically, than that of the rest of your song. A good place to put your bridge is after 2 cycles of your verse and chorus. Introduce a new tune or rhythm in your bridge. Try to surprise your audience with a unique bridge they never expected.