Songwriting·3:00 read
Can You Write Songs Without Playing an Instrument?
The short answer
Yes. Plenty of successful songwriters don't play an instrument, and I'm one of them. You can write from the melodies in your head and bring in musicians to build the music around them, or you can write to a track someone else has already made. Both work.
In this article
Let me answer this with a confession. I don’t officially play any instruments.
I can tinker with a keyboard a little. Nothing great. And I’ve still written songs for Shaggy, Maxi Priest and Brian & Tony Gold, including co-writing “It Wasn’t Me.”
So yes. You can absolutely write songs without playing an instrument.
The song starts in your head
When I first started writing, I wrote straight from the melodies in my head. I’d hear a melody, sing it, and start building lyric ideas around it.
No keyboard. No guitar. Just my voice.
That’s not a workaround, by the way. Melody and lyrics are the heart of a song. They’re what people sing back. The instruments support them.
Getting it out of your head is the hard part
Here’s the problem. Once you’ve got a song in your head, someone has to build the music around it. For me, that meant working with musicians after the song was written.
That proved challenging at times, to say the least. Without formal music training, I didn’t have the vocabulary musicians use. I’d be trying to explain a sound I could hear perfectly in my head, and they’d be nodding politely with no idea what I meant.
But every now and then I’d meet a producer or a keyboard player who heard the same thing I heard, just from the melody I was singing. Those people are gold. When you find one, keep working with them.
These days, when I’m producing my own tracks, I’ll rough out the music based on what I’m hearing, then bring in a professional keyboard player to make my rough version sound a lot better.
The other way: write to a track
The second way I write is the simplest. I start with a track that’s already been made and write a song to it.
This removes all the confusion. Nobody has to guess what the song is supposed to sound like, because the music already exists. You just focus on the melody and the lyrics.
Most of my co-writing sessions work this way. (Here’s how a typical session runs.)
How to start if you don’t play anything
- Record every melody idea. Your phone’s voice memo app is all you need. Hum it, sing it, keep it.
- Write the chorus first. It gives every other part of the song a direction. (Here’s why.)
- Find tracks to write to. Producers share instrumentals all the time. Writing to one is great practice.
- Look for your musician. Play your melodies for producers and keyboard players. When one of them hears what you hear, that’s your partner.
The thing that stops most people from writing songs is never starting. Grab your phone and record the melody that’s been stuck in your head.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn an instrument to be a songwriter?
No. Melody and lyrics are the core of a song, and you can create both with just your voice. Learning a little keyboard or guitar can help you communicate ideas, but it isn't required.
How do I write a melody if I can't play anything?
Sing it. Hum ideas into your phone's voice memo app and keep the ones that stick. That recording is your melody, and a musician can play it back from there.
How do I explain what I hear in my head to a musician?
Sing it to them, reference songs that have a similar feel, and be patient. Some musicians will hear what you hear right away. When you find one, keep working with them.
Is it easier to write to an existing track?
Often, yes. Writing to a finished instrumental removes the guesswork about what the song should sound like, so you can focus on the melody and lyrics.