Why You Should Take Piano Lessons To Become A Better Songwriter

Posted on: 13 October 2021

Figuring out how to get started with songwriting is a common problem that new artists face. If you don't have any experience writing music, how are you supposed to begin? One way would be to gain some basic knowledge of music by taking piano lessons.

Learn music theory

When you take piano lessons, you do a lot more than just practice scales and proper finger placement. You will also learn about the foundation of music and how it actually works.

Music theory approaches things from a technical standpoint. In the same way that grammar, sentence structure, and spelling help a literary writer, music theory will give you all of the knowledge and skills necessary to start songwriting. Without it, you would just be aimlessly trying different things and hoping it eventually sounds good.

Some musicians look down on music theory, as they believe it takes away from the natural process of creating music. However, it is more likely that it will help you to be more creative and natural with your songwriting, because you will have the basics fully understood first. 

Structured improvisation

Improvising is an important part of songwriting. You need to be able to play around with different ideas and see where they lead. Piano lessons will teach you how to improvise in a way that is more productive and likely to result in a cohesive piece of music.

An expert opinion

Most piano teachers have a strong background in music. After lessons, you can ask them whatever questions you may have about songwriting. Even if they are not songwriters themselves, they should have enough knowledge about music to at least assist you along the way.

It's important to take advantage of the musical knowledge and experience of your teacher. When else will you have access to someone with so much musical expertise? If you let them know from the beginning that you are interested in songwriting, they may even incorporate things into your lessons that they don't usually teach their other students. 

Great instrument for writing music

Pianos are commonly used by songwriters due to their popularity and design. As you get better at playing, it will become easier and easier to sit down at the piano and come up with song ideas.

Many piano pieces include bass, chords, and melodies. That means you are learning different methods of creating those parts of a song. This gives you an advantage over people learning some other instruments.

Share