How to convert an idea into a composition

Taxiway’s Mike Aurand: “I think of it like building a table. The chorus is the body, the verses are the legs.”

Taxiway’s Mike Aurand outlines a practical, distraction-free songwriting process, turning vague sparks into finished songs through focus, structure, and patience

How exactly does one write a song? There are, after all, plenty of informative books on the subject of writing “hits.” Particularly in the algorithm era, writing “hits” is more of a science than an art form; one can easily point to specific tempos, formulative melodic structures, and other mathematical equations that translated into high chart positions in the past. But writing a “song?” No one knows how to do that.

I’m not going to use the word “you” frequently here, because it’s not my place to tell you how to write your songs. I do hope, however, that by sharing my creative process, you may find certain methods to incorporate into yours. After years of trial and error in Nashville’s ultra-competitive music business, I’ve finally settled on a process that helps me convert my ideas into compositions. What follows is a rough outline of that process.

First published in Songwriting Magazine Winter 2021-22

1. CREATE A THEMATIC OUTLINE

I think of writing and editing as two entirely different disciplines. I like to know what I’m going to say before I figure out how I’m going to say it. I use a pen and paper to write an outline of the song’s lyrics before I finalize them. I usually establish the song’s main hook first. In most cases, this main hook is the chorus, though it can also be any standalone lyrical phrase. Putting the chorus in the middle, I then sketch out verse ideas that point towards it.

For my song Four Star, I knew I wanted the chorus to establish a narrator in a four-star hotel, spending his last night there for the foreseeable future, since he’s about to lose his job. Establishing this upfront made writing the first and second verses easier since I knew the verses needed to support this central idea. I think of it like building a table. The chorus is the body, the verses are the legs.

2. WRITE WITH THE BARE MINIMUM OF WHAT’S NEEDED

Much like writing vs editing lyrics, I consider there to be a difference between composing and arranging music. I write almost exclusively on acoustic guitar. Before I even consider playing a song for my bandmates, I must first have a solo acoustic arrangement. If the song works in this stripped-down arrangement, the song will only sound better once the other instruments are added. Everything else, from amplifiers and pedalboards, to lead riffs, bass riffs, and vocal harmonies, comes later.

3. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS

My lyric-writing process requires deep focus, similar to the level necessary for studying. My best work is achieved in prolonged periods of solitude with my phone turned off. I typically use headphones with white noise to block out distracting sounds. At times, I have even taken to relocating to a café where I don’t know the WiFi password, so I can’t impulsively pull up social media.

4. KEEP A ‘HOOK LIST’ TO PULL FROM

Since 2015, I’ve kept an ongoing “hook list” on my iPhone’s Notes app, filled with 100-plus words and phrases I’ve jotted down over the years. Everything with a checkmark next to it eventually became a complete song. Others are potential future song titles. Some are just sketches of lyrics intended to serve as seeds of inspiration, to be pulled from tomorrow, next week, or possibly even years from now.

5. DON’T TRY TO FORCE OUT LYRICS, MELODIES AND CHORDS ALL AT ONCE

It can be easy, tempting even, to begin every new song by first establishing chords. My past attempts at doing this usually resulted in me losing inspiration after immediately comparing the chords to a song I’ve heard before or even a song I’ve written before. My songs’ chords are usually established after I’ve settled on a memorable melody, but before I take a stab at the lyrics.

As such, lyrics are almost always the final addition to every song I write. I’ve often driven myself crazy trying to establish melody and lyrics at the same time. I have no qualms with letting a song sit for a while, just to ensure the melody is catchy enough for me to recall the next day.

I sincerely hope these steps help you if you’re ever in a creative slump. To date, I’ve written the majority of Taxiway songs using these exact steps, including every song on our album Absence (yes, that was a plug). I can at least, if nothing else, cement my place in history as the world’s leading authority on writing Taxiway songs. As such, you are the authority on how to write your songs. Get out there and show the world how it’s done.

Taxiway is a three-piece band from Nashville making music that incorporates elements of dream pop, alternative rock and cosmic Americana. Debut album Absence is out now via Seven Plates Records. Check out their Bandcamp page for music and more: taxiwaymusic.bandcamp.com

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