How Long Should It Take To Write A Song?

Tips & Resources by Brent Baxter, Songwriting Pro on October 07, 2019

"How long should it take to write a song?"  Is there such a thing as writing a song too fast or too slowly?

I see this question going around every now and then, and I figure if one person wonders about it, there are probably a lot of people who wonder about it.  So let's dive in!

Writing a song takes as long as it takes.

First of all, if anyone tells you anything like, "it should only take 30 minutes to write a song" or "it should never take less than 3 hours to write a song..." ignore them.  They aren't being correct, and they aren't being helpful.

Maybe they get their best work done within a certain timeframe.  But that only works for them.  They aren't you.  You should take as much time (or as little time) to write the song as the song dictates.

"Stand By Your Man" but not by your clock.

The country standard, "Stand By Your Man" was written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill.  And they wrote it in about 15 minutes.  But so what?  They aren't you.

"The House That Built Me" was not built in a day.

Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin went back to "The House That Built Me" for several years before they finally got it right.  And it is a new country classic and won both the ACM and CMA Song Of The Year.  But you know what?  It doesn't matter. They aren't you, either.

My point with sharing these polar opposites is to show that great songs don't have a certain writing deadline.

Some songs come quickly.  Some take hours.  Some take years of "let's take another look at this one."  And that's okay.  You don't have to judge yourself by anyone else's opinion of how fast you should finish a song.  You write however it is that you get your best results.  Period.

Two warnings:

Avoid shallow thinking.

Don't be in such a hurry to finish every song that you don't really dig into them.  If you just want to write songs, I guess it doesn't matter if you put in much effort.  But if you want to write GREAT songs, it's going to take work.

If you hear those stories about someone writing a hit in 20 minutes, you have to remember that the hit wasn't their first song.  Or probably anywhere in their first 100 songs.  They'd written a bunch of songs by that point, and so they were able to work more efficiently- not having to think about structure, rhyme scheme, etc.  It was "built in" to their writing by that point.

Bottom line: it takes a lot of work to make it look easy.  So put in the work.

Avoid analysis paralysis.

On the other end of the spectrum, maybe you overthink your song and beat it to death in your head so much that you never finish it.  You second-guess every syllable.  Then you third-guess it.  Then fourth-guess it, etc.

At the end of the day, for you, maybe you just need to practice calling songs "done."  Maybe you're overthinking your songs because you are scared of actually putting them into the world where they might "fail" (whatever failure means to you).  Maybe you're avoiding something by refusing to finish a song.

Bottom line: you'll never reach your songwriting goals if you don't finish some dang songs!  So finish a few and just let them go.

Either way you write, whether fast or slow, nobody really cares.  They only care if your song knocks their socks off.  That's all.  Then they'll be curious how long it took you to write it.

You do you, and you'll do just fine.

Hey, do you have a question you'd like ask a hit songwriter or a hit music publisher?  If so, I have TWO great opportunities coming up for you... and they're FREE.  On November 18, I'm hosting a "Know The Pro" event with pro music publisher, Butch Baker of Mojo Music & Media. Butch has mentored hit songwriters including Dean Dillion (George Strait, Kenny Chesney, etc.) and Phil O'Donnell (George Strait, Blake Shelton, etc.) Then, on November 19, we have another "Know The Pro" event with hit Christian songwriter, Michael Farren. He's penned hits for Lauren Diagle ("Come Alive [Dry Bones]" & "Trust In You"), Michael W. Smith ("Let It Rain") and others.  And you can ask these pros YOUR questions.  And it's an online event, so you can join us from anywhere in the world.

This is YOUR chance to sit down face-to-face (online) with two real-deal music professionals, and I hope you won't let it slip away.

Here's the best part: these events are FREE for Frettie subscribers! So if you're already a Frettie subscriber, you'll receive an invitation to these events. If you are NOT a Frettie subscriber... what are you waiting for? Heck, it's only $5 a month!

CLICK HERE TO GET ALL THE DETAILS AND JOIN FRETTIE AND THESE EVENTS!



God bless,

Brent

PS- Thanks for stopping by Frettie! I appreciate it. As a matter of fact, I want to give you a special little something just for your visit. It's my FREE ebook "Think Like A Pro Songwriter," and it reveals valuable I-learned-it-the-hard-way-so-you-don't-have-to tips to help you succeed at the art, craft and business of songwriting. You can download it at www.GiftFromBrent.com.