The 3 Kinds of Songs Every Artist Must Learn to Write

songwriting

Before you chase perfection, master these foundations.

What are the 3 kinds of songs every artist should learn to write?

Emotion-Driven Songs – Capture raw feelings, stories, or personal truths.
Structure-Driven Songs – Use proven forms like verse-chorus or AABA to create flow.
Character-Driven Songs – Focus on identity, persona, or signature style to define your sound.

If you’ve ever sat down to write a song and instantly felt stuck — like nothing you make is “good enough” — you’re not broken.
You’re just battling the biggest creative myth in music:

That you need to write the perfect song before you can call yourself a songwriter.

But in truth, greatness doesn’t start with perfection.
It starts with repetition, exploration, and balance.

Before you worry about your hooks being too basic or your lyrics too raw — you need to write these 3 kinds of songs. Over and over again. Until you begin to hear your voice emerge from the noise.

Let’s break them down.

Song Arrangement: The Instrumentation, Parts, Structure & Mix

🩶 1. Emotion-Driven Songs (The Song You Need to Write)

These are the songs that pour out of you when you’re falling apart… or falling in love.

You don’t write them for the charts.
You write them because you have to.

These are Ashley’s midnight confessions.
Dane’s spoken-word dreams.
Garrett’s guitar-and-vocal demos that don’t need plugins to feel real.

Why they matter:

They build confidence in your emotional vocabulary
They remind you that music is human, not just technical
They become the foundation of your storytelling voice

Your challenge:
Write one song this week that tells exactly how you feel — no filter. Don’t worry about structure or rhymes. Just make it real.

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🔁 2. Structure-Driven Songs (The Song You Learn to Write)

These songs are about craft — building a song that flows, hooks, and lands.

Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus / Bridge / Chorus.
AABA.
Pre-chorus that lifts.
Bridge that surprises.

This is your songwriting gym. Where you train your ability to finish, not just start.

For Ashley, it’s learning how to write a radio-length track that doesn’t meander.
For Dane, it’s making an 8-bar loop evolve into a full arrangement.
For Garrett, it’s taking a journal entry and shaping it into a song that someone else could sing.

Why they matter:

They teach discipline and completion
They create structure for inspiration to live in
They prepare you for collaboration, licensing, sync, and pro songwriting work

Your challenge:
Take one emotion-driven idea and mold it into a structure you’ve never used before. Can you turn a 2-minute stream-of-consciousness into a 3-minute pop song?

Mastering Song Structure: Intro, Verse, Chorus & Bridge

🎭 3. Character-Driven Songs (The Song That Sounds Like You)

This is where songwriting becomes identity work.

These songs are born when you ask:

“What’s my voice as an artist?”
“What kind of world do I create for the listener?”
“What does it feel like to hear my music?”

This is where your style, genre, and vision come together. The character you’re building — even if it’s a version of you — becomes part of the song itself.

For Ashley, it’s soft but confident vocals, open chords, and nostalgic imagery.
For Dane, it’s gritty, rhythmic, emotional beats with intimate lyricism.
For Garrett, it’s lo-fi textures, heavy contrast, and melodies that feel like memory.

Why they matter:

They help you stand out
They unlock your “signature” sound
They turn your songs into a body of work rather than random tracks

Your challenge:
Create one song using only sounds, lyrics, and references that feel undeniably you. No copying. No templates. Just instinct and taste.

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