How to Write a Song When You Don’t Play an Instrument

There are many people who sing and write lyrics, but turning those ideas into a song can seem impossible when you don’t play an instrument. It’s by no means impossible, though. There are several routes you can take when you’re stuck with an idea with no music to accompany it.

Below are a few ideas for singers-only who want to write songs. They range from collaborating with others to using modern technology to fill the gaps.

Using loops and samples

Your computer can be the instrument that you’re missing, and there is plenty of music content online that you can use to make your own song. Some of it is free, and for some of it you have to pay.  

The first thing you need is software you can produce music with. Those are called Digital Audio Workstations, or DAW. If you have an Apple device, GarageBand is free and comes with free loops. You can search the database for chords and write melodies over those recordings.

Other DAWs offer similar capabilities. Ableton Live has a library of sounds that includes loops. You can find them by looking up “Packs” on their website and then using the “Genres & Instruments” filter to single out loops. 

Another stand-alone website that offers material for songwriters is Splice. One thing to consider with any of these services, though, is that the material you’re using is available to a large number of people, so creating something unique will be tough. The same goes for AI-generated music. You’ll always be working with building blocks that have been fed to AI from the past instead of creating something new. 

After you create (or instead of creating) something with the help of a software database, there’s always the possibility of getting musicians involved who can run with your ideas and add their own unique (and human) touch.

How to find musicians to collaborate with

Asking for help from the get-go from folks who play instruments is another great way to write a song. Just like there are people who only write lyrics, there are people who just play an instrument. Collaborating with someone who complements your own set of skills makes songwriting a lot easier. You’ll want to stick to folks who can play harmonies, so piano and guitar players are the obvious choices here.

Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are an easy way to find other musicians. Look for those whose style of playing you enjoy, and just reach out to see if they’re open to collaborate. You can also use the built-in features of each app to add a melody and lyrics to someone else’s video of an instrumental piece. On TikTok this would be the duet function; on Instagram you can remix other people’s videos.

If you prefer to meet people in person (so 20th century, but suit yourself), go to the concert of a local artist and hit them up after the show to see if they’d be interested in a co-writing session. You can also meet musicians at open mic or open stage events. (It’s not a bad idea to get out there and mingle with like-minded musicians anyway—you never know when somebody you meet knows somebody who knows somebody who can help you in any number of musical endeavors.)

Use virtual instruments for songwriting

If collaborating is not for you and you don’t want to work with samples and loops, maybe diving into the world of MIDI will lead you to your first song. MIDI stands for musical instrument digital interface and its goal is to facilitate communication between users and technology. MIDI transforms information such as pitch, velocity, and note length into sounds with the help of virtual instruments. These virtual instruments emulate the sounds of real instruments and often come with your DAW.

For those who don’t know any music theory and have no idea how to build chords, MIDI packs are a great starting point. Essentially, MIDI files contain the most rudimentary information, such as the notes for a chord or even a complete chord progression. All you have to do is import the file into your DAW, choose a virtual instrument, and manipulate the sound to your liking. A few free MIDI packs to get you started are offered by Sweetwater, Landr, and Mobile Music Pro.

Let your ear guide you

There is a lot you can create just by using your ear and intuition. If you have access to a piano, a guitar, a ukulele, or any other instrument you can borrow (some public libraries have instruments), just see what sounds you can come up with by experimenting.

The same is true for instruments with a non-traditional layout. Take the Novation Circuit, for example. This groove box can hold chord progressions, bass lines, and drum beats, but the only input available is a grid of 32 buttons. The creators of the gadget are expecting you to push buttons and turn knobs until you arrive at something good.

Either way, you don’t have to be a good instrumentalist—or even an instrumentalist!—to fumble around with sounds until you come up with something interesting. The goal is not to go out and play what you come up with in front of people, it’s just to come up with something!

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