Songwriter Theory Podcast: Learn Songwriting And Write Meaningful Lyrics and Songs · Joseph Vadala

The Easiest Way To Write A Song

·41 min·2 clips

The full sequence is harmony first, then melody, then lyrics.

1. Songwriter Theory Podcast: Learn Songwriting And Write Meaningful Lyrics and Songs focuses on “The Easiest Way To Write A Song.” 2. Host Joseph Adela leads the episode as the show’s regular host and frames the topic around his own songwriting workflow. 3. The episode asks what to write first when a writer feels stuck between lyrics, melody, and chords. 4. Joseph says lyric writing is “by far the most overwhelming part” of songwriting and points listeners to his six-step lyric writing checklist at songwritertheory.com/lyric-checklist. 5. He argues there are two core principles behind the order: harmony-to-melody is easier than melody-to-harmony, and music-to-lyrics is easier than lyrics-to-music. 6. He says improvising a melody over chords is easier because the voice naturally locks onto pitch. 7. He contrasts that with trying to find chords under a finished melody, where a shift from C to C sharp can change the key entirely. 8. He uses a painting-and-movie comparison to say music often suggests meaning more naturally than lyrics can be translated into music. 9. From those principles, he gives the three-step framework: start with harmony or a chord progression, write a melody, then write lyrics. 10. He says that within each song section, the same order still applies, and he prefers chorus lyrics once the song’s central idea is clear. 11. He says a chorus should carry the main point, while verses and bridge should support that idea with examples or story details. 12. He warns that if a writer starts with verse music, that verse needs room to grow dynamically so the chorus can feel bigger. 13. Step one can be a stock chord progression, and he cites G major, D major, E minor, C major as a familiar example. 14. He says that kind of progression is “cookie cutter,” but still useful for early writers who need a finished song. 15. He broadens the first step to include bass lines, guitar hooks, piano riffs, and other harmony song engines. 16. For melody, he recommends improvising with the voice, noting that most singers do not think about note names when they sing casually. 17. He says keyboard writing is often better for melody because pitch movement is easier to visualize, and it can lead to more interesting leaps than the voice alone. 18. He describes his own process as often starting with a piano riff, then building verse and chorus music before deciding what the song is about. 19. The episode’s tone is instructional and conversational, with Joseph repeating key points, giving examples, and speaking directly to writers who feel overwhelmed. 20. Listeners who want a practical songwriting workflow will get the most value, while writers already comfortable with theory and arrangement may skip it.

As heard by us

A practical way to get songs moving without overthinking the first step.

Joseph Adela treats songwriting as a problem of order: start in the wrong place, and lyrics, melody, and chords can end up as separate puzzles that never quite meet.

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Why you'd press play

If your songs stall after the first draft, this gives you the easiest next step.

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