The Surprisingly Technical Process of Songwriting

Examining the science behind the music

Music is everywhere. It has become so seamlessly interwoven in our lives that sometimes we don’t even notice its presence. You encounter or interact with music on a daily basis, but have you thought about what it takes to actually write a song? Probably not. In this episode of Wonky and Technical, I’m going to look at a familiar subject from some unfamiliar angles. Join me as I dive into music composition, the neurology of music, and how the technicalities that define both are delightfully strange.

Now you might be thinking: Music has been around forever! What’s left to not know about it?

And you’d be right—music is incredibly old. We’ve been studying the technical side of music since the dawn of math. We know more about the physics of sound and how it breaks into sequences and scales than I could ever summarize. But understanding how sound waves work is a far cry from grasping what the human brain undergoes during the songwriting process.