Songwriting Lessons to Learn from Twenty One Pilots

Songwriting Lessons to Learn from Twenty One Pilots

By all accounts, Twenty One Pilots is a modern-day miracle. This band-turned-duo encapsulates everything that the music industry is skittish about. And yet, it’s also the very thing that has carried them to the top of it. 

Not only are they a flag bearer for the new generation, but they also represent something new in music. Something that has largely been thought to be lost to time. And you can owe a lot of it to their songwriting abilities. 

Twenty One Pilots manages to distill its strengths and use them to build songs that captivate huge swathes of listeners. Their unique sounds, artistry, iconography, and lyricism have cultivated such a loyal fanbase. It’s also what has earned them awards and accolades over the years. 

There’s no better way to understand their craft’s true genius than by finding the essence behind their songwriting. As luck would have it, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing today. By diving deep into some TØP-isms, we can find you a lesson or two worth being inspired by. 

Lesson 1: Creative Rebellion Lets You Express Yourself Faithfully

When a typical artist sits down to write a song, they tend to play to the norms and conventions of music-making. After all, that’s what makes the most universally enjoyable music. And it’s one of the practical ways to gain the ear of a listener, right? Well, not if you’re Twenty One Pilots.

By design, they’re a “band” made up of a drummer and a rapper/singer/keyboardist/guitarist/bassist. It’s not every day that you get to see that. And that’s why you never really tag them to a style of music.  

TØP has had a long-standing fascination with breaking away systematic norms of formulaic songwriting. Instead, they’ve pitched their focus on rebelling away from any expectations that might get thrown their way. So much so that it’s practically self-referenced in songs like Lane Boy. 

“Honest, there’s a few songs on this record that feel common

I’m in constant confrontation with what I want and what is poppin’

In the industry it seems to me that singles on the radio are currency

My creativity is on the free when I’m playin’ shows.”

It’s clear that Twenty One Pilots spends a lot of time thinking about concepts like artistic authenticity. What’s even better is how they bring it into practice. 

By delivering their songs in pop shell, the band manages to subvert expectations in a way that adds the most shock value. You might be listening to a bog-standard pop melody and find yourself jolted by a dominant 7th where there’s usually a pleasant 5th. They might catch you off guard by slipping the next phrase of vocals slightly off-beat. Or they might even treat you to spicy intervals like the b6. 

These are examples of something a songwriter might specifically avoid. But Twenty One Pilots uses these elements to build a sound that they think represents them accurately. 

The lesson here is simple; you should be willing to break some rules if it ultimately benefits your purpose. Nothing says that you follow guidelines or traditions for your songs. If you think you can do it better your own way, then that’s all that should matter. 

Lesson 2: Relatability Acts a Strong Binder for Listeners

Songs are more than just words and sounds that please your ear. They can be used as vehicles to carry powerful images and motifs. It’s a reality that Twenty One Pilots is all too familiar with. That’s why they use it as a pitching ground to connect with their fans. 

Twenty One Pilots usually diverts its focus from common themes like love, heartbreak, or coming-of-age. Instead, the band aims for hard-hitting topics like depression, self-criticism, suicidal ideation, and dark humor. 

Normally, you might find musicians running for the hills with anything like this. But TØP revels in it and hoists it up as a proud banner. More importantly, it delves far further into this direction than anyone comfortably would. 

What this ends up doing is creating a deep connection to specific types of people. Someone who might not have otherwise felt their personality catered to can become a loyal Twenty One Pilots fan instantly. 

The next time you write a song, try to think about who your listener will be. They could be anyone. But you have the ability to shape who they might be with your creative elements and musical habits. The more genuine and down-to-earth you are with your personal exploration, the stronger your connection will be with your listeners. 

Lesson 3: Make Fun at Your Own Expense Every So Often

It’s easy to look at Twenty One Pilots’ subject matter and make surface-level judgments. It doesn’t take much to reduce them down to another band that caters towards teenage angst. But while Twenty One Pilots talks about some dark concepts, they also set aside some humor for themselves. 

In most songs, you’ll find that the band has littered in some humor here and there. Featured alongside depressing lyrics are fourth wall breaking anecdotes that poke fun at the band, their image, and even the audience. It’s an amusing way of making the listener feel more involved in the song while also engaging in a bit of good old self-deprecating humor. 

When Twenty One Pilots is feeling really adventurous, they’ll make entire songs that play out like a big joke. Taco Bell Saga is one of these songs where the lyrics serve the express purpose of conveying Tyler Joesph’s love for Taco Bell. 

“I know I can’t

Watch you make my food

Drop it on the floor

I think it’s rude

Man, I really like

Taco bell

Here’s to the Mexican

Who makes me my food (me gusta)

How is that I just ate

Now I have to poop“

Another great example of this juvenile endearment can be found in the song Coconut Sharks in the Water. It’s a song the band performs live to the tune of some happy-go-lucky ukulele chords with nursery rhyme lyrics. Here’s an excerpt:

“Glad to be back here on stage again

Singing this song with all my frens

It seems like I’ve been gone so long

But I really haven’t been gone that long, um

I’m glad ’cause these jackets are really lame

You guys think that’s really your ticket to fame?

I had to quit the band for other things, but that’s kinda depressing

So let’s all sing!”

Throughout the song, the crowd is encouraged to clap along. At one point, Tyler’s roommate is even called up to sing some improvised verses. It’s a clear departure from what the band usually plays, and they’re well aware of it. They’re just happy with exercising some self-parody.

If there’s anything to be learned from this, it’s that you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. You don’t have to restrict yourself or your songs to be a serious affair. Be willing to have a little fun with yourself; it’ll help you balance yourself. 

Lesson 4: Never Say No to Experimentation

Twenty One Pilots has never been a band that has stuck to a safe zone. Throughout the years, they’ve changed directions numerous times based on what seemed to fit. It’s a badge of honor that they’ve culminated in due to their willingness to experiment. 

If you tried to pin the band under one genre, you’d find that it’s much harder than it seems. For a long time, TØP has transitioned between styles like hip hop, rock, pop, synth-pop, electronic, folk, psychedelic, indie, reggae, and many more. 

Every so often, the band changes its musical direction with its newest point of inspiration. This has kept the majority of their discography fresh and palatable to a lot of people. Every album feels thematic and unique enough to make the band feel it’s still current. 

It imparts an all too important lesson about keeping your musical approach open to ideas. There are so many avenues to take your music that it almost never makes sense to confine yourself to one formula. You might get a feeling of trepidation for experimenting with new concepts for your songs, but they can lead to your biggest successes. You’ll never know until you try. 

Feel free to head over and join our brand new private facebook group where we will be giving you weekly tips, tricks, feedback and answering all of your songwriting questions.

www.facebook.com/groups/soundsongwriting/

Lesson 5: Don’t Be Afraid to Showcase Unique Skills

Try to think about what it takes for a song to hit the top charts. Usually, it’s the kind of elements that make a song really accessible. Something that’s simple enough to sing and dance to. Something that will draw a lot of people to listen to it. 

And yet, Twenty One Pilots has done it while falling outside of that criteria. It’s one of the few modern bands to have its songs go toe-to-toe with some Billboard favorites. 

On the surface, it might not make much sense. After all, TØP doesn’t focus on generating mainstream appeal. And it definitely doesn’t use the tried and tested studio magic to enrich its sound. It’s a technique focused band with a drummer and a rapper at the helm. That’s about as unconventional as it gets. 

But fortunately, that’s also where the appeal for the band lies. And the band members make sure to capitalize on it. Each track’s composition features things like midway style transitions, assonant rap rhyming schemes, and complicated drum fills. It’s why songs like Maniac and Ride hold up so well. 

In any other context, these qualities would be just a little too nerdy for your average listener. But for Twenty One Pilots, they’re just another trick up their sleeve. 

You can take inspiration from this when you feel like your songwriting feels too technical. Instead of toning it down to increase the listenability, power it further. Make it into your biggest strength. 

Lesson 6: Groove is the Key to an Enjoyable Song

Groove has a very solid place in Twenty One Pilots’ music. Behind the strong emotional arcs and style switches of a TØP song is a groove to help with its sonification.  

The band makes sure to add plenty of rhythmic variety in a lot of its song lineup. Having switched between different genres, you get to experience the full spectrum of groove from reggae beats, pulsing electronic drops, hip hop grooves, and funk rhythms. 

That’s on top of doing things like time-stretching bars, delaying vocal lines, using off-beat accenting for hook melodies, and more. Of course, having a sound that’s highly rooted in complicated trap beat aesthetics helps too. Clearly, the band isn’t shy with its rhythmic flair. After all, it’s the universal connector for a majority of their music. Whenever you’re stuck trying to make your song more fun to listen to, consider Twenty One Pilot’s approach for nuanced grooves. 

Lesson 7: Accept Your Shortcomings and Make them Your Strengths

In music, it helps to be inspired by your personal experiences. But what if your personal experiences tend to be sour? How can you channel them into something creative? Well, Twenty One Pilots has the answer. 

Some of the band’s best work involves using depressive and destructive thoughts as a creative catalyst. When Tyler Joseph feels that his singing skills aren’t adequate, he chooses to sing odd intervals or rap instead. When he feels weighed down by insecurities, he uses it to creative narrative devices like Blurryface in his lyrics. In times when the band feels a little too self-critical, they opt for exploring a completely new sound.

It’s a healthy concept towards self-evolution. Instead of being bogged down with your weaknesses, you can accept them and utilize them to the best of your ability. Being driven up against a wall is only an unexplored opportunity to go off-menu. One that can take you to new heights. 

Closing Thoughts

Twenty One Pilots is one of few bands that understand their craft at a deeper level than anyone else can. But rather than getting complacent, they’re constantly willing to redefine themselves. That makes them some of modern songwriting’s most skilled architects. 

It might be hard to capture their creative line of trajectory, but hopefully, you can learn a thing or two. If you can take the lessons above to heart while writing your next song, you might just end up with something to help form your very own skeleton clique.