Editing Songwriter (section)

=== As instrumentalists===

Songwriters are also often skilled [[musical instrument]] players. In part, this is because the process of "working out" a song or arrangement requires a songwriter to play an instrument, typically the [[guitar]] or the [[piano]], to hear how the [[chord progression]] sounds and to hear how well a given set of chords supports a melody. In addition to selling their songs and musical concepts for other artists to sing, some songwriter-musicians create songs to perform themselves. Songwriters need to create a number of elements for a song, including an introduction, various verses and a chorus. At minimum, a songwriter must prepare a [[lead sheet]] for a song, which consists of one or more pieces of [[music notation|sheet music]] with the melody notes and [[chord progression]] indicated on it.

The songwriter may expand upon the melody and chord progression by adding an instrumental melody (which may occur before or after the vocal melody, or alongside the vocal melody) and creating a more complex song structure (e.g., verse, chorus, bridge, instrumental solo section, etc.).