“Heart Theory” by Cristine Capitulo ~ my song writing method

🎵 Heart Theory: Why I Let Emotion Lead My Songwriting 🎵

I started songwriting around Thanksgiving of 2021—not with a grand plan, but with a spark from something unexpected. I was told by a mentor to attend a zoom Networking event when a music producer (I forget the name) casually mentioned that he hated the first 50 songs he wrote. That stuck with me. I thought: If he could go through that many songs he disliked, surely I can get through the first five.

But here’s the thing—I got lucky.
I loved my first song. Blue a.k.a “You Make Me So Blue,” that was totally crush inspired by a man who first urged me to song write because he believed in me….
And I haven’t stopped writing since.

The biggest thing I’ve learned on this journey so far? You have to get over the fear of writing a “bad” song. I tried writing my first half song in high school and was convinced it was not a chart topper. But shoot! There’s no such thing as a perfect formula, and anyone trying to sell you the “right” way to write is missing the point. Songwriting isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s about finding your own voice—and that voice will only come from you.

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🎶 There Is No One Way

I got tired of scrolling through post after post, reel after reel, all preaching about the most popular song structures, the best rhyme schemes, or the top 5 rules of songwriting. I’m not here for that.

I’m here for what feels true.

So, I stopped chasing “the way” and started building my way.
That path turned into a personal method that’s guided every song I’ve written since. I call it Heart Theory.

That’s the reason why I am writing this… because I hate seeing materials breaking down song-hit formulas. If you think about it, before social media and even probably in the Stone Age or Medieval Times I truly believe people implemented a like theory ~ sing the emotions you feel, sing what sounds nice!

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💓 What Is Heart Theory?

If you’ve been singing or listening to music your whole life, I believe you already know what melodies speak to your soul. Heart Theory starts with that deep, emotional intuition. It’s not about theory in the traditional sense—it’s about what your heart is telling you.

Whenever I go through something emotional—or even when I’m just talking with a girlfriend and hear her pain or her truth—my instincts kick in. If she tells me a story that makes me respond, “Girl, you are worth more, leave him,” I’m already singing what that emotion sounds like in my head. Not with lyrics yet—just pure feeling, turned into melody. That’s what happened when I wrote the first song I released. I sang that melody right after ending a disturbing conversation with a friend who was telling me about an argument she had with her partner. That’s when I came up with “You’re Not The One.”

Heart Theory is all about capturing that. Translating emotional reactions into melodic blocks. Simple, repetitive, and musical—but driven by how I feel, not how a songwriting book tells me it should go.

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🛠️ How I Build a Song

Here’s how it usually happens:

1. Emotion First
I experience something that hits me. A memory, a moment, a conversation—something real. Even if it’s to distill what I am feeling at that moment.

2. Melody Before Words
I hum or sing what that emotion sounds like to me. No words yet. Just sound and feeling.

3. Repetition and Rhythm
I start shaping that feeling into a repeatable melody. Something that loops and lingers.

4. Then, the Lyrics
Once the melody is strong, I ask: What am I trying to say? Is this a story about self-worth? A lesson in leaving what doesn’t serve me? I let the words find their home inside the melody.

Heart Theory is about letting your inner emotional compass guide the process. The result? Songs that don’t just sound good—they feel real.

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I’ll be sharing more about how I apply Heart Theory in my writing process soon. If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to follow all the “rules,” I hope this gives you permission to throw them out—and write from your heart.

Stay tuned. 💙