Songwriting Tips

Great songwriting ideas while playing in the bathroom

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:10:25 -0500

My kids were taking a bath and I was sitting strumming my guitar with no particular goal in mind, just playing chords and humming. Within a few minutes an idea came to me, so as soon as they were finished I rushed out into the studio and wrote a song. I'd been playing with my digital video camera and making short movies with some of my students, so I decided to make a "How I recorded this song" video/movie to post online.

I think anyone who writes music may find it interesting, embarrassing, enlightening, or entertaining.

Write new lyrics over the old ones

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:07:48 -0500

For those who tend to struggle in the lyric writing department, try playing a song that has already been written and write new lyrics over the old ones. Then, once you find a melody you like, try singing the lyrics with the new melody.

How to keep your songwriting (and songs) from sounding the same

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 07:18:58 -0500

If you're having problems with you're songs beginning to sound the same, I've found that working with a diverse producer helps a great deal. Maybe you should even think about the music you listen to. Try listening to different styles of music, I did a search and found unbelievable amounts of songs from all over the world and although i couldn't understand the lyrical content due to the language barrier the melodic detail blew me away! Now I've been inspired in a totally different way

Songwriters: Find some drama to cure writer's block

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 07:16:44 -0500

My cure for writers block is to get out and try something new. Never spend too much time in your comfort zone! I'm sure everyone has a friend or relative that has the most dramatic life.. go and hang out with them for a while because usually if you're experiencing writers block it's because you have no subject or no inspiration.I like to allow myself to be inspired by the outside world instead of spending too much time in the studio. Theres nothing worse than trying to force yourself to be creative.

Some of the best songwriting ideas come when you just let go

Mon, 28 May 2007 13:55:23 -0500

So as long as I can be occupied by other things in the world - being at home, working, fixing the car if it's broke - that's when the inspiration comes. It comes when I have let go of music. Let go of the idea of writing a song. Let go of the idea of writing a record.

Get the bad songs out of the way

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:48:14 -0500

My very first thoughts about songwriting were that it will probably take me 300 tries to write a hit song so I am going to write everything I can, no matter how cheesy, or corny.

So go ahead and write down everything, to get the bad songs out of the way.

Songwriters need to record EVERYTHING

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:46:50 -0500

Record yourself and record everything.

I recently bought a small digital recorder, and it plugs in to my car stereo, awesome way to sing along with the rhythms you lay down as you are riding and thinking, turn off your radio ,let your thoughts roll, and pay attention to your inner conversations,listen for sentences that sounds like something you've never heard before, in a book or in a movie, always looking for unique thoughts and sentences. Listen to your friends as they gossip, or are telling you a story...

Songwriting Primer for Budding Songwriters

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:41:58 -0500

This is a tool that I use to teach people to learn very fast.

Once they know the basic chords in the first position, I show them how to use those same chords sliding up the neck, following the "dots" on the neck, then I tell them there are no rules

As soon as they have a couple of basic progressions down, I turn on the casio, and run thru a lot of different drum patterns, some slow and some fast,...they very quickly begin to get it.

My next step is to teach them how to write their own song, just pick up a newspaper,there's a story on every page

Pocket Recorders rock for capturing songwriting ideas

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:38:20 -0500

The pocket recorder is the best. When I put down an idea and just damn well totally forgotten about it. And then a year later I'm just going through it just messin around and then suddenly I hear something and it inspires me or does something and the next thing I know I am making up the song and probably not with any of the intention I had when I first put it down on the pocket recorder.

Country songwriters shouldn't solely focus on the Nashville Scene

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:58:01 -0500

If you're a country music songwriter don't focus all your creative power on trying to write a "Nashville ready" song.

To develop as a writer you must go beyond the typical boy/girl song so popular in mainstream country music and write about other aspects of life. This will help you grow as a writer.

Nashville is the Holy Grail of country music and you should always seek their attention but don't limit your writing to that template. If you do you'll miss out on creating a heck of a lot of good music.

Have fun!

Phone-related tools for capturing songwriting ideas

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:50:45 -0500

My cel quickly phone became my favorite tool for capturing ideas. In the early days, my cel phone was pretty crummy, but when inspiration would strike, usually in the car (my best ideas come to me in the car for some reason), I'd call my home line and leave myself a vocal message ... which of course wouldn't work to well when anyone was home to pickup the phone.

Since then, I put my hands on a nicer phone that actually allows me to record audio without having to place a call. I've also got the record function on a hotkey so I can quickly grab my cel and sing away to my heart's content.

Jeff is right, those ideas can come and go pretty quickly, and I'm glad to have an easy way to capture every idea that comes to mind. Miss an idea; miss another chance to make a difference!

Use your songwriting as emotional therapy

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:22:14 -0500

Write when you are going through a very emotional time, whether its happy or sad or jealous.

I wrote about my father's car crash and about trouble I was having with one of my guyfriends/love interests and a problem with an ex.

I also find that writing helps me think through problems as well as finding solutions for my problems. It helps with different aspects of my life and great songs come out of it too!! ;]

Use your songwriting influences as examples of the change you want to see

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:20:17 -0500

"Be the change you want see"
-Ghandi.

He had a point except let me change it some:
Sing/Write the change you want to see.

If you see a problem or a something you think can be done better write about it! You can influence so many people with your music, even people with influential positions can hear your views and might even agree with them enough to change it huge scale.

In songwriting, not everything has to rhyme

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:19:18 -0500

Not everything has to rhyme. Even things that sound alike can work. It doesn't even have to rhyme, like a free verse poem, if you have the right beats and rhythm.

Songwriting as flowing poems with background music

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:17:43 -0500

Writing a song is simply writing a flowing poem with background music. Jazz can be sung that way with a poem and some scat with a bass and a drumset. VOILA! a brand new song. It can be done at home if you have an instrumental jazz CD. Just start singing poetry along with the CD. then try to put your newly written songs to a different beat or background music.