by Eyvindur Karlsson
Songwriting is like train. The extra you do it, the stronger you grow to be. It is so vital to develop consistency and routines round any inventive pursuit, as a result of, like with bodily train, should you do not work these muscle groups on a common foundation, and in a significant means, issues get painful and tough.
However, should you keep it up, you begin to see outcomes. You begin to really feel stronger. You start to crave it. You start to look ahead to it.
And, finally, it turns into a a part of who you might be. Now, you are writing increasingly, and your songwriting muscle groups get huge and robust. And that is a big a part of the puzzle. Nonetheless, that is the place a totally different drawback tends to set in for a lot of songwriters: We get caught in a rut. We adapt to our routine and it stops difficult us. Similar to our our bodies finally adapt to any train regime and we lose the advantages, except we combine issues up on a common foundation.
So, how will we keep away from this? How will we continue to grow as songwriters? Effectively, listed here are 5 methods to get out of a songwriting rut, and continue to grow as a songwriter:
Tip #1: Write With Somebody Else
Writing with different folks may be scary. It forces you out of your consolation zone. It forces you to assume in a different way. It forces you to relinquish management. However, it is top-of-the-line methods to develop as a songwriter. There’s nothing extra detrimental to development than that dreaded consolation zone. Eleanor Roosevelt mentioned it finest: “Do one factor that scares you on daily basis.” And if co-writing appears scary to you, I believe you may have to attempt it out!
Whenever you write with another person, you may have to be taught to talk your concepts clearly. You have got to be taught to compromise. You have got to be taught to be versatile. You have got to be taught to pay attention. You have got to be taught to belief. You have got to be taught to let go.
These are all issues that, as songwriters, we must be doing on a common foundation anyway. However, if you write with another person, you might be compelled to do these items in a far more quick means.
Writing with one other particular person additionally introduces you to totally different strategies and work ethics than you are used to, and that may increase your horizons and add instruments to your arsenal that may be very useful down the road.
Lastly, co-writing is a social expertise. Even should you do it on-line, by way of Zoom or a related platform, you are interacting with one other human, and in a discipline that may typically really feel fairly solitary, that may be invigorating. Similar to with bodily train, it may be very motivating to share the expertise with one other particular person.
Tip #2: Write On a New Instrument
Whether or not you are a virtuoso or a rank newbie, your familiarity together with your common instrument can positively make your songwriting efforts really feel stale at instances. So, attempt writing on an instrument you do not often play.
In the event you’re a piano participant, attempt writing on guitar. In the event you’re a guitar participant, attempt writing on piano. In the event you’re a drummer, attempt writing on bass. You get the concept.
This can pressure your mind to assume in a totally different means, and pressure you to look at musical concepts you by no means would have considered in any other case. In some circumstances you may wrestle simply to make something occur on the instrument you simply picked up, and this may be a good factor. It’d pressure you to write a tune you by no means would have considered in any other case. Maybe it sounds means easier than what you usually write, however belief me, that is typically a good factor. Among the finest songs of all time are the only. It is like Harlan Howard as soon as mentioned: “All you want is three chords and the reality.”
Tip #3: Write a Tune in an Uncommon Style
In the event you write principally pop songs, attempt writing a nation tune. In the event you write principally nation songs, attempt writing a pop tune. In the event you write principally folks songs… Once more, you get the image.
Setting your self a purpose to write a tune in a style you have by no means labored in earlier than can lead you to some nice inventive mining. Not solely will you want to perform some research and work out what makes that style tick, however you will want to make it your personal ultimately, and it’ll not solely produce an fascinating and contemporary songwriting session for you now, it is going to additionally add new instruments to your songwriting arsenal shifting ahead.
Personally, as a songwriter who works in theater a lot of the time, this has been extraordinarily highly effective for me. Writing songs for theater productions means the tune should match the story, and that may imply genres I by no means would have considered working with in any other case. As a outcome, I preserve venturing outdoors my consolation zone, and thru the years I’ve picked up numerous new concepts for my work outdoors the theater.
To remain contemporary is to discover one thing new on a regular basis, and even in case you are firmly rooted in a sure style, bringing in influences from different genres is a great way to shock your listeners and do one thing fascinating. Beginning by writing a entire tune in a new style is a good way to increase your horizons and introduce your self to new concepts.
Tip #4: Write In a Completely different Order
One of many issues that may grow to be a actual consolation zone entice is all the time writing in the identical order. This could imply a couple of issues.
Initially, what a part of the tune do you often begin with? Many songwriters begin by writing a catchy refrain, earlier than shifting on to the verses, bridge and so forth. For others (like me) it is the opposite means round – verse first, then refrain. No matter your method, switching it up will make a huge distinction. Once more, it forces you out of your consolation zone and makes you consider the method in a totally different means.
Secondly, do you begin with music or lyrics? Many songwriters begin with music, whereas others begin with lyrics. As earlier than, switching it up will make a huge distinction. Personally, I all the time used to write music and lyrics just about concurrently – I might mess around with some musical concepts and hum random phrases associated to my theme or matter, till I discovered one thing, and the melody and lyrics can be born just about on the identical time. Working in theater modified all that, as I used to be principally writing to pre-existing lyrics. Now, I had no management over the variety of syllables in a line, and was fairly constrained in meter and rhythm. This produced songs in contrast to something I had written earlier than. I additionally had to begin writing some instrumental items, which I had not achieved earlier than, and a few tune concepts with out lyrics, for the lyricist to fill in.
All of these items drastically stretched my songwriting muscle groups.
So swap issues up. Flip your regular songwriting routine on its head and provide you with one thing new.
Tip #5: Strive New Chords and Scales
In the event you’re a veteran instrumentalist chances are you’ll take your chops without any consideration. However for many people, studying new chords and scales is a good way to get new musical concepts.
For instance, should you’re a guitar participant, attempt studying a new chord form. In the event you’re a pianist, attempt studying a new scale.
Studying new chords and scales is a good way to increase your musical vocabulary, and can lead to concepts you by no means would have considered in any other case.
Within the new collection McCartney 3, 2, 1, Paul McCartney shares a nice story about how he and John Lennon, who taught themselves to play guitar collectively, as youngsters in Liverpool, would all the time train one another all the things new they picked up, so their chops grew on the identical tempo. At some point, Paul and George visited a guitar store and bumped into a common who was a jazz guitarist. This man taught them a new chord form they’d by no means seen earlier than (I believe it was Bdim7). Of course, they rushed over to train the chord to John. Right now, Paul and John thought that showing French would get them extra women, and so at events, Paul used to sit round and play his guitar and sing in nonsense French. This new jazzy chord was spectacular, so he added that to the nonsense French tune.
A number of years later, The Beatles wanted a tune, and John recommended Paul return to “that French tune”. He did, and that turned out to be Michelle, one in every of my favourite Beatles songs. And that jazzy chord actually makes it shine!
So check out some chords and scales you have by no means used earlier than. Look them up on-line or get a kind of chord dictionaries, and see what musical concepts are born.
Tip #6: Study New Songs
Whenever you really feel such as you’re caught in a songwriting rut, it could assist to take a look at different folks’s songs. Studying new songs by different artists is a good way to increase your musical vocabulary, and provides you with new concepts in your personal songs.
Studying new songs can also be a good way to see how different folks method songwriting, and will help you be taught new strategies and strategies. Very often I discover myself discovering concepts I had by no means considered when studying to play cowl songs, and so they can spark one thing new in my very own songwriting. I would come throughout an unknown chord, an fascinating guitar riff or a chord development I might by no means have considered making an attempt out myself. Of course, we should all the time watch out not to be TOO impressed and inadvertently begin ripping others off, however there are positively a lot of advantages to be had from studying cowl songs.
Tip #7: Problem Your self
A superb problem might be my favourite means to escape of a songwriting rut. I really like to set myself a difficult purpose and dealing like loopy to get it achieved. It has sparked some actually nice songs for me.
There’s an limitless number of songwriting challenges you would set your self. One possibility is to write a entire tune with only one chord, or perhaps a melody with only one be aware the place the chord development makes the music fascinating. You may write a entire tune primarily based on only one line of lyrics, and see how you would make that fascinating (See the Beatles tune “You Know My Title (Lookup the Quantity)”).
You may as well problem your self to write quicker and be extra productive than regular. Push your self means out of your consolation zone by speedwriting. A typical problem is to do a 24 hour session, the place you write constantly and take a look at to provide you with (and file demos for) as many songs as you possibly can.
My favourite type of problem, although, is the sort that promotes a common songwriting routine. Which is why I created a Four Week Songwriting Problem that offers you a day by day songwriting immediate and challenges you to write one tune each single day, for these Four weeks. That is 28 songs in a single month! And since it is a problem, you are not allowed to keep in your consolation zone – you observe the prompts and you are not allowed to rise up out of your songwriting spot till the tune is completed. I assure you that after these Four weeks, you’ll be nicely and really out of your songwriting rut, and you will have a lot of songs to present for it. They won’t all be masterpieces, however they’re your songs, and also you’re certain to not less than have nice materials you possibly can rework sooner or later.
Conclusion
So, there you may have it. 7 methods to escape of a songwriting rut.
Keep in mind, songwriting is like every other inventive pursuit. The extra you do it, the higher you get at it. That is why a day by day songwriting routine is crucial factor for anyone critical about enhancing their songwriting craft. But additionally, should you cease difficult your self, you cease getting higher. So, preserve difficult your self. Preserve making an attempt new issues. Continue to grow.
Written by: Eyvindur Karlsson
Eyvindur is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and shares his ideas and expertise as a veteran skilled songwriter on his site, https://strongwriting.internet
To enter the 27th Annual USA Songwriting Competitors, go to: https://www.songwriting.internet
