The Pressure Is On-Seeking Songwriting Advice

[Stringmaster]

I’ve been playing for many years, and only have a small handful of original songs to show for it—mostly band-oriented stuff. Since I launched my solo acoustic endeavor last year, I’ve only written one song that I occasionally perform, and it’s become clear that I need to up my songwriting game in a big way as I’ve missed some opportunities. So, to help that along I put myself in an intentional bind and accepted a spot on a songwriter’s showcase set for April 17th. To add to the pressure, the event is at a pretty high level, with some very accomplished local singer-songwriters on the bill!

The good news is that I have a lot of song ideas in the bank, but I’ve struggled to move them beyond the idea stage. I can get easily distracted by working on other things such as learning new songs, practicing guitar, working on a website etc., not to mention other daily activities.

I’d love to hear some suggestions and strategies that have worked for the experienced songwriters out there that have overcome these challenges. My initial thought is to set aside a specific time each day to devote to songwriting—like punching a time clock and treating it like a job—which is something I learned at an Ian Tyson workshop. That strategy is also supported by hearing that John Prine had to move into a hotel room for a week or so to finish the material for his last album that he was lagging on. I only need 3 songs for this event, but my hope is to produce several more so I can pick and choose.
Whatcha got? And thanks!

[Brent Hahn]

I'm in one of those word-out-of-a-hat songwriting groups. We meet once a month, and the deadline really helps, for me at least. Only other thing I can offer is, don't be afraid of keeping 'em brief. Less work, keeps you more to the point, and people's attention spans are really short anyway.

[Chipotle]

A few things that help me:

1. Be prepared to capture everything. Either write every snippet of lyric down that pops into your head, song idea or subject, or if musical, record it (just fire up the voice recorder app on your phone; quality isn't important). Even if it's not something that you'll use on the current song, it may come in handy later. If you can't get it down immediately (good ideas often come in the show, or while driving), say aloud or sing it aloud until you can capture it, so you don't lose it. Nothing worse than coming up with something great, only to forget what it was before it gets recorded.

2. If you are in a work session, again, write down or record it all. Stream-of-consciousness writing is fine; sometimes random things can magically appear. And if working on music, have a recorder running. Sometimes you play something cool, but try to go back later and can't remember what you played.

If it's really just the finishing it up part, you're on the right track with setting aside dedicated work time. Here are a few things I use if I have a solid idea but with lots of gaps:

• Use a thesaurus. Find synonyms and words related to the topic of your song. One might suggest other words, phrases or lines to complete a section.
• Use a rhyming dictionary. This is especially useful if I have a few good lines, but the rest of the section isn't done. Is there a rhyming word that fits with what I'm trying to say? It's especially useful in conjunction with the thesaurus.
• Use parallelism: use similar patterns of words in each phrase or verse. This can either be within a line or between lines, repeating similar things (e.g. "I see trees of green, red roses too... I see skies of blue, clouds of white..."). It can even be used from verse to verse, for example one of my songs started with a line, "The devil doesn't care how smart you are," referring to addiction. Verse two parallels that with "The cancer doesn't care how fast you run," and verse three is "The sadness doesn't care which side you're on," or depression. Not only can parallelism provide a strong lyrical framework, it can make your job a little easier because you don't need to thing of another completely different part... you just need to tweak a part you already have.
• Pick a totally random subject that probably shouldn't have a song written about it, and write a short one. Don't worry if it's any good, and it can be super short. Just sketch something out, and move on. Maybe you'll discover a piece that fits with one of your other songs. I got this idea from a guy who I heard play a song about buying a snack at a 7-11! He said he'd done a 30-day "write a song every day" challenge. Most were pretty bad, but he ended up with a few keepers. This is basically Brent's "song idea out of a hat".
• Along with the above, "just write". Something. Every day. Don't worry if it's good or not. A lot of authors/songwriters espouse this--get something down, even if it's crap. Eventually you'll find something that isn't, or at least has usable pieces.

[JonPR]

I very much agree with Brent - keep it short and simple. You only need one good idea for a song - it has to be a good one, mind (melodic hook, maybe with a catchy lyric too), but a short song with one good idea is way better than a long song with loads of merely OK ideas....

IOW, don't think Paul Simon or Jimmy Webb, think Neil Young and Bob Dylan. Think folk, blues and country, not jazz or neo-soul.

If your song only lasts 2 minutes (or even less) that's fine. Move on to the next one.

I.e., you do need to narrow down your focus on to songwriting, rather than those other distractions, but don't hammer away at one song if it's not coming together. Leave it to one side, and work on another. The first song might make more sense when you come back to it.

[Silly Moustache]

In my humble, the best singer-songwriters are story tellers, like Guy Clark, Jon Prine etc.

Think up, or tell a story factual or not, and like the late great JP condense it down to three verses each with four lines, preferably two rhyming couplets, and a chorus, preferably starting with the IV or V but resolving to he I.

Keep it short, and basic. There are lots of ways to add more but start simple.

Here's an example : a jokey little song - 3 chords, verse goes to the IV.

Keep them simple at first; a 2 1/2 minute upbeat song, folks won't have time to get bored.



Here's another in a "country" vein :



Of course I realise that these aren't great art, nor could I hope to compare myself with the great songwriters, but it might be a way to start?

[Mr. Jelly]

People write books on this subject and I'm not going to do that here. Given your situation here's how I would probably go about it. Get your ideas out and write a song. Just do it. It will suck but it's how you start and THAT is the most necessary part of song writing. Get a pen and a small notebook and carry it with you at all times. Rewrite your song. Then rewrite your song. Throw it out and start again. Rewrite the song after you rewrite it again. At some point in this process, you will come up with a song that has legs. And it probably won't happen like you thought or planned for it to happen. Writing a song is a creative process and the muse has to be involved. The muse does not like to be manipulated but if you get in her face often enough, you'll get a smile out of her eventually.

[martinlover]

Very good compositions Silly Mustache! Thanks for posting.

[kurth]

Lot's of good technical advice. A 'popular' song...meaning music flowing in the veins of all vocal story-telling music for the last few centuries....is personal magic....the song's gotta present and resolve a personal problem told in a story-like fashion over some 3 to '17' minutes. Actually there is no upper or lower limit. I used Dylans Murder Most Foul as just an upper limit example. And less than 3 minutes makes it more difficult to capture a listener. So as well the song doesn't need to be about 'your personal' but about your interpretation of ....it has to say something that will capture the listener. I hope you have something worth listening. It's like chipotle says....pay attention to every idea flowing in your head, and use your creative intuition to follow the crumbs to the castle.

[gmel555]

The brilliant 20th century physicist Richard Feynman once(or was it thrice?) said: “Peace of mind is the most important prerequisite for creative work.” How/when/where you get to that state of mind might be different for each of us, but I've found Feynman's statement holds true for most things.....PS: A simple & quick practice that ACTUALLY works for me & many is the 4-7-8 breathing exercise. It has a measurable effect on the body and the mind quickly follows. (Also useful for other moments besides song writing!)

https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-t...-7-8-breathing

Or

[CharlieBman]

Provided you have some solid songwriting ideas to draw from, I think the key is to stay focused. If this means creating deadlines, joining groups, or whatever it takes to keep yourself on track, then do it. Really, nothing ever gets done unless you focus on getting it done.

[Stringmaster]

O.P. checking in! Thanks all for providing this great info. It's definitely given me some strategies and tools to help out.

An update--yesterday I literally spent all day working on music related activities that didn't include songwriting, except for the time I was thinking about my plan to tackle that subject today. Today I was able to spend some quality time on developing some ideas that I had sketched out--primarily focusing on one tune that was more complete lyrically. I had the melody kind of "pre-planned" for what I heard in my head related to the song topic and style. So I laid that down very roughly on a recording. I wasn't 100% on the arrangement, but could not come up with alternatives, so I walked away from it. After a break I looked at two more songs that I had in the bank that were only rough sketches and very incomplete, but I managed to record some arrangements and chordal ideas related so I wouldn't forget them. Then while having lunch some alternate arrangements to try with the first song popped into my head, so I grabbed my guitar and laid those down too.
So I think that's enough for a day's work, and I need to prepare for an open mic tonight anyway.
Once again thanks for the great suggestions, and keep-em coming!

[Deliberate1]

I took a songwriting class this summer. It met once a week for 8 weeks (I think). The grand finale featured songs we wrote as "gifts" for another classmate. The inspiration for the songs came from interviews we did with each other, that lasted 15 minutes. It was amazing how intimate (platonic) the conversations got in a very short time.

I ended up writing two songs. One was for a woman who grew up in Tupelo, and focused on her unbridled need to perform from an early age. I called it, "My Tupelo Honey." The second tune I wrote for a woman who grew up in NYC, which she called "the Colossus." When she described what the city meant to her growing up, and how it shaped her, it occured to me that it was very much a "parent" to her. So I wrote a song in the form of a lullaby that the city might have sung to her in her youth. I called it a Colossus Lullaby.

If you are lookig for inspiration, and are comfortable having an intimate conversation, find someone who you find interesting, or even someone you know nothing about, and get their story. The song will appear.
Hope this helps. Best of luck.
David

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Stringmaster

The good news is that I have a lot of song ideas in the bank, but I’ve struggled to move them beyond the idea stage.

I could throw out a few more thoughts, but on re-reading, can you clarify the above quote? Do you mean you have a few ideas like "I should write a song about X", or more like "I have some partially written songs I need to get myself to finish?" How to progress depends in part on what point you are stuck at. Edit: also, are you struggling more with lyrics, music, or both? If music, are chords or melody more of a problem?

[The Bard Rocks]

As others have said, just do it. Pick something you know about so it will have an authentic feel. Then write, then rewrite.. and rewrite... and rewrite. Annie Proulx, one of my favorite authors, says that she often rewrites a book 50 times. Keep shortening it and get to the point where every word counts. Then if you are still unhappy, figure out why and don't be afraid to let one go if it's not good enough for you. I've written a number of what I call "throwaway" songs. Some are topical, some were "assignments" I gave myself (some of those turned out quite well).

In my case, I noodle around on the guitar until I have a melody that I like, then I fool with it for a long time, changing it here and there until I feel I have it where it ought to be. That is the time that I then commit it to paper. Next, I think about what kind of song it feels like. Sometimes that comes easy and at others, not at all. In those cases, I have myself an instrumental.

Once that is decided, the words usually come easy for me, but I have been known to scrap the words and start over with a new subject or maybe a completely new feel to it. Maybe play it faster, bouncier, slower, sad... different. And see where that takes you.

I must have composed hundreds of melodies by now, but not many more than a hundred survived to get put on paper and maybe there are only 60-70 with words. I never think of myself as a songwriter. "Traditional" is the word I prefer, but when I counted what I'd created, I decided my next CD had to be all my own stuff. Then I copyrighted my entire collection (as it was at the time). A few have been added since. I sometimes go a year without anything new. Then ideas start and I might do a couple a month. One of my last ones started with the words. That is extremely rare with me but common with others. And I quickly tacked a melody to it that, while original, was nothing to write home about. But it fit the subject and the subject was about a person whose complex feelings I felt I understood, and I ended up with a little twist at the end. I like songs and stories with twists, things you should have guessed would happen, but failed to do pick them out ahead of time. That does not happen often enough with me.

I should add that melody has always been more important to me than words. Not saying that is right, but it's me. Listening to something new, I mostly listen to the melody. When I think I have a good feel for it, I can go back and concentrate on the words. If it's catchy, the more I like it. Ditto if it evokes a real feeling or a mood. Melody can do all that. (So can words, of course.) When they two can combine, you will find winners.

[Mbroady]

3 Songs by April 17. You got this!!!
The idea to put aside a certain amount of time every day is a great idea. At first, don’t let the editors in your head have a say. Just write, it could be crap, and will most likely be crap. Then go back to it the next day. what you are looking for are the pearls among the crap. If you come up with one pearl every couple days you did good. The more you do the more pearls you will find.

I also think it’s helpful to put aside a certain amount of time every day to listen to great songs. . And Don”t just rehash the song you know. Find new artists that you can sink your teeth into. Listen for the metaphors, and listen for words that inspire, or words that paint a picture. Sometimes a word sung, one that is not normally in your vernacular might spark a concept/line/song. When a good turn of phrase catches your ear, write it down. “Good writers borrow great writers steal” - T.S. Elliot
Come back to it later and see if you can Find context for it, twist it, turn it around, make it yours.

I’ve become a big fan of John Moreland (his older stuff, especially)
John Gorka is another killer lyricist.
Another master is Eliza Gilkyson
Ask folks to recommend some new to you artists

In regards to Melody, experiment. I love taking a motif and experimenting where the one is. Sometime that might be on the last line of a phrase, or halfway through a word. And within a stanza, try keeping the rhythm of a melody but altering the arc. This helps keep continuity with a syllable count, while adding possibilities to the overall trajectory of the song

Look forward to hearing about your progress

MB