I started a new job recently and I’ve been stuck in a bit of a song writing funk. I know I should be making time to write, but when you work a chefs hours it just seems to get left by the way side.
So I started thinking of ways to kick start the whole process, and I’ve come up with a few ideas that I thought I’d share with you guys. Maybe if you’ve got a bit of a block these might help.
On your marks...
This one is great for me! I have a habit of not starting anything because it has to be perfect and original. So right from the start I dislike the song and I haven’t even written anything! All you’ll need is
Pen and paper
Your instrument of choice
Your mobile phone
We’ve all got mobiles, right? Well somewhere on your phone there’ll be and alarm clock, or better yet, a stop watch. Set it for exactly one hour, and boom! You now have 60 minutes to write something.
Sounds weird, but it makes the process fun. And for me, it takes away the need for the song to be amazing and concentrates on the writing process. Sure, it’s not likely to be amazing, but more often than not the seeds of something you’re happy with will be in there that you can develop later. This is also like therapy; it suprises me what’s really on my mind!
Sound track
This idea came when I watched the video for The Goo Goo Dolls – Iris. The song was written for the film City of Angels. If you’ve seen the film itself the lyrics make sense, yet the song has a universal appeal.
So what’s your favourite movie? If you were approached by the director of the film to write a song for it, what would you come up with? An intresting project if nothing else. And if it’s a film you love, there’ll be genuine passion to what you write.
Song conversation
Similiar to the one above; what’s one of your favourite songs? Why? Wouldn’t it be cool if you fleshed out the story with your own music?
For example; Adele – Someone Like You. How does the guy feel about this old flame showing up out of the blue, uninvited? Uninvited to what? Again if you love the song you’ll do it justice by default.
Mr. Cover Cover
Imagine your favourite artist, the one who you take the most inspiration from, asked you to write a song for them. They’re having a slow day or something, I dunno. I you had to write “in the style of X”, how would you do it? What peculiarities does your fav musician have? This is almost like a character study.
Just a few ideas there. Hope they help some
Peter
