Building A Songwriting Ideas Archive

As a songwriter, there are going to be times in your life where you’ll be inspired to write a complete song but, for most of the time there will be times where all you’ll be doing is fishing for songwriting ideas.

It’s important for a songwriter to have an ideas archive at their disposal.

You don’t necessarily need to have a fully set up home recording studio to capture songwriting ideas (although it would be lovely to have one ready to go) however, some sort of recording device like a tape recorder is essential.

Most songwriters I know write with an acoustic guitar but, now matter how you write songs, I am amazed at how many don’t record their ideas on tape, but rely on their memory.

For something as important as songwriting ideas, never, ever trust your memory

I personally set aside some time each day to pick up my guitar and noodle. I play whatever comes to mind but I always have a tape player handy.

This is because, when I get a hint of an idea to develop I simply press record and commit the idea to tape for future reference.

Once the idea is down I start fishing for the next idea.

The beauty about this process is that I am not under any pressure to remember any ideas that I may have conjured up in that time, I’ve already recorded them.

If I forget them it doesn’t matter.

As well as noodling on my guitar I am also noodling with my voice, singing whatever comes into my head. It’s taken me a long time to just be able to babble rubbish into a tape player and not feel bad about it.

When I am lyrically noodling I am only interested in the melodies and the rhythms I come up with. The actual lyrics can come later.

At this stage I am not even looking to finish a song, just gathering ideas, phrases, riffs and melodies and getting them down on tape.

After a while you start to develop a collection of songwriting ideas, riffs and phrases on tape, an aural journal if you will.

Be warned though, your inner voice is going to have a wonderful time telling you how bad it the ideas sounds and how awful the lyrics. You have to ignore it and look at your ideas as works in progress that aren’t finished yet.

Once you have say, two or three 60 or 90 minute tapes full of stuff, it’s then time to listen back and hear what you’ve done. You’ll be amazed at how many ideas you would’ve forgotton.

At this point of time it would be like hearing your songwriting ideas for the first time and it’s from this perspective that songs get completed.

Just think, with your ever growing list of possible song titles at your disposal and your musical and lyrical noodlings on tape, imagine how many more songs you are going to write.

Exciting isn’t it?

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting technique, songwriting blog, corey stewart

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