Performing Your Own Material Is Good For You

Last night I played at The Dan as part of the Sunday Singer Songwriter Showcase gigs that I’ve been organizing and I tell you what, it was a fantastic feeling being able to play my own music again.

I would go as far as saying that it was a cathartic experience.

For a couple of years now I’ve been making a living playing covers either as a solo performer, duo or as a band and when I first started going down this path I thought that I would be able to play covers and at the same time, write and perform my own songs.

It hadn’t worked out as I thought it would.

I’ve been able to keep writing songs and keep Songwriting Zen going however, as I relied more and more on cover gigs to generate income it became a real challenge to find the time to slot in gigs that showcase my music.

I made a conscious choice early on to put my original gigging on hold and concentrate on covers for a while. Now I had to start setting some boundaries and adding time limits to this choice I made.

Hence the creation of the Open Mic @ The Dan and the Sunday Singer/Songwriter Showcase gigs. It’s a way of creating opportunities for my own music that otherwise wouldn’t be there.

I love performing my own songs. I love the two way communication between myself and the audience and I love the feeling I get when everything just clicks into place.

Last night was one of those nights.

It was a cathartic experience because I realised that in the time I had been making a living playing other peoples music I really missed playing my own songs. With last nights gig I was able to make up for lost time.

Today I feel really happy. The ultimate test of my songwriting is the reaction I get from an audience. It might not be for every songwriter but it is for me and with last nights gig I’ve proven to myself again that playing my songs is good for my soul.

It’s something that I must do as a songwriter.

As a songwriter I think that it’s really important to find and/or create outlets for your music and lyrics to be seen and heard by someone other than yourself whether it be live, recorded or on paper.

I mean, what’s a song if it has no-one to communicate itself to?

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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

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