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Egg Timers & The Songwriting Process
Now that FAWM (February Album Writing Month – 14 songs in 28 days) has officially started it’s really important to find ways to make time to develop your songwriting ideas into completed songs. As you would already know, I’m a huge advocate of building a songwriting ideas archive and constantly fine tuning your songwriting process.
For quite a while now I’ve been adding to and maintaining quite a substantial songwriting ideas archive of my own and the challenge I’m faced with now is that I have so many songwriting ideas at my disposal, I don’t know which one to start with first.
I’m becoming paralysed by too much choice. Hmmm, maybe the answer lies in randomness and restriction. Confused? Ok, let me explain.
In my experience, I’ve found that giving yourself all the time in the world to complete something allows the beastie called procrastination and your inner critic to join forces and provide you with (what seem to be) very valid reasons for not doing what your supposed to be doing.
If you restrict yourself to a deadline then your focus becomes much stronger and your procrastination/inner critic dialogue becomes less obvious. That’s the restriction part of the equation now what about the randomness part?
The randomness comes from picking any songwriting idea at random to start with. An example would be that I take a page full of possible song titles (see picture above) and pick one at random. Then, I set a timer for 10 minutes and in that time I start building on the randomly chosen songwriting idea.
Once the 10 minutes is up I determine whether I have sufficiant momentum to keep going. If not I start the process again with another randomly chosen songwriting idea from my archive.
The timer I’ll use will either be one of a few online timers or this wonderful example (see picture below). Whichever way I go it will make for an interesting outcome.
Here are the steps again for you to consider:
1. Pick a songwriting idea from your archive at random
2. Set your timer for 10 minutes and start expanding the songwriting idea
3. After 10 minutes if you’re going with the flow then keep going. If not, repeat process with another randomly chosen songwriting idea
Give it a go and see what happens and if you’re not registered with FAWM yet then consider doing so because deadlines are sometimes good for you.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
PS: Feel free to download my FREE eReport “11 Ways To Eliminate (Song) Writers Block FOREVER” if you need a little help getting out of a rut.
Keywords: songwriting idea, songwriting process, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting zen, songwriting blog, corey stewart
How To Become Friends With Your Inner Critic
Songwriting Zen reader and good friend Matt Clearing brought up an interesting point in a comment he posted yesterday in response to my Cal Williams Jr Songwriter Spotlight.
He mentions in his comment that:
“…this is the second time I’ve heard something negative about the inner critic on songwriting zen, and I have to stand up for this oft-maligned contributor to the creative process.
I can faithfully attest to my inner critic forcing me to re-evaluate my music and songs again and again, taking songs that were crap and putting them where they belonged (the circular file), fixing lazy songwriting, and generally making my music better than it would otherwise be.
While I agree that it’s important to keep one’s inner critic from becoming a crippling obstacle to any productivity, I owe what meager level of quality my music has to that curmudgeonly naysayer within, and my music would be even lamer were my inner critic not there to tell me when something sucks…”
Reading this got me thinking that maybe I have been too harsh on the little voice we all have inside of us.
Perhaps it would be a good exercise for me to discuss the positive aspects of having an inner critic using Matt’s comment as a template.
It’s my belief that a songwriters process is only as effective as their ability to win over their daily battles with their inner critic however, Matt states that his inner critic actually helps his songwriting process by:
“…forcing me to re-evaluate my music and songs again and again, taking songs that were crap and putting them where they belonged (the circular file), fixing lazy songwriting, and generally making my music better than it would otherwise be.”
We all have voices inside our heads that warn us, caution us, praise us, critisise us and generally keep us honest.
Some people call it their conscience, some say its their intuition. Some say these voices have saved lives.
Getting back to writing songs, whatever you want to call it, the most important thing is that you use this voice to work with your songwriting, not against it.
What Matt’s saying is that he uses his relationship with the voice inside to work for him.
Maybe turning the inner critic into an inner ally is the challenge that all songwriters must rise up to.
You can never get rid of the inner critic but I do believe (after reading Matt’s comments) you can become friends with it. How we, as songwriters do that will make interesting reading in the future.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
PS: Thank you Matt for inspiring this post. I really appreciate your feedback 
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting resource, songwriting blog, corey stewart
Using Your Answering Machine To Capture Songwriting Ideas
As of tomorrow (Thursday July 3rd) I’m going away for some well earned R&R for a few days.
I’m not going to be blogging until Monday July 7th which also means that I’ll be three days into my 50/90 challenge when I return.
My intention over the break is to relax, enjoy myself and not be near any computer and mobile phone for that time. I will make one exception though.
If a songwriting idea comes into my head I’ll be phoning my answering machine either at home or the office and leaving a message. I’m anticipating a lot of songwriting ideas on my return.
What a way to catch up on the three days I’m missing out on.
You know I’ve probably said this before but the answering machine is one of the best songwriting tools around.
There are some situations when it’s not very practical to carry a recording device or even a notepad around with you however, you’ll always have your mobile phone (or cellphone if you’re in the states) close by.
When a songwriting idea pops in your head just excuse yourself and use it.
Call home and hum the idea. Beatbox the rhythm if you have to. Do whatever you can to preserve the moment.
That’s what I’ll be doing.
To all you taking on the 50/90 challenge I wish you all the best. Lets all help and support each other to achieve whatever goals we set for ourselves. My biggest challenge is not musical ideas but writing lyrics.
Any lyricists out there that want to help me out, let me know. In the meantime, my getaway awaits.
See you all Monday.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: fawm, 50/90, 50 song challenge, songwriting contest, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting resource, songwriting blog, corey stewart
Songwriting 101 – The Verse
“If the chorus of a song is the destination then the verses are the journey towards it.”
Here is the second installment of my Songwriting 101 series on my definitions of the different building blocks of a song.
Today it’s all about THE VERSE!
Verses set up the foundation for where the chorus sits on top. If you can make the verses of your songs flow towards a killer chorus then you are halfway there in creating a song that people will want to listen to.
Verses lay down the foundation of a song by allowing the songwriter room to tell the story or set the scene of the song. Character development also happens in the verses as well.
If the chorus, being the main focal point of the song can be likened to the answer of a question, then the verses are the questions themselves.
Verses set up the arrival of the chorus both lyrically and melodically therefore, they’re repetitious in nature. The melody generally stays the same while the lyrics change underneath.
I personally like verses to be rhythmically flowing and full of purpose. You don’t want to detract the listener from the chorus that is about to arrive.
Verses should create a good contrast for the chorus to stand out more. If you have a chorus that is anthemic in it’s nature then your verses need to be almost understated.
Creating this contract will enable the listener to inherently know that a chorus is about to arrive. The more anticipation you can build up the better. Just make sure that you have a chorus that is able to give the listener the release they’re looking for.
Verses are not meant to be complete in themselves. They are meant to be leading somewhere. It’s important for songwriters to realise that verses and choruses are very different to each other.
When I’m judging songwriting contests I hear many songs that suffer from a lack of distinction between a verse and a chorus. It’s like the songwriter was saying to the listener “This must be a chorus because it comes after a verse”.
You need to understand the relationship that verses and choruses have with each other. I believe that verses are just as important as choruses. A great chorus can be spoiled by a grandstanding verse so the balance needs to be in the writing.
Verses are the roadmaps of your song. Start giving your listener the directions that they need to get the most out of your songs.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting contest, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting technique, songwriting blog, corey stewart
Reading Poetry For Lyrical Inspiration
We live in a world of infinite songwriting idea possibilities. All we have to do is go out there and find them.
Here is another example of how the work of writers of other genres can be of immense help to songwriters.
In my blog post “Reading Books for Lyrical Inspiration” I wrote about the concept of reading books as a way of gathering lyrical ideas.
Since then I realized that you can apply this songwriting idea gathering concept to other forms of communication.
If the thought of reading a whole book is daunting, try reading some poetry instead.
Most poetry, has a short time-frame in which the reader is given the gist of the story or concept. To me, poetry is short bursts of written observation mixed with pure emotion.
Isn’t that what songs are about too?
A particular form of poetry that I have been getting into of late is haiku poetry.
Haiku is a Japanese writing art-form which is very, very constrained in its approach. You have three lines and seventeen syllables (broken into 5, 7 and 5) to get your story or concept across.
An example of this is a haiku titled “Tree, Wind, Cloud & Sky” by a wonderful songwriting friend of mine, Garth Dutton. It goes like this:
A lush green of trees
Contrasting with high wind clouds
That whiten, blue sky
Personally, I see haiku poetry as a possible type of ready made song synopsis.
In the past, I have found it a very easy exercise expanding seventeen syllables into a four minute song. Haiku poetry expands well if you apply the brainstorming concepts discussed in my “Mindmapping Your Songwriting Ideas” and “Brainstorming Possible Song Titles” blog post.
Give it a try and see what happens. Let me know how you go with it.
For people who would rather read something less abstract but don’t want to be tied to a book for long periods of time, a collection of short stories are a great way to gather lyrical ideas as well.
Make a date with yourself and go to your local library and pick up a few books of poetry (or short stories) and put the concept to the test. You’ll be glad you did.
Until next time, happy (reading and) writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriting tip, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting news, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, corey stewart
Songwriting Tools – Rhyming Dictionary And Thesaurus
The world is full of words.
For me, writing lyrics can be a challenge in itself. Any tool that make it easier for me to put down my songwriting ideas from head to paper should be adopted into my songwriting process.
The two main tools I generally use in writing lyrics are a rhyming dictionary and thesaurus. You can find them online too.
These tools enable me to expand my vocabulary and put down my ideas in a much more original and descriptive fashion.
Writing lyrics is all about making sure that the story I’m trying to tell or the concept that I’m trying to impart is told in a way that is totally, 100% me.
To do this requires a broad understanding of the language at my disposal, hence the importance of the rhyming dictionary and thesaurus
If you go into a good bookshop you’ll be able to purchase these important songwriting tools but there are also some really good online versions available for you to use for free.
I have chosen the most popular of each version for a brief discussion.
Of course when you spot a tool like this for free, it normally means that it’s a demo or sample of the commercial version. This is not an exception.
However, in saying that, the demo version is a very good one and in my use of it over the last six months I have not found the need to purchase the full version. I haven’t exhausted its capabilities as yet.
You’ll find in this demo a limited sample of one and two sylable rhymes but generally this is sufficiant. All you do is type in the word you want to find rhymes for and off you go. It gives you a really good list of results.
The way I find a rhyming dictionary useful is that I see words that I probably would not have thought of as words to end a line with.
When I spot one of these words I immediately see a whole new line flash before me and that is all I need to start writing again. I am always amazed how just one new word can launch a whole new tangent.
Of course you need to be open to the possibilities in the first place.
This tool is so valuble to a songwriter no matter how experienced they are. This site is both a thesaurus and a dictionary in one so you are getting double the value from the site.
Quite simply a thesaurus is a book of synonyms. These are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.
For example, if I type the word SONG into the thesaurus I would get these results:
Anthem
Ballad
Chant
Chorus
Lullaby
Lyric
Melody
Tune
The thesaurus enables me to describe stories, concepts and situations much better. It allows me to put a new twist onto the same old phrases and cliches that I tend to fall back on when I get a stuck on something.
My challenge to you is this. Adopt both of these tools into your songwriting process and see what happens.
If you are stuck, use the tools to brainstorm ideas and let your mind become open to whatever possibility appears before you. Once the possibility is realised then run with it.
Sometimes not knowing where you are going can be fun.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting idea, songwriting help, songwriting blog, corey stewart
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