Songwriting: How To Get Ideas

By: Dan Palladino

I get a lot of email where songwriters ask how to come up with musical ideas. Following are some of the methods that I have used:

Since lyrics don't come easily for me, I'll discuss that topic first. Fifty percent of the battle is keeping your mind open for little lines that might be floating around, as you go about your daily routine. I've gotten great ideas during one on one conversations with others. Invariably, someone will say something that strikes me as funny or poetic and I'll make a note of it. It's just a matter of being on the look-out. I'd say that I'm equally participating in the conversation and trying to get some good lyrics out of it too. Sometimes, you can get even better stuff by eavesdropping on outside conversations. I know it sounds rude, but we're doing it for art's sake, right? Again, we're just keeping our ears and minds open.

TV, film and books can also be a good source of ideas. How many times have you been sitting in front of the tube, half asleep, when a good line just popped out at you? If you've trained yourself to be alert, it happens often. I always make sure there is some paper in the room, so I can quickly jot down the new gem.

So, what do we do with all of these little fragments? I enter everything I've collected into a notebook. Most of the time, I forget about it until I'm ready to write something. There's an advantage to letting the stuff sit for awhile: After some time has passed, it's very obvious which lines have potential and which are throw-aways. I don't like to put too much thought into it. Let your gut tell you if something is worth further development.

I've recently begun using the speed method of writing lyrics. I've found that it is very liberating to sit in front of the computer and just type away, without stopping. This means that you're not allowed to throw anything away. Whatever comes out of your demented brain is preserved forever. Once I've got the rough material down, I'll go back and see if there are any lines that could form the skeleton of a song. Just doing this exercise for thirty minutes can yield a whole tune, if you're lucky that day. Give it a try. Once you get over the whole "no editing" aspect, it's easy.

My final method of lyric writing is the title method. Again, sit in front of the computer and write possible song titles without thinking or stopping. Once you have a couple pages worth, let them sit for a day or two. Then, go back and the good ones will jump right out at you. Of course, the hard part is developing the idea into a good tune. I usually have to write about ten bad ones before I hit the one keeper.

An off-shoot of the above methods is the writing under pressure method. Get together with a songwriting friend. Now give yourselves thirty minutes, go into separate rooms and get busy! The goal could be to come up with chord changes and, at least a verse and chorus of lyrics. That's pressure! But it works very well.

You may have noticed that many of these ideas involve working against the clock. I think this is effective because it lets you get at the stuff that is uniquely you. Our first reaction when writing is usually "Boy, is that stupid!" Well, it may be! But if that's what's coming out, then that's the real you. That's the stuff that will hit listeners as being something fresh and new. Don't treat your words as if they're precious. Throw them around like old socks!

Part 2

How do we invent new musical ideas? Analyzing chord progressions of great songs is a good way to build your vocabulary. When I hear chords or riffs that really interest me, I'll write them down and try to adapt them for my own use.

For instance, when I heard the tune "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry, I became very interested in writing a song that consisted of the same chords over and over. I got out my guitar and experimented with a few progressions, until I came up with the |E |B-7|Cmaj7|G A| that became "Hold Me 'Til I'm Free". By the way, those lyrics started with the title. Listen to it.

Another way to come up with fresh ideas is to analyze genres of music that you do not write in. If you write pop tunes, spend some time with classical, jazz, blues, reggae or old R&B stuff. You will discover things that you'd never hear if you only listened to pop songs. Be open to all styles and use them.

Back in the 1940's, writers would take the entire chord progression of an existing tune and put a different melody on top of it. Why not give it a try? Be sure to come up with your own melody though. You don't want to get involved in copyright infringement.

Here's a little list of things I do to trick myself into coming up with something different:
~Play in a key that you are not familiar with.
~Write on an instrument that you don't play.
~If you play guitar, limit yourself to three strings.
~If you play keyboards, limit yourself to only one hand.
~Write a tune using only the bass line. Fill in chords and melody later.
~Learn a new chord and write a song including that chord.
~Write a song. Now keep the melody and use different chords.
~Write a song. Now keep the melody and use chords in the relative major key. (If your song is in C minor, re-harmonize the tune in Eb major.)
~Do the same thing going from major to it's relative minor. (If your song is in C major, re-harmonize the tune in A minor.)
~Write a tune by starting with a drum pattern.
~Write a tune using only one chord. Two chords. Three chords, etc.
~Write a tune with all major chords. Minor chords. Augmented chords, etc.
~Write a progression. Now play it backwards and make a song out of it. Do the same thing with a melody.
~Close your eyes. Now drop your hands on a keyboard. Remember the first four chords that come out. Force yourself to write something using only those chords.
I'm sure you could add many more tricks to the list. The point of the exercise is to get away from the devices you are comfortable with. These tips are especially useful if you are experiencing the dreaded writer's block. Now, if we could only come up with a way to get more time to write!

Have fun, don't be afraid of your first thought, never give up!

 

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesofnote.com

Dan Palladino is a guitarist, composer and owner of Riddleworks Productions. He is also an instructor in the music technology department at County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ. Dan can be reached at dano@riddleworks.com.