Being able to sit, write and finish a song, even when you are not inspired by anything, is something any serious writer should be able to do when the songwriting needs to get done. Most of us have had these inspirational moments – completing a song in one session. The words just came out with the melody and the chords appeared from nowhere and somehow they fit perfectly. Don’t expect this to happen every time.
Here are three useful tips that will save your precious time and make you more efficient in songwriting.
1. Templates are timesavers
I had a debate with a friend of mine who is a creative web developer, revolving around website templates, and if they were good or plain prison for creative people really looking to imprint themselves in their work. He told me that he can be just as creative designing inside already exiting templates as he would be creating a new one from scratch. If you are stuck and don’t know where to begin, have your own templates of chord progressions that you can already start writing on. Don’t reinvent the wheel, at least when you have deadlines and your time is running out. Always have some chord progressions that you can easily integrate into your songwriting.
2. Cover your own back
Record your shower singing sessions! You should record everything you sing, even though this might seem a bit crazy. Just think about it: You can start singing any time you feel some melody coming up and just record it. And it can be a lifesaver when you dig trough your audio files looking for some inspiration. Don’t be afraid to sing whenever it comes to you, and most importantly – record it. You will be more efficient when you cover your own back. Recording your self regularly and just leaving those melodies to marinate can deliver much more value in later reviews than right away. Sing, any time any where when it comes to you, record it and leave it. You will learn so much about yourself and your connection to music.
3. Lyrical Idea Vault
“Seems like a pretty nice idea …” If this phrase pops up in your head, write it down. Don’t hesitate one second. Have your own “idea vault”, your own treasure chest of lyrical ideas. Rhymes, stories, drawings, photos, text-messages, tweets it doesn’t matter, just get it somewhere where you can pick up later on.
Have a lyric notebook and write down every gem of an idea, every rhyme that comes to your mind. It will come in handy when you need it the most. The more you write, the more natural it will come to you in future times. Writing is a craft and it demands daily routine. When you don’t feel like writing, write about why you feel that way and you can always keep the creative momentum going.
5 join the family and show some love for this!