Songwriter Advisor Blog

If you’re looking for a great idea for a song that’ll affect your listeners, look no further than your life experiences.

You see, chances are that many people have experienced much of what you have, so they’ll be able to identify with your songs!

On a sheet of paper or on your computer, start listing moments or periods in your life that you believe people will be able to relate to.  Using my own life as an example, here are just a few:

1.  I’ll never forget the first day I saw my wife–it was at a hot Miami dance club.  She walked in and looked a little out of place (because I didn’t want to believe she was a barfly-boy if she reads this I’ll really be in trouble!).  Anyway, I struck a conversation with her, and she blew me off, basically saying she was not interested!  (*****I wrote a country tune to this called, “She Doesn’t Know It Yet”)     

2.  I had a good friend who was facing a gigantic family crisis and I lent as much moral support as I possibly could.  My friend eventually got back on track and was very grateful.  (******I wrote an R&B ballad to this life experience called, “Find Your Way Back Home”)

3.   Living on South Beach for a few years, I remember people-watching, specifically while having an early morning breakfast at the 11th street diner at 3:00 A.M. every now and then as the most original, peculiar people would pass by.  (*****I haven’t written anything to this yet, but the title, “Why Be Normal?” is dancing in my head for perhaps a dance song)

4.   Like most every person on this planet (hint! hint!-this has to be a great, universal topic) I’ve lived through many ups and down, joys and heartaches, failures and victories. (*****I took one specific, proud period in my life and turned it into an inspirational song called “I Shall Prevail”)

I can literally go on and on!   But I’ll stop right here and give you one last tip; Once you pick a song idea out of one of your life experiences, concentrate on specific things that occurred, i.e., “She strutted in through the double-doors/and into the smoky room/her ruby-red lipsticktold me I was doomed……..  You get the idea! 

Two questions I hear frequently are, “How long does it take to learn songwriting?” and “Should I practice and/or study songwriting everyday, and if so, for how long?”

If you’re a beginner songwriter, you can learn songwriting basics rather quickly – maybe in 7 to 10 days or so  if you use the right information to get you on the right track.  The most important thing, however, is to move at a comfortable pace so you can try to assimilate each topic thoroughly.  It’s better to thoroughly learn the basics in 30 to 40 days instead of using a quick, ineffective method where you forget most of what you learned the day before!  If you take 15 minutes during each study/practice session to learn a chord a day, you will have learned 30 to 40 chords during the same period.  Now that’s progress! 

As in many topics of interest in any field, understand sometimes certain subjects won’t be instantly clear but don’t let that discourage you from pressing on.  For example, you might not be able to figure out at first, how songs can be more interesting with certain song dynamics, until you continue piecing different articles or chapters and by actually practicing what you studied.  The pieces of the puzzle will eventually come together, you’ll have “aha” moments where you’ll feel like you’ve struck a songwriting goldmine and certain things will become abundantly clear as long as you’re consistent with your effort to learn songwriting.  In due time, in due time! 

Intermediate songwriters can benefit immensely from slowly and deliberately dissecting topics such as “rhyming,” “verse development,”  “chorus development,”  “song forms,” and “using metaphors” just to name a few.  The key to taking these into the depths of your soul is to work on them wholeheartedly, one at a time, until each topic is second-nature to you.  You won’t believe how much easier and more effective songwriting can be if you can instinctively tell the difference between a pedal point and a descending bass line!

Advanced songwriters have a great advantage over other songwriters when it comes to learning new techniques because they usually have a superior understanding of beginning and intermediate songwriting basics, and they can take advantage of great, innovative songwriting articles like:  Be Bold – by I. Woloshen on Irene Jackson Songwriting Tips,  The Creatice Process Of Songwriting - by Garrison Leykam, and Special Singer-Songwriter Songwriting Ingredients by me!  Yet many advanced songwriters rarely take the time to continue their learning process for various reasons including their absolutely crazy, super-busy, committed lifestyle to the wonderful world of music in the big leagues!

Take note, even you Grammy and American Music Award winners - you should never stop learning new techniques.  Don’t wait until your well runs dry like many have in the past. There is far too much excellent information in songwriting circles, clubs, and organizations, and in various training formats such as articles, CD’s, etc.

If you can take 30 minutes a day to follow a Tae Bo workout you can easily read at least one interesting article a week to keep your juices flowing strong.

Good luck to all!