Who is the songwriter? The narrator or singer of the song doesn’t have to be you, the person!
If you’re in a songwriting rut or feel blocked, it’s time to change your songwriting input.
In this article you’ll learn how to mix up your initial assumptions and change your perspective to explore new directions with your songwriting.
What do you mean: Who is the Songwriter?
Typically when you’re songwritiner it’s about your feelings and opinions… but what if you wrote from a different perspective? Explore different ideas and opinions than your “usual”?
Below the video lesson is a summary of the strategies, with bonus ideas and links to other songwriting resources to improve your songwriting!
Video Transcript
If you’re stuck in a songwriting rut or feeling blocked, try writing from a different perspective. The narrator in your song, the songwriter that wrote and is singing your song doesn’t have to be you, the person.
You can write a song from any one’s perspective, you get to choose.
Songwriters like you and I usually start writing from our own perspective. We usually write as ourself. The song speaks as we’d speak that truth about a topic.
Imagine you’re songwriting right now…
You have a song topic and the next step is “how do I feel about it?” or “what do I think?”
But the point of view in your song is a choice. The “I” in your song can be you, but it might also be someone else. You can write it as you view the topic or you can choose to be someone else for the purposes of this song.
There’s an old songwriting saying “write what you know” and it’s generally good advice but as songwriters we also use empathy and imagination to create a compelling story and evoke the emotions of our listeners. You’re in control, so try why not try something different?
I’m a middle aged, privileged white guy with left leaning political beliefs.
Does that mean I’m not allowed to write about Black Lives Matters, or teen pregnancy or Conservative Cowboy politics? I’m not an expert in these topics but I can use my imagination to tell a different story than one I might normally write.
If you want a change to your songwriting…
Break from your usual patterns and change your initial assumptions!
You can be a lover or a fighter, sinner or saint, wizard or warrior.
Do you want to march for peace or march off to war?
Did you organize the march or are you just joining the parade?
Are you in the middle of the march, leading the line or back of the pack?
Are you in the action or watching from the side?
Use compassion and your imagination to explore thinking and feeling from a different perspective.
Explore how someone else might interpret or understand the world and try writing about that.
You try…
What’s your songwriting perspective?
What are your usual assumptions about the world and about songwriting?
How can you stretch yourself to tell a story from a different perspective?
You don’t have to release a song that doesn’t align with your image as a songwriter or as a performer. Perhaps it becomes a song you never share, or that someone else should sing. Or just maybe you write a song that’s a little outside your comfort zone and has a deeper dimension that the song you otherwise would have written about that topic.
My point is…
You can stretch your songwriting skills by exploring a song topic from a perspective that isn’t your own. Use your imagination and empathy to communicate an emotional experience for your audience.
If you watched this far, like this video or comment about a perspective you’re inspired to try writing about.
Here’s a playlist of more songwriting videos. Once you’ve binge watched enough of them… go write something from a new perspective…
If you watched this far, like this video or leave a comment about a perspective you’re inspired to try writing about.
I’m Trevor Dimoff, I transform musicians into songwriters at EpicSongWriting.com.
Here’s a playlist of more songwriting videos. Once you’ve binge watched enough of them…
Go write something from a new perspective…
