There are so many songwriting tips you know, but you aren’t following them…
Instead of wasting songwriting time on YouTube and Google, learn why you’re using them to avoid your songwriting and how to kick your songwriting tips addiction!
Songwriting tips, I love them but I hate them!
I’ve wasted dozens of hours watching videos that didn’t teach me anything I wasn’t already doing. I know you’ve done it too… that’s how you found this video or my website.
This article will help you stop fooling around with songwriting tips you already know and get you songwriting, (right after you get through this article…)
This is a summary of all songwriting tips, there are 5 categories… you can pick any areas where you’re weaker and get some specific help to fix you up and get you confidently writing songs you can be proud of….
Note: If you’re a fast reader like I am, watch the video long enough to hit like and subscribe… then skip the rest of the video for now and read the transcription. There are links to more songwriting articles about each topic.
If you remember better by watching and listening (like I am when I’m being patient and paying careful attention and not skim reading)…
Watch the video all the way through and then use the transcript as backup to help you remember the most important ideas for you on your songwriting journey…
Check the links to other songwriting articles for each category of songwriting help within the transcript…
Songwriting Tips You Already Know: Video Transcript Begins
You already know most of the songwriting tips you need, you just aren’t following them.
In this video, I’ll help you get off your songwriting tips kick and get back to songwriting.
Watch the video all the way through, then click the description link for a written summary and more songwriting resources to help you win against your songwriting tips addiction.
Why You’re Addicted to Songwriting Tips
The source of the problem is: It feels hard to write songs.
Songwriting feels like too much work and you tell yourself “I don’t have the time!” Songwriting feels like it’s a waste of time, or takes too much time. It takes more energy than you feel you have.
You need inspiration to get to work or you try to work and the inspiration doesn’t come fast enough. You don’t want to start writing, because you’re fighting internal resistance.
The Truth About Songwriting…
You want songwriting to be easy!
It should feel easy, effortless. You want songwriting to be fun and flow easily. You want to lose time while you’re songwriting, instead of feeling like you’re spending or wasting time songwriting. You want to get more energy from songwriting, instead of pouring energy into it.
So, you spend time cruising songwriting tips videos and blogs.
Chances are you’re not learning anything you don’t already know. You’re really just doing it to get some motivation to write.
Most Songwriting Tips Fall into 1 of These 5 Categories:
1. Do the Work
2. Improving your songwriting knowledge
3. Improving your songwriting process
4. Organization
5. Finding new input
1. “Do the Work” Songwriting Tips
Songwriting takes time.
A 3 minute song can take days & weeks to write. You need to put in the time. You need to follow through and finish your songs. Get feedback and improve your song. Build motivation, habits and systems to get songs and projects finished.
It takes consistent effort, you have to set goals and achieve them.
Solutions for Do the Work
- Inspiration follows action, write to get inspired.
- Show up and do the work. Make a plan or schedule and stick to it.
- Consistent effort is the key to success, the tortoise and the hare story is 2000 years old.
- Social Media – be a producer instead of a consumer of social media, when you’re on YouTube, FaceBook and Instagram be creative and strategic instead of a passive observer. See what leaders are doing and emulate them. Post instead of just consuming.
- Remember: Imperfect Action, ready shoot aim… do something, then improve it. Do something instead of thinking about doing it
2. Songwriting Knowledge Tips
Songwriting knowledge is understanding how songs work. How songs fit together. Knowing what a verse is, a chorus? What to write about in each. Knowing songwriting best practices & rules. Knowing how lyrics and music combine and fit together.
Songwriting Knowledge Solutions
- Learn Songs, play sing and analyze songs
- Read about songwriting and music theory.
- Get a program instead of YouTube research, don’t ask FB or search YT… get a solid source of songwriting knowledge.
- Get a teacher or mentor
- Take an online songwriting course
- Take lessons, you can pay to be taught songwriting skills so you can learn faster
- Meet with other songwriters at a local songwriting group
- Mastermind with other songwriters, online or in person
- Work with a co-writer with strengths that complement your strengths.
Click to explore the Songwriting Courses on EpicSongWriting
3. Songwriting Process
Your songwriting process is how you go from inspiration to released song, following all the steps to write a song.
To improve your songwriting process ask yourself:
- How do I write?
- How can I write differently and more effectively?
- Where do I get stuck in the songwriting process?
- What do I need to know more about?
Songwriting Process Solutions:
Do it differently, start with lyrics instead of the music, or melody instead of the chord progression. Change your songwriting process and check the results.
Test and experiment, then test again… be open to change.
Brainstorm, don’t start at the first line, instead write non-linearly. Start with ideas and fragments and then put them together.
- Know that: Editing is harder than writing
- Finish the song, as best you can and release the best song you can, even if it’s a rough demo on instagram
- Imperfect Action, ready shoot aim
- Close open loops, finish tasks, finish projects
- Work on other things too
- Co-writer, work with a songwriter with strengths that complement yours.
4. Organization
Is about getting things done, looking after the details. Keeping track of your ideas and all the little details.
It’s about follow through, about planning ahead, and about creating systems to make complex task, easy to finish. This includes:
- Taking notes, keep a notebook, use it, refer to it, write in it, keep it organized
- Keeping track of time, timelines for large projects,
- Being on time
- Scheduling time for songwriting, time for recording,
- Making a decision and following through
- Getting to work, sitting down to write, being prepared to write
Organizing Solutions
- Take notes, keep a songwriting notebook, keep a list of title ideas
- Make and keep timelines, break down large tasks into manageable chunks
- Work backwards from the goal… choose a goal and then decide the steps from there back to the beginning. For example, if you’re releasing a song, pick a date and start filling in the steps backwards to build a timeline
- Close open loops, finish tasks, finish projects
- Don’t try to do too much.
- Expect things to take longer than you plan… then adjust your plan while you’re working through it.
5. New Input
If you change the input you change the output. If you’re doing the work, if you know what goes into a song and if your songwriting process works for you, and you’re organized, then the problem is you need new input. Because Garbage in gives you garbage out.
Solutions to Find New Songwriting Input
- Learn new things, like learning new songs, play sing and analyze songs, learn them from the inside, out
- Practice your instrument, practice singing… like with a weekly schedule and some goals kind of practicing
- Take music lessons, for songwriting, voice, your instrument, or a new musical instrument
- Co-write with different people
- Write with a different instrument
- Practice active listening, listen without doing anything else except taking notes.
- Leave your music cave, go for a walk, take a break, take a break then do something else
- See and hear live music and support your local music
- Live an interesting life… interesting people write interesting songs.
Summary
You don’t really need songwriting tips if you know how to…
1. Do the work
2. If you have enough songwriting knowledge
3. If you have a songwriting process that helps you finish songs
4. If you can organize the songwriting details, from inspiration to released song
5. Have good songwriting input and inspiration
You just have to get to work and finish your songs
Remember: Watching videos and reading articles about songwriting won’t make you a better songwriter, or get any songs written unless you expect to invest some time actually songwriting.
I’m Trevor Dimoff, I teach musicians to become songwriters at epcisongwriting.com
Thanks for watching all the way through, click the description link for a written summary and more songwriting resources to get you off your songwriting tips addiction and to help you finish your songs. Once you’ve checked it out… go write something interesting.
