Day 3 of Album Writing Month

I'm trying to write one song per day for my February Album Writing Month project. If I can keep up with this, I'll reach the goal of writing 14 songs on 2/14, Valentine's Day, and then I can spend the second half of the month recording quick demos of some of these new songs.

In the past several years, most of my songwriting has been prompted by being struck by inspiration, or has been driven by a fairly specific assignment. It's a little harder to start writing "cold," with nothing to go on. I've turned to my file folder of song ideas collected over the years, and I've also resorted to random brainstorming, just casting about for any idea that catches me. So far I haven't found myself stuck with nothing to write about, but we'll see if the idea stream holds up for 11 more songs.

I encourage songwriters to keep a notebook of song ideas and to start collecting fragments of lyrics and music. Someday your music career might hinge on being able to write a solid album of songs on short notice, and that job will be a lot easier if you've provided yourself some material to start with.

Write it down

When a brilliant new idea hits you, it's so clear, vivid, and powerful that you can't believe that you will ever forget it.

One day later, you might be scratching your head, saying, "I remember I had a great idea... but what was it?"

Memory is fickle, and this is especially true when you're dealing with different states of consciousness such as the expanded consciousness that accompanies inspiration. Get your idea written down, sketched, recorded, as soon as possible, in as much detail as you can manage.

It's still possible that you'll look at your notes a day later and say "I don't even remember why I thought this was such a great idea." But if the idea passes the 24-hour test, and still looks worthwhile the next day, you'll be glad you took the trouble to capture those details while they were fresh in your mind.

Open the door and let 'em in (Songwriting tips)

While writing, write down the ideas that pop into your head — even the dumb ones.

If you say no to any idea, you run the risk of offending your muse, and then your flow of ideas will come to a dead stop. It takes only a moment to jot the idea in the margin or add it to your list of ideas.

Sometimes if you "unwrap" a bad idea there's a brilliant idea hiding underneath. If someone else comes by while you're working, they may happen to suggest a tiny change that turns your dumb idea into the perfect thing.

It's happened to me plenty of times, and I've begun to trust that any idea that shows up is there for a reason, even if its value isn't immediately obvious.

8♠ Start with an idea

8♠ Eight of Spades in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song

The Eight of Spades has an idea: start your songwriting process with an idea! This idea doesn't have to be a profound "eureka" insight; it could be an observation, a bit of advice, or a fantasy of how things might be different that they are. Whatever it is, create a song that clearly expresses the idea, almost as though the song is a sales pitch to sell the idea, to get everyone to see what you see.

Here's how to do it, step by step.

1. Decide on an idea.
2. Think of a title for the song, and also a lyrical hook. The title and hook are often the same, but they don't have to be. The hook could be a direct expression of your idea, but it doesn't have to be; it just has to be memorable and to connect to the idea in some rhetorically convincing way.
3. Build a chorus that supports the hook. Pick tempo, mood, and chords that provide the best possible backdrop for the idea.
   
4. Then build the rest of the song, usually verses and a bridge, to support the chorus. From beginning to end, everything in the song supports and aligns with the song's central idea.
   

This song-building method is so simple and straightforward that generations of songwriting hacks have used it to churn out truckloads of empty, soul-numbing songs. But don't blame the technique; it's all in how you use it. Your song will be meaningful if it means something to you. Start with an idea that you personally care about, something that touches your life or inspires you in some way.

Looking for the right idea? Maybe one of these questions will help get you started:

What are you secretly hoping for?
What's one bit of parental advice that you will never forget?
What does it take for love to survive?
What happened recently that you keep thinking about, again and again?
What did you dream about last night?
What is the secret of your success?

Collect ideas (Songwriting tips)

Keep a notebook of song ideas. Every time something interesting happens, think of a way you might write a song about it.

You don't have to write every song that you think of, but it's good practice to think of ways that a given idea can be turned into a song.

You should never find yourself short of song ideas to work with. Try to collect several new ideas every week.

5♣ Headline news

5♣ Five of Clubs in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song

The Five of Clubs reminds of a tried-and-true songwriting method that dates from the Tin Pan Alley days (or perhaps even earlier).

Write a song based on today's top news headline. Find a way to tie the news story to a universal idea or theme, and turn that into your hook.

If it's a story about interpersonal confict, you might want to fictionalize the story and change the names of the characters or companies so you can make up your own dramatic details without worrying about slandering some real person.

You always want your songs to interest people, and the top headlines are a good reflection of what people are interested in right now.

The Five of Clubs' method might give you hit-and-miss results, but don't worry if you try it today and the song doesn't quite hit the mark. The great thing about the news is that it's constantly changing; there's always something new. Check back tomorrow, and there will be a whole new set of headlines.

Test out the new Songwriting Assignment Generator

I'm working on a new Songwriting Assignment Generator. If you ever feel at a loss for what to write a song about, just visit the generator, and it will always have a new randomly-generated idea for you.

I don't expect people to take this tool very seriously. Life is full of interesting things that could be turned into songs, and I hope you're already keeping an ever-expanding idea list in your lyrics journal. But if you feel stuck or feel like you need to try something completely different, give the Songwriting Assignment Generator a visit. It might spark some ideas and help get you started on something new.

If you have any comments or suggestions for the generator, please leave a comment on this blog post.