Someone said to me the other day, “I wish I could write a song like that”…”If I had that talent, to write music…man, I would just blow up”! I listened intently as I thought about all the changes I go through when writing a song. So, I thought I’d share some of it with you.
Where does it start, the songwriting. Well, for me, sometimes I’m lying in my bed asleep and I start dreaming a song (crazy huh?). It happens though. Those are really good ones too, because usually our dreams are made up of various compilations in our life–different experiences that exhibit themselves in some random way while we’re dreaming. Somehow, my mind sorts out those random compilations of events and pulls them together to form a story or song when I’m dreaming. The catch is, whether it’s 1am or 4am, I am required to get out of the bed at that moment (as soon as the song is locked into my head) and record part of it–you know, the hook, the beat, the melody, the phrase, whatever stands out the most. I have to wake up from my dream and secure that song. If I don’t, and I wait until I wake up regularly…bet your bottom dollar, that song is GONE… (learned that lesson).
Sometimes, I can be talking to a friend, just shootin the breeze talkin about some craziness, and the words to a new song will start flowing through my mind (while I’m in the conversation)…I’ll like space out for a second, and my friend is like “hellloooo”, “anybody there?” I’m like, “Oh, sorry–gotta run”, now my friends pretty much know if that happens, I’ve got to go someplace quiet and sing my new song into my Boost phone as a Voice Note. Or if my phone is full, then I have to call one of my answering services to sing what I’ve got so far.
I actually use Vonage VOIP which is really cool, because every message I get or create myself is sent to my email as a .wav file that I can download. So, alot of my musical compositions start that way….never lose ANYTHING, comes in quite handy. Just call my voicemail, sing whatever into, and got it secured… Good thing is, I can drag that .wav file right into my production tools, Digital Performer (I talk about Digital Performer in my “Music Production” blogs), Garage Band, or whatever (I use alot of stuff–but that’s another blog).
Sometimes, another musician friend of mine will have tracks that they want me to listen to–just the music. Lyrics or an idea can come to me really quickly this way or I’ll hear the tracks and then later the idea of the song to go with the tracks will just pop into my head.
I know you’re saying, “alot of stuff pops into your head, do you think anything through?” Well, as a matter of fact, I do. Alot of times, I have to sit down and plan to write a song. It doesn’t just present itself to me. I have to actually logically create it, think it through, and develop the story without having had that “poof, great new song moment”. That can be challenging, and is usually spurred by my not having written a song in a while, I get kind of antsy, and start thinking to myself, “hmmmm, I need to write a new song”…that’s when it becomes a bit of “work”, not terrible or anything, but just knowing that I have to keep up my craft. I have to keep writing. You have to keep writing (always remember that).
Well, really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg on a few ways the songs I write get their humble beginnings. I’ll come back and get more into what phases I go through before the song even gets to production.
How do you start writing your songs? Do Tell!
Where does it start, the songwriting. Well, for me, sometimes I’m lying in my bed asleep and I start dreaming a song (crazy huh?). It happens though. Those are really good ones too, because usually our dreams are made up of various compilations in our life–different experiences that exhibit themselves in some random way while we’re dreaming. Somehow, my mind sorts out those random compilations of events and pulls them together to form a story or song when I’m dreaming. The catch is, whether it’s 1am or 4am, I am required to get out of the bed at that moment (as soon as the song is locked into my head) and record part of it–you know, the hook, the beat, the melody, the phrase, whatever stands out the most. I have to wake up from my dream and secure that song. If I don’t, and I wait until I wake up regularly…bet your bottom dollar, that song is GONE… (learned that lesson).
Sometimes, I can be talking to a friend, just shootin the breeze talkin about some craziness, and the words to a new song will start flowing through my mind (while I’m in the conversation)…I’ll like space out for a second, and my friend is like “hellloooo”, “anybody there?” I’m like, “Oh, sorry–gotta run”, now my friends pretty much know if that happens, I’ve got to go someplace quiet and sing my new song into my Boost phone as a Voice Note. Or if my phone is full, then I have to call one of my answering services to sing what I’ve got so far.
I actually use Vonage VOIP which is really cool, because every message I get or create myself is sent to my email as a .wav file that I can download. So, alot of my musical compositions start that way….never lose ANYTHING, comes in quite handy. Just call my voicemail, sing whatever into, and got it secured… Good thing is, I can drag that .wav file right into my production tools, Digital Performer (I talk about Digital Performer in my “Music Production” blogs), Garage Band, or whatever (I use alot of stuff–but that’s another blog).
Sometimes, another musician friend of mine will have tracks that they want me to listen to–just the music. Lyrics or an idea can come to me really quickly this way or I’ll hear the tracks and then later the idea of the song to go with the tracks will just pop into my head.
I know you’re saying, “alot of stuff pops into your head, do you think anything through?” Well, as a matter of fact, I do. Alot of times, I have to sit down and plan to write a song. It doesn’t just present itself to me. I have to actually logically create it, think it through, and develop the story without having had that “poof, great new song moment”. That can be challenging, and is usually spurred by my not having written a song in a while, I get kind of antsy, and start thinking to myself, “hmmmm, I need to write a new song”…that’s when it becomes a bit of “work”, not terrible or anything, but just knowing that I have to keep up my craft. I have to keep writing. You have to keep writing (always remember that).
Well, really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg on a few ways the songs I write get their humble beginnings. I’ll come back and get more into what phases I go through before the song even gets to production.
How do you start writing your songs? Do Tell!
