When Ideas Aren’t Everywhere
We’re told that song ideas are everywhere, but it’s also a very real experience to sit down to write and see nothing but a blank page. I can relate to the experience of putting pen to paper, or pressing record, only to feel my judgment narrow and all the ideas I thought I had suddenly fail to squeeze through the door.
As I see it, in this situation we’ve got two choices: we can either widen the gate, or we can come to the table more prepared. In the end, we all do a bit of both. Some of us prepare on the front end, and only develop what feels worth finishing. Others let everything pour, trimming ideas down to their essential size later on. The bit that most of us have trouble with is the discomfort of writing without the certainty of ending up with a finished song to show for it.
It doesn’t matter how our ideas come, just that they come. If you write only when inspired, strike while the iron is hot. Write everything down and record everything as it comes. This is a limited time when the flow is convincing you that all you’re spinning is gold. Trust it, and keep going till it fizzles out.
When you don’t feel particularly inspired, but would like to, try spending just 20 minutes a day doing a variety of exercises to key into the flow. Here are a few exercises to get going:
Read an article, watch a film, or listen to a podcast. While you do, write down every word or phrase that might be a line or partial line in a lyric. You’re looking for titles here, and often, we don’t recognize them until we repeat them in our mind and hold their potential. Transfer them all to a title list that you add to each week.
Snap out a tempo with a title from your list. Sing the title to the tempo 4x exactly the same way. Notice how the tempo drove you to sing the title the way you did, with short notes or long notes, or late or early in the measure. Notice where the pitches fell in your range. Notice whether you moved those pitches around a lot, or kept them close together. Now change it - all of it. Keep the tempo, but change the lengths of the notes and the position in the measure in which you sing it. If you sang low pitches, sing high. Notice how flexible you can be now that you’re aware of what you did. Listen for the version of the title you feel drawn to, and the meaning that melody at that tempo provides to the words. Record it.
If you play, tap out a few chords for a simple chord progression. It could comprise of one, two, three, or even four chords, but resist the urge to move until you feel the moment calls for a new color or sound. Prioritize the groove and feel over the specific chords you play. If you don’t play, choose a single guitar string or single note on piano and tap out a 1 or 2-bar groove. It could be quarter notes, or a rhythmic baseline. Don’t settle on something good, settle on something that you think is pleasing to listen to.
When an exercise leads to something that inspires you, ride that wave. Ideas truly are everywhere when we allow ourselves to be unoriginal. Most times, that’s the job. We’re philosophers and poets, waxing existential, and though much of it is BS, some of it moves mountains. And like any practice, a little every day goes a long way.
If you’d like to develop a daily habit, or feel supported as you practice every day, I’d love to invite you to join my 30-Day Songwriter program. This is a space for you to practice the tools and hone your craft alongside a community consistently for one month. Just click here to learn more.
Stay creative,
