Earlsdon Jack, Coventry
The thing to remember about song writing is that record companies DON'T KNOW the secret to successful song writing - if they did, they'd throw tons of money at it and produce fantastic singles and albums all the time - but they don't, so they run around desperately looking for "the next big thing" before the other record companies get there first.
What that means is, you have as much chance of making the next hit single as the next guy (lots of famous songs written by guys in their bedrooms!)- but you have to persevere, and keep on doing it - you will get BETTER at it, the more you TRY.
Someone once said, in being creative, "there are NO MISTAKES" - try, mess around, do something different, go in different directions, explore. No one can tell you it's rubbish - it's not, it's a process you have to go through to BREAK THE MOULD, try something DIFFERENT in order to make something NEW.
Write about a brick, the sun, an earring, a postcard, a grave digger, a colour. Anything. Just write - but be different, find your OWN VOICE.
In other words, "if you want to be a songwriter, WRITE SONGS".
And somehow, in the midst of all the chaos and failed experiments and fragments of your creativity, you will find a good idea. Or maybe two, or three.
And as time goes on, you will find you are collecting a bagful of good ideas. Then, a truckful.
Then, suddenly you will find that ideas come out of the woodwork, everything you pick up or hear or read will give you ideas. In other words, you are starting to get GOOD at recognising ideas when you see them.
And you realise, they were all around you, all the time. You just weren't attuned enough to see them.
So, PRACTISE - write lyrics, write chord progressions, jot down ideas (no matter how silly), rearrange the old order, see what falls out.
Then, like me, you'll have a truck load of ideas and half finished songs and starting off points. I call it "my compost", and it fills 2 big lever arch files - most of it is cr*p but mixed in with it there are some great ideas, some of which will become songs.
I used to say that "my compost" was 95% rubbish, but 5% of it was good stuff, which might eventually become songs.
But, I'm getting better. Now I think that 50-60% of it is good stuff that might become songs.
And - I also have some SONGS.
Of course, they might not SELL, but that's a whole 'nother ball game!
kyle MW
im sorry to say this, but one of the best bands of all (oasis) time created one of the best songs of all time(live forever)...the first line is "maybe i dont really want to know how your garden grows"
and often use maybe in many other of their great songs...wonderwall...
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Songwriting Game
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