Thank goodness for happy accidents
You know, it's sometimes the random, accidental things that happen along the way that can make the biggest impact on your songwriting.
Blogger is a great example of this. Let me explain…
Songwriting Idea #20 – Using Blogger For Lyrical Inspiration
March 14, 2007Songwriting Idea #19 - Reading Poetry For Lyrical Inspiration
March 13, 2007"We live in a world of possible songwriting ideas. All we have to do (as songwriters) is go out there and find them". - cs
I outlined in my last post “Songwriting Ideas #18 – Reading Books for Lyrical Inspiration” the concept of reading books as a way of gathering lyrical ideas.
Since then I realized that you can apply this songwriting idea gathering concept to other forms of communication.
Songwriting Idea #18 - Reading Books For Lyrical Inspiration
March 10, 2007"We have so much information around us these days, so why can't we find anything to write about?" - cs
I believe that there are so many ways in which a songwriter can glean inspiration. One of the ways is immersing yourself in the media that we are exposed to every day like newspapers, TV and magazines.
It's not what media you use that inspires but how you use it. Today I'm talking about books.
Songwriting Idea #17 - Having Fingers In Different Pies
March 09, 2007Ahh, variety is the spice of life
I received another article from Ron Balagot a couple of days ago and this time it's about beating writers block by doing more than one project at a time.
The premise of the article is...
When you get stuck on one thing, work on another project that you have on the go.
Songwriting Idea #16 - Keeping The Spontaneity Alive
September 26, 2006Spontaneity is one of the keys to maintaining your creativity.
I came across a post titled "Great Way To Write A Song". It's all about using spontaneity as a way to generate songwriting ideas. It's very simple but (to me) it seems very effective.
I just had to share it with you all...
Songwriting Idea #15 - The "Stop/Start" Technique
June 21, 2006Q: "How do you eat an elephant?"
A: "One bite at a time"
I received another article via email from Ron Balagot today. Ron is the author of the article that was featured in "Songwriting Idea #14 - Using Your Subconcious Mind"
This next article deals with a technique used by a famous advertising copywriter Eugene (Gene) Schwartz. It can be easily applied to our songwriting process
Gene never suffered from writers block and neither should you.
(Ron, thank you for emailing me the article. Keep them coming if you can)
Songwriting Idea #14 - Using Your Subconscious Mind
May 07, 2006Is it possible to generate ideas in your sleep?
I found this article from a songwriter by the name of Ron Balagot and it sparked my interest because it is all about using our subconscious mind to generate songwriting ideas.
I heard about similar techniques to control your dreams so I had to have a look and see what it was all about.
Songwriting Idea #13 - Learn From The Experts
April 03, 2006Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
No, I'm not saying that you should copy someone elses song and then call it your own however, asking yourself "what songs do I like to hear?" and studying those songs to define what unique voice you have is a great start.
Songwriting Idea #12 - Developing A Sense Of Wonder
January 21, 2006"Everyone has at least five great albums in them" - Chris Martin, Coldplay
I saw an interview with Chris Martin and Will Champion from Coldplay on the TV today and I thought it was pretty inspiring stuff. Most of the interview was either about the bands songwriting process or its history but it was the discussion about songwriting that interested me...
Songwriting Idea #11 - Songs Inspired By Quotes
October 14, 2005Insert witty quotation here :)
Quotations are the little gems of wisdom that people come up with regarding any topic that you can think of.
In this article I outline a way to unpack these condensed forms of insight and create songs out of them.
Songwriting Idea #10 - Jammin' It Out
April 28, 2005"Writing songs is like harnessing the energy of the universe" - anon
Whoa Nelly, I can't remember who said that but I always found that comment to be a bit over the top until I started doing lots of jamming with other musicians either in general or with the bands that I have been in.
I tell you now, the energy it creates is amazing.........
Songwriting Idea #9 - Peripheral Hearing
February 05, 2005Sometimes it's what you almost hear that's just as important.
It's amazing what you find on the internet.
I came across an article by John Tunney on the Muses Muse website regarding a new way to gather songwriting ideas. Immediately, my sences pricked up, I had to have a look.....
Songwriting Idea #8 - Go For A Walk
January 04, 2005The time away from your writing is just as important as the time you spend on your writing.
I have mentioned in earlier articles thatdoing something different can stimulate some inspiration and get the crative juices flowing. Personally, one of the best ways to do that is to go for a good old fashioned, head clearing walk.
Songwriting Idea #7 - The Rhyming Dictionary And Thesaurus
November 11, 2004Words, words, words. The world is full of words.
For some people (me included) writing lyrics can be a challenge in itself, any tool that make it easier to put down the ideas from head to paper should be adopted into your writing process.
The two main tools used in writing lyrics are the rhyming dictionary and the thesaurus. You can find them online too.
Songwriting Idea #6 - How Is Your Journal Going?
October 27, 2004
Have you been writing in your journal everyday?
If over the last few weeks since I have started this channel you have been writing regularly in your journal then now is the time to have a look at what you have written and try to either decipher it or glean any songwriting ideas from it.
If you haven't (or this is the first time you have come across Corey Stewart Songwriting Tips) then it's not too late to start. Actually, the best time to start will be soon after you have read this article.
If over the last few weeks since I have started this channel you have been writing regularly in your journal then now is the time to have a look at what you have written and try to either decipher it or glean any songwriting ideas from it.
If you haven't (or this is the first time you have come across Corey Stewart Songwriting Tips) then it's not too late to start. Actually, the best time to start will be soon after you have read this article.
