Is 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.
By Ron Balagot
And now, I'd like to share this secret technique with you. If you consistently apply the following 3 steps,
you'll notice a big improvement in your songwriting:
Once you've come up with an idea for your song," write down (or
type) all related information. For example:
- Song Type (ex. love song",inspirational song, up-tempo," etc.)
- Song's Title
- Your objective (what you wish to accomplish with the song)
- The message you are trying to bring across to your listeners
- Emotion you are trying to evoke in your listeners (and so on and so forth, the more information the better)
2. Command your "subconscious mind" to help you with your
objective
With the information you have in front of you, give your
subconscious mind a direct command. For example:
- If you're a lyricist, just before you start reading what's in front of you, say something like: "Subconscious mind,
create powerful lyrics with the information I'm about to read. Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep." (If you're given a melody to write lyrics to, say the following just before listening to the melody: "Subconscious mind, create powerful lyrics for the melody I'm about to listen to. Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep.") - If you're
a lyricist/composer, just before you start reading what's before you, say something like: "Subconscious mind, create a powerful song with the information I'm about to read. Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep." (With that last command, you're basically instructing your subconscious mind to come up with both the lyrics and melody...the "perfect marriage" of both.) - Now, if you happen to be a composer, you could also benefit from this technique. Just place the finished lyrics in front of you and say something like: "Subconscious mind, create a powerful melody for the lyrics I'm about to read. Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep." (If you simply want to create a beautiful
melody from scratch, just apply Steps 1 to 3. Of course, in Step 1, some of the information mentioned...ex. song's title or message you are trying to bring across...are not completely necessary. However, as a rule, the more information
you have, the better. What's important is that your subconscious mind has enough information to work with...and it knows exactly what you are trying to accomplish).
commands. Also, you can give the commands either aloud or silently in your head. It's even a good idea to apply this step before going to sleep, whenever possible.
Think or do something else...anything else. In other words, “trust” your subconscious mind to deliver...by getting out of its way. This is a crucial step. In fact, this is the key to this technique's
effectiveness. Without honestly applying this step, you will not get the positive results you're after.
What you do is you simply “allow” your subconscious mind to carry out your instructions...without questioning it...without interfering in any way. In other words, you take your mind off the song by taking a short break...or even a nap. Or you sleep on it...and work on it the next day (the truth is, some writers take days or weeks off before actually writing).
Basically, you want to give your subconscious mind enough time to work on what you've instructed it to do. (Many creative people call this the "incubation" phase of the creative process.) When you do this, you'll notice that when you sit down to actually start writing, thoughts or ideas come to you more naturally...and in a more organized way. You'll notice a better flow to your writing overall. (This is because your subconscious mind has done a lot of the work for you...in the background...while you were busy doing other things...or while you were sleeping.)
If you're a composer, melodic or musical ideas will naturally come to you...and sometimes it will happen when you least expect it. That's why it's a good idea to always have a tape recorder or
digital voice recorder handy...so you can sing the melody and record it. And what's the end result of applying the above 3 steps (after all the editing)?
A powerfully moving song.
balagot.ron@gmail.com
There you go, you can create songwriting ideas as you sleep. I have used a similar concept in the past if I had a problem that I needed to solve. Just before I went to bed I would
- Write down the problem on a piece of paper
- Brainstorm everything I know about the problem, all the ins and out of it, what it is that I am stuck on etc, etc
- Tell myself to "don't worry and forget about the problem because my subconscious mind will work on it".
- Fold the piece of paper in half and put it next to my bed and go to sleep.
Our conscious and subconscious minds are so very powerful, lets use them to our advantage and write more songs
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
www.coreystewartonline.com
www.orangutangmusic.com
www.soultradermusic.com
www.theliarsbench.com
Check out my other blogs
The Bizzo - Indie Music Industry Tips
Recording Studio And Live Music Tips
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Funny you should mention this and funnier that I should find this post. I believe this is possible to use your subconscious mind in your sleep to this and a whole lot more, and I know this from personal experience.
In fact, I have written a book that will shed more light on the subject matter. Visit my website are http://www.richesofthemind.com to find out more.