Yes exactly - help with...songwriting...

[geek_usa]

Hi guys,

 

I've been playing guitar for over 3 years and in that time I've written probably over 300 songs. But now, there's a problem. I can't seem to write a decent song or a decent riff to save my life.

 

Oh yes, I can pick up a guitar and come up with several different riffs, but they just don't stick with me like they used to. It's like... meh... that's okay but not too great. I don't know if it's my standards I set for myself (that they are higher than they were 2-3 years ago) but I can't seem to write any song and run with it.

 

I just finished my first full length and right after that I had another burst of creativity which I used to fuel about 80% of another album that I had been working on. But now things just went kaput and I can't stay with anything I write anymore.

 

I've tried different tunings, I've tried thinking of how the song should sound before I play it, I've (attempted to) write lyrics (which is another lost art of mine, I'll admit...I'm not nearly as good as I was before), and nothing is coming about.

 

It could be a dry time, but it just scares me because the special things about music that sparked my creativity just aren't there as much anymore. Like the songs have to reach a certain standard that I set before I can continue with putting time and effort into them.

 

 

Help please! Any tips or replies are appreciated! thanks!

[Mojambo]

You're not forcing it, are you?

 

My suggestion would be to just let it all come naturally, and if you like the material that you come up with, then go with it.

 

But if you find yourself being too critical of it, maybe you should just take a break from songwriting for a while. That always seems to help clear the mind. Kinda like a little vacation for your mind, so you can come back to it later with renewed energy.

[Toxicpotatoe]

It may be that your standards for what constitutes a decent song or riff have gotten higher as you've been playing. You might want to allow yourself to write some things that aren't so good.

 

I heard it said that as an artist you're only responsible for the quantity not the quality.

[Phil O'Keefe]

I think TP is on to something here.

 

My "day job" is producer / engineer. As such, I have a fairly highly developed "quality filter", because I use it daily. Problem is, when it comes to songwriting, I tend to toss that producer "judgement hat" on too quickly in the process. IMO, the idea when writing is to write. Get the dang thing down nd finished, and just flow with it. If you get judgemental too early in the process, it stifles it. It's a right brain (creative) / left brain (analytical) thing... if you let the left side of your brain take over too soon in the process, you might label everything as "no good" before the creative side has had a chance to really get going...

 

You can (and in many cases should) get analytical later, after the song is finished. At that point you can decide if it's good or not, or if the bridge needs a re-write or whatever... but don't jump ahead of yourself and get to that step too quickly or you'll never write anything...

[bdemon]

Must seek out creativity!

 

The important thing is that you're still trying to write stuff. At some point something will come out that you're happy with. IMO, that's the law of the creative universe. Can't control when it will happen...just know that it will if you go looking for it.

 

Studying some new concepts & technique can help. I've been learning a bunch of new country guitar riffs & progressions (last issue of Guitar One). I'm not much of a country fan, but these riffs are really cool. I've gotten a bunch of ideas using them in non-rock contexts. Something like that.

[cmfguitar]

When I get in a songwriting rut, I try to learn some cover tunes and maybe try to add my own creative spin. Also, try to get out and play live somewhere even if it is just for friends or at an open mic. Play covers or songs you have already written. The validation you get from your friends can be a real confidence booster and can kickstart the songwriting process too.

[BryanMichael]

No offense geek, but if you've written 300 songs in the past three years...you aren't really struggling with songwriting!

Damn son, that's alot of songs. Why not go back and see if anything can be re-worked or polished? I doubt you've recorded all 300 of them... How do you write lyrics for 300 songs!?

That's like a novel!

[MikeLewisMusic]

Everyone has a different writing process. Some write in great volumes (for example, Dolly Parton, John Mellencamp),mabye 2-3 songs each day. Obviously, they are not all keepers. Others write very seldom, only when something really notable hits them. Others are in between the two.

 

Someone who has written over 300 songs in a 3 year period could be in a writing slump, believe it or not. Another writier, (me personally) may only write 6 or 8 songs in a year and consider very productive. The difference is the process.

 

I do not create "throw-away" songs. I'll work it, refine it, change it, manipulate it, etc., until I like where it's going. As long as a song has a valid structure, to me it's worth working on. Others prefer to put a song together rather quickly, judge it, then move on. Their creative process works better from scratch than in a refinement mode.

 

It is important to realize that people work through the creative process in different ways. It's all about what works best for you. My niece's husband, Michael Smith, writes great music, and he writes in great volumes. I write in small volumes, but continually refine. Different methods, isn't a matter of what's better overall, but what's better for the individual.

 

Good luck to all. If you are creating new music, you are enhancing the world, regardless of your individual methods.