Q & A
Each month, MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.
Uninspired songwriter? Or just excuses? How to stop complaining and just do
it.
Q.
Hi, You must
hear this a lot but, I really want to become a performer. I want to sing but
I want to do more than that. I want to make people feel good when they come
see me. I want to record a demo but I don’t write music. I use to but I have
lost it and I can’t do it any more. Between school and work I don’t have the
time and when I make time the words don’t come out right....I’m not in love
and I’m not getting over someone, and that’s what songs lately are all
about. So what do you do if you wanna sing but can’t write music to sing?
Thanks for your help ---[Writer’s name kept anonymous]
A. This may sound harsh in print, but it’s not intended to. (Quite
the opposite, in fact.) The real issue here isn’t about what steps to take; it’s
actually more about drive and determination.
If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way. Obstacles are a test to see
how bad you really want it.
To paraphrase an old saying, “If you think you can, you’re right. If you
think you can’t, you’re also right.” That means, it’s up to you, and
adjusting your attitude is the first step. (Removing the word “can’t” from
your vocabulary is a great start.)
As for your songwriting…Take it from one who writes: you never find time,
you make time. If you wait ‘til you find time, there’s always an excuse not
to write.
And about the songwriting marketplace? First, focus on becoming a disciplined writer.
Write what you feel. If it’s a great song, it doesn’t matter what subject
matter is popular, because a great song can always transcend the marketplace and start
a new trend (or fill a niche market). But the only way to get great
is write.
There’s always something to write about...Make use of our
Creativity Workshop
section. Or, just write about the fact that you “can’t” write. (Jon Bon Jovi
and Richie Sambora did just that with a song called “As My Guitar Lies
Bleeding In My Arms,” which appeared on the These Days CD, and Bernie
Taupin wrote the "...But a few of the verses, they've got me quite cross" in
Elton John's "Your Song".) Whether they end up being recorded or not, at
some point almost every songwriter has a song in their notebook about being
uninspired.
One last tip...Did you know that the physical act of putting pen to paper for 25 minutes without
stopping actually stimulates your right brain? A create writing instructor taught me
that years ago when I was going through a writer’s block, and I've found it
to be true. Get
yourself a journal, set a timer, and write—anything, even if you write “I
don’t know what to write” over and over. Do it every day, and things will
eventually start flowing again.
Meanwhile, create your own destiny. Some would say you already are anyway,
whether you’re conscious of it or not...So you may as well take control of
it and be an active participant.
"There's nothing you can't do. Nothing."--Humble but wise
MusicBizAdvice.com interviewee, 1999.
Good luck! :-)
Randi Reed
Editor-in-Chief / Founder
MusicBizAdvice.com
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