“The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self.. “
Igor Stravinsky
The blank page, the empty canvas and the silent guitar are the most difficult starting points, yet that is where we must all begin. When our options are infinite it is difficult to make creative decisions, but we can channel and focus our creativity by setting restrictions and limitations.
Below are some limitations you can use to write a song today. These are only starting points which we can always change later:
- Limit yourself to some simple chords: C, Am, F, G. You might change these later, but they will serve as a good starting point.
- Think of a rhythm you can use for the melody – don’t worry about what pitches will be sung, just the rhythm. You can keep it simple and use a rhythm similar to the word “coff-ee” on each beat, or do something like:
- Now play the chords whilst you hum the rhythm you previously made. Start by using one pitch for the whole rhythm, and then make some notes higher and some notes lower. There are lots of good melodies which are based on only one or two pitches, such as the verse of “I Am The Walrus” by the Beatles, the verse of “Manic Monday” written by Prince, and the verse of “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis.
- After a bit of experimenting you will have a basic structure which you can start to sculpt. Try changing the chords, switching the order of the chords, or change chords at a quicker pace (harmonic rhythm”).
- When you’re ready to create the next section, repeat the process above, perhaps starting with different chords.
The tips above are for when you feel stuck and uninspired. In his great book ‘On Writing’, Stephen King says “Writing equals ass in chair”. If your inspiration is flowing, then grab it and seize the moment without over-analysing it.
Following the process above doesn’t guarantee you’ll write a great song, but you will write a song of some sort. Many legendary musicians have lots of songs that have never seen the light of day: Prince’s famous ‘vault’ contains thousands of unreleased songs; Adele’s initial songs for the hit album ‘25’ were shelved after legendary producer Rick Rubin thought they could be better.
If you write a hundred songs, most will be mediocre, but a handful will be good; and the more you write, the better you will become.
No one in existence has lived the same life as you, and no one except you can write the songs of your life.
Impact Guitar 