Let’s see the word SONG WRITING.
The meaning of the dictionary is ‘write music and lyrics’ so that gives us a hint, but it’s not deep enough. I propose that the meaning should be something like this:
“The process in which a song is created using words and melodies”
The word itself is made up of two words, song and writing. The song part is the end result of a process and the writing part is the process.
Get it !! Without writing there is no song.
Sounds like a simple concept, doesn’t it? But it is surprising how many songs are not written instead of the ones that are.
You see, you can talk all you want about verses, choruses, medium choruses, bridges, pre-choruses, intro length and hooks, etc., but without the physical activity of writing, all of that theory is meaningless.
Personally, songwriting is much, much more than the song itself. For me it is quite a process. It is a discipline, a meditation, a way of life really. Without the process, the end result (being the song) would not exist.
If we as songwriters didn’t have a creative process, then all of our thoughts, feelings, and ideas for writing songs will be random, messy, and lacking in organization. How could you maintain a creative composition environment with all that messiness?
In later articles, I’ll talk about how you can embrace your own process instead of just waiting for inspiration.
Take the muse by the horns and write!