When I hear a song I like that’s either new, new to me, or that I haven’t heard in a while, I sometimes think, ‘That’s great! Why haven’t I written a song like that?’
This can be a great jumping off point for a new song – writing something based on what I haven’t done before.
Because we all have our comfort zones. Some of us always write with an 8th note feel and never write shuffles (triplet feel); some writers are the opposite, and always write in a shuffle or swing feel.
We all have tempo comfort zones. I have a few areas (my versions of slow, medium, fast) that I immediately default to – unless I hit the reset button.
There are melody comfort zones – some writers’ phrases almost always start on a downbeat. Some writers’ phrases often last for two bars, followed by two bars of rest… and this continues through the song. Some writers tend to write melodies that go up… some write ones that descend… and some write melodies that don’t move much at all.
Some writers use major chords almost exclusively, rarely venturing into the world of minor chords… not to mention diminished and augmented chords, etc. Some never use 7th chords; some rarely use a chord without a 7th!
Some have never written a song in 3/4 time (such as a waltz) – everything is always in 4/4. And some (like me) have written only in 4/4 or 3/4… and have never used ‘odd’ time signatures such as 5/4 or 7/8.
And we all have lyric comfort zones – most of us write a lot about our obsessions (whether we’re trying to or not). It’s not a bad idea to mix it up every once in awhile. If you usually write optimistic songs… explore your dark side. If your songs tend to be melancholy… lighten up. Write something happy – it won’t kill you.
Does any of this sound like you?
It’s not that any of these kind of ‘comfort zone’ habits are always bad in themselves. The problem is that they can lead us to create songs that feel too predictable, songs with a deadly lack of surprise.
So… to go back to where we started, this is where the excitement that happens after you hear that song you love and say to yourself ‘Why haven’t I written a song like that?’ can really come in handy.
Listen closely, analytically, to that song. Take some element of it that’s not in your comfort zone… and use it in your new song. Is it faster – or much slower – than you usually write (or think you can write)? Etc. Grab something you think of as being not you – and take it for a test drive… No obligation to purchase.
When you’re in a songwriting rut, how do you get out?
Please let me know your thoughts in the Comments section below:
My songs feel like variations on the same mood so I really need these tips! Thanks Tony for yet another set of very helpful suggestions.
Thank you, Sophia! I hope you’ll suggest some approaches too.
Best wishes,
Tony
Whenever I need a reset, I go way back and listen to some Bacharach-David songs, for some reason. A lot of variety in their music, though most of it wasn’t confined to 3, 4, or, at the most, 5 chords.
Thanks, Doug. You can’t go wrong with Burt & Hal!
Best wishes,
Tony
(Of course, this assumes that I actually DO get out of my comfort zones!) To get out
1. I retune my guitar to an open tuning I’ve never played
2. Write with a new collaborator
3. Ask my 17 year old son what new song he thinks I’d like
4. Set up a game, e.g., write a song with only 1 chord, write a song without the word I, write a song from the perspective of an inanimate object, stop writing about love already ho hum, try a music app with a rhythm pattern
5. Go back and rewrite something — take the best parts of it and make the rest different and better
6. Ask people who like different genres, from different countries, who play different instruments who is interesting in their world…and then get inspired.
7. Reach for the Frustrated Songwriter book or do a 20-song breakneck in one day push
8. Write a song for a movie or TV show
9. Write about other people’s lives for a change
10. Write in a really awkward key to play and/or sing.
11. Write whatever somebody will pay me for…whatever subject and genre they want.
For starters…
Ruth,
These are great jump-starts! Thanks for sharing them.
Best wishes,
Tony
You’ve offered a useful list of things we can try while writing. Great idea!
If we’re writing a song that tells a story (and most songs do), then our story is more likely to keep someone’s attention if we aren’t in our safe zone. That’s one reason I started writing R&B. Some of my technique will work in that genre, but it’s time fill up my bag of tricks with new stuff that works in new ways.
Annie,
As always, thanks for writing. That’s another great idea – try a new genre!
Best wishes,
Tony
I am so tired of my own comfort zone – on the piano especially……….but playing the same song on a different instrument with different key/tempo helps.
I also suspect that if I could up my musicianship, I would inevitably come up with more interesting stuff……..There are just some chord combinations and rhythmic variations that make a song exciting no matter what the subject matter (just my opinion……….)
But on the issue of lyrics, most of mine are………well………depressing. So there’s something to think about!
Thanks, Deb. And let’s not forget perhaps the most important – persistence!
Best wishes,
Tony