Co-Writing approach...

Songs come from relationships

The prospect of co-writing can feel exciting but also somewhat daunting when you first start. Facing a blank page on one’s own can be hard enough. And the idea of doing so with a stranger? Or even worse, tackling a co-write with a friend and it doesn’t work out? I think there’s an understandable question for many people: “…is this blank-page-nervous -feeling doubled when tackled with another writer?”. Totally understandable. But perhaps there’s an equal and opposite line of thinking; in the right circumstances, can this blank-page fear not be halved, or at least, reduced when approached with another being? 

For collaboration gives the opportunity for a break from the isolation (key word in these Covid times….) that comes from working on one’s own, with the possibility to gain another perspective. A co-write provides the chance to do something together which normally we face alone: seeking to coax a song from the ether. And so even when approached purely as an experiment, and independent of any imagined result, there’s the potential for the experience to provide a relieving, and even transformative, point of connection. And for those of us who may be stagnating in our solo writing at a particular point in time, a co-write has the potential to provide a kind of temporary “writing holiday”, giving a feeling of renewal upon returning to the “home” of one’s own work.

Over time, these thoughts have formed an approach which has really helped me to take the pressure off and to be more present in writing sessions, which I want to share with you. It’s a simple idea: co-written songs are born from human relationships. So rather than entering sessions thinking about manifesting songs as a first priority, I started to think more about forming a human connection with the person in front of me as the place to start. And flowing from there, seeking to find where there is common ground musically. What are we both thinking about currently? What are we each working on? How could I best support and be supported here? Who might this song be for? Arriving at connection points through the simple act of talking and listening creates the conditions for work to happen before a note is even played.

I’ve found this approach often leads organically to a combined feeling for the kind of song that can be written together. And so by leading with our human skills first like empathy, listening and critical thinking, we gain an understanding of how and in which direction to tailor our musical skills to the needs of that moment. And so leading with our human skills allows us to understand what that moment is and what it can be…

Songs come from relationships, which in turn become strengthened through the writing of the songs. So next time you step into a room for a co-write, take the pressure off, and think about starting with the person in front of you. If your first goal can be to create the human conditions for work to happen, you’re in a great place to begin.

Navigating Songwriting Blocks

Navigating Songwriting Blocks….

I thought I’d share some strategies for any of you struggling with finishing work, and experiencing song-writing blocks. This can be tough to navigate, especially early on in one’s song-writing journey, before you’ve had the chance to gain more writing experience. If you’re in a spot, here are some ideas:

Suspend judgment….writing miles on the clock…

Shift your goal away from wanting to love (or even like) the work for now, towards finishing it. Embrace the idea that the achievement will be to see the idea through, approaching the song at this stage as a vehicle for learning. Take the view that it’s too soon in your relationship with the song to evaluate whether you like it or not, and remind yourself that you’ll have the chance to assess this later. The worst case is that the song ends up on the cutting room floor. And if so, it won’t have been a failure or time wasted; far from it. For the song may end up being a gateway song to an idea you do love. Regardless, you’ll gain confidence and experience from finishing it and hone tools only gained from seeing an idea to the finish line . In time, with more writing, you’ll develop a sense of when to jump to a new idea and when to see one through. For now, get some writing miles on the clock to gain tools, experience and confidence. Suspend judgment and finish.

Let the song do one thing…..clarify intention….

Sometimes there are just too many ideas competing for space and attention that our poor song struggles to keep up. Trying to do too many things at once can mean that none of them end up quite landing, and with so many avenues to take, it can be hard to pick one. If you’re stuck finishing something, ask yourself: “If I had to distil this song down to one idea, mood or story, what would it be?” This can give an invaluable intention-reset to allow you to make adjustments and/or decide on the path to finish the work. And if you’re struggling to answer the question, then you may want to re evaluate or reconnect with your original intention. Remind yourself that an effective song only needs to express one thing well. As your confidence grows, you’ll be able to maintain several threads at once. For now, when stuck, give yourself permission for the song to do one thing.

Remember: you will write many songs in your lifetime…..this is just one of them….

Building from the last idea, there are things we know intellectually which can be easily forgotten in the heat of song-writing battle. For example, we often forget that we will write other songs. This is an easy thing to forget, and a powerfully liberating thing to remember. This will be just one song out of a body of work written over the course of one’s lifetime. When we remember this, suddenly the pressure for this particular song to encompass all that we are musically dissipates. It is impossible for one song to represent all that we are, and yet, we often fall in to the trap of trying to achieve this! Individual songs are not designed to carry this kind of weight; they buckle under such enormous pressure. All the songs we write in our lifetime will combine to show us who we are in technicolour. When stuck, think about the particular part of you which you want this piece to explore. And that is enough.

Manage your internal audience……..

You may not be aware of this consciously, but I’d wage a bet that when you’re writing there are be people with you internally during the process. This is quite normal, as we all have people we keep with us during our creative process, as a kind of internal quality control, cheerleader and so forth. Often in the form of an imagined parent, peer, former teacher, musical hero etc. I believe they are different facets of ourselves, with another face; a psychological device to help us access something we feel we need in that moment. Sometimes they can be guiding forces for good, but they do need to be managed! For sometimes, they can also be inhibitors if we let them run riot. So think about who you may be summoning during your writing process, when and why. And are they proving to be a constructive or destructive presence in a given moment? Practice conjuring the right internal audience member to help navigate that particular song, and ask any unhelpful influences to leave the room. Consider the part of you which is best qualified to assist with this work, and quieten any others. Sometimes one inner audience member may be the perfect guide for one song, but an inhibiting factor for another. Remember, they are all just different parts of you. Take control over the inner dialogue during the process and watch your creative freedom increase.

English lyrics for non-English native speakers....

English lyrics for non-English native speakers...

One of the things which continually blows me away in my teaching is the courage I see from my non-native English speaking students, challenging themselves to write lyrics in English. I wanted to share some tips to those of you reading who might find this helpful:

Give yourself credit for the courage:

Expressing oneself artfully in one’s native language is hard enough! Doing so in a foreign language takes real bravery. Most of your native English peer group won’t have ever tried this, or experienced the vulnerability it takes! So firstly, make sure to give yourself credit and recognise that this is a challenging thing to do.

Give yourself permission to be simple at first:

Sometimes there’s a pressure which can creep in to the writing, where writers may “over-write” a little to compensate for an insecurity with the new language. This might mean using overly flowery/long words when not totally sure of context/meaning. It serves sometimes as a kind of disguise to try and cover over a lack of confidence with the language. But you don’t have to. Allow yourself to start with simple, clear expression to get the feel for writing in another language. Confidence will naturally grow from a solid foundation as you listen and write more.

Lean on English speaking friends….

if there are words or expressions which you’re not sure you’re using correctly, take a native English speaking friend for a coffee and go through any questions you may have with your lyrics. Ask them if there are any things which jump out needing refinement. Look out for instances where you may have used the “correct” word, but tonally are conveying something other than you had imagined via that word choice.

Be open to happy accidents….

You may not have considered this, but remain open to the possibility that you phrase something in a highly imaginative way that an English native never would! Call it a “good mistake”. I see this a lot. You may stumble on some real poetry or imaginative use of language, coming to it fresh.

Prepositions…..

On a more technical level, a common issue I see is either an over or under use of prepositions ----“to” “ the” “but” “and” etc. With the overuse, this can come from a desire to make things as clear as possible. As far as underuse, English is a particularly difficult language to gauge in certain situations where a preposition is needed vs where it isn’t. Be open to word delete or word add in this area. Another thing you can always run by a native speaker.

4 Pillars: lyrics / news / talk radio /poetry…..

Spending time with the English language in different contexts will give you a tremendous acceleration with your writing. As a songwriter, spending time with English lyrics is of course key. Print out the lyrics for several songs you love, and look at the language from various points of view. How are things expressed? Where is rhyme used? Where are things poetic and more plain spoken? How does the language used convey a particular tone? The news carries real clarity of expression with both narrative and factual information. Talk radio (where callers phone up to discuss a given sporting or political topic), gives real insight in to modes everyday speech. And last but not least, reading/listening to poetry will give you ideas in experimenting with language in creative ways.

The key thing here is to have fun, and whether writing an abstract mood or more story based song, start simply and economically. You can build from there.

Navigating Music College.......

Navigating Music College…..

Some of you reading this will be preparing to embark on an Undergraduate or Masters music program somewhere. You’ll likely be feeling a mixture of excitement and perhaps some trepidation as far as what to expect. Totally normal. While music programs will differ in some particulars of curriculum, student profile and so forth, there also many aspects which these environments have in common I thought I’d share a few tips for those of you building up to beginning your studies….

Overwhelmed vs Inspired…..

It is totally normal in the early stages of one’s music college experience to feel at once inspired and intimidated by the depth of talent around you. Many of us who embark on music college were the star players in our school, local community, family etc. And so it’s only natural that it might take a moment to find one’s place in such an environment, and adjusting to being one of many talented people. I believe that this is a truly necessary developmental step for a young artist/musician, whether it comes via university education or simply playing on a bigger music scene. Our peers provide a mechanism for us to orientate ourselves; to assess where we are, where we wish to go, see where we are strong, have potential, and ways in which we may need to develop. Even if there’s an initial sting from this process, ultimately, this can only be clarifying and motivating in the longer term. In fact, I think this kind of growing experience is one great benefit from a university environment; to have the chance to gain a perspective on your talents and potential path. From my experience, students begin with different aptitudes and interests, and develop at different rates. One person you may look to as further along in one aspect may well be looking at you in a similar way. If you feel this, consider it growth. It likely means that you’re in a place where you can be inspired, and be pushed. And remember; you are likely doing this for someone else without even knowing it….

Find your own thing…….

When you get to college, you may already have a strong sense of the kind of musician/artist you are and where you want to go. This may be in terms of your chosen genre, or role (songwriter, artist, session player). While some people will use their College experience to go further down their original path, others will re-assess, and pivot. Either is totally ok!! During your university years, you have an opportunity to question and assess what it is that you truly enjoy, what can you spend hours doing and what you imagine doing in the future. If you change direction, this is not a failure, but rather a success to have been emotionally flexible enough to listen to yourself on a deeper level. The best advice I can give is to make sure to ask yourself these questions with an open mind, and to then shape your university experience from that foundation. This will give you the best chance to leave with the skills and clarity to make a running start….

Your peers are your greatest asset……

Bold statement here perhaps: the single most valuable part of going to study on an HE music program is the development of a musical peer group and community. This alone transcends the information, the course and the teachers etc, all of which provides value in other important ways. But it is your peers who are the people you will learn the most from, who will challenge and inspire you, counsel you, make art with you, bring you on to gigs , open new networks and so on and on. These relationships have deep roots for many reasons, and from my experience, can last a lifetime. Music is a relationships business, almost more so than any other. Your peers will go on to work in all facets of the biz in the years following College, and you will bring each other with you. My advice is to strive to find your crew. And if you don’t find them at first, be perseverant. They will be there. Keep looking. It can be one person, or two or 10. If you like a niche kind of metal, reggae, jazz, hip hop etc—-it doesn’t matter. Find kindred spirits who you can grow alongside. This will be one of the great gifts of your university experience and will play a major part in sustaining a career, and a life, in music.

Take teachers, not courses….

This is really a comment as you move through a program in to your 2nd, 3rd, 4th year and beyond. As you begin to specialise, and learn more about yourself, I believe it’s important to seek out teachers where you feel there could be real alignment philosophically and interpersonally. The reality is that a course---or private teacher---- will ultimately only be as effective as your learning experience with that particular person. In one’s younger days, the expectation of teachers or teaching may be (rightfully or wrongly) more along the lines of dispensaries of information, with anything else a bonus. As your educational needs develop, I don’t believe that the information can truly be separated from the way it is presented; from the way you feel about the person presenting it, from the way they relate to you, from your sense of their credibility/authority in that musical space, from the relationship with them in the room, and critically, from the space they create for you to flourish. Remember that you are the consumer. Now, this doesn’t mean that you should always be entitled to get a good grade or get exactly what you want in all aspects of your academic college experience. Of course not. However, it does mean that you can be proactive in researching and then connecting with faculty where you feel there will be a synergy. Get the education you want. All you need on a course is a couple of kindred teachers, who believe in you, help you to stretch, and where you feel a motivation under their wing to strive to bring your best self to the table. In classes where you don’t feel this connection with a teacher—-and don’t have the agency to make a change——take the information, and make it yours. Then try to find teachers who can light that fire in you and you’ll be in good stead.

Your career has started already……

Last but not least, a thought experiment: rather than thinking that you are a university student who is a musician, I would really encourage you to think that you are a musician who happens to be at university…..