Songwriting 101: Finding Inspiration

Writer's block isn't just for novelists. It afflicts songwriters too. At least that has been my experience. How to solve the problem? Here's an easy answer: lower your standards. Oh wait, I already wrote that song. Seriously, it's on my first cd.

If there's a trick to songwriting, it probably lies in ones ability to find inspiration. Imagine a songwriter sitting at the table, day after day, trying his best to crank out new tunes. Without inspiration, chances are quality will suffer. We've all heard enough crappy songs to know that songwriting isn't easy.

But inspiration can be divine. Consider your favorite songs and try to imagine what is was that led the writers of these masterpieces to write them in the first place. Songs are not generally not like science projects, things you can start on from scratch and build on over long periods of time until you've finally achieved a complete result.

Most of the time, the inspiration for a song does not spring from nothing. I've tried to just sit down and write songs---for me, anyway, the process of devoting time to creating new songs rarely yields satisfactory results. More often, I get hit with an idea. It can emerge from personal experience or it can just pop into my head. When it comes, the first thing one must do is to recognize that you're on to something. That's harder then it sounds, because inspiration lies before us constantly and we generally fail to see it.

Sometimes in the early morning hours, like when I get out of bed because I need to pee, I have trouble getting back to sleep. Sound familiar? You start thinking about things, and before long your inner monologue becomes a noisy chat room and your chancing of getting reunited with sleep in the next hour look increasingly dim. Sometimes, in such moments, song ideas occur to me. But there's a dilemma: do you get of bed to start working on the song or take a chance that you'll remember your great idea when morning comes?

I actually have gotten out of bed a few times to write down my ideas. More often, I don't and the song idea has vanished by morning, just like most of my whacky dreams. Such a shame, such a waste. But damn, if you get out of bed and start writing, what are the chances you'll rediscover slumber anytime soon?

A couple nights ago, I managed to break this dreadful pattern. Yup, I thought of a song idea in the middle of the night and somehow managed to remember it the following morning. The song is called "My Restless Brain", and it's about how the A-side of the brain keeps me awake while the B side wants me to have a nice dreamy sleep. It's a funny little song. The last verse goes like this:

The A side needs the B side,Knows the B side is his soul, And the only way to get there, Is through his tight A-hole.

Last night I got to see Dar Williams and Sean Mullins, two very accomplished songwriters. They played at The Shedd in Eugene where I'll be performing on January 31. Great show. Now there was some inspiration, so if you'll excuse me, I've got to start writing down my new ideas before they evaporate.