POWERFUL SONGWRITING TIP

Keep an always expanding book of words. This can be a hard bound, fancy journal or the notes section of your iPhone. But take the time to keep an ongoing book of words and phrases. Don't ever wait until the next day to write it down, as the lightning will no longer be in the bottle. You will forget it. So jot it down in your trusty lyric book while you're in the moment. Keep it with you wherever you go. Or do what I do and keep a really nice hardbound lyric book at home that acts as my master journal, and if I go somewhere, I use my iPhone as a temporary storage space until I can get home and transfer the new words into my permanent lyric book.

People often ask me how to get into that creative space. There really IS no "writers block" in my opinion. There is only a lack of focus because of distraction. Life can be a juggling act and people can be multi-tasking past their capacity. Being too busy in one's mind is the real problem that can block creativity, especially if you have a bunch of left brained, logical, taxes, paperwork, bills, rent, math, programming, cell phone, or computer driven distractions. You have to engage the right brain and that takes a singular focus. It requires peace and harmony. And it can be hijacked if you let all the boring shit get in the way. Distraction is the enemy. Emotional stress and worry is the enemy.

You need to be in the moment, not worried about the future or the past. Be here in your body and your mind, right in this moment. You need an environment that is stress free to do your best work. Forget about all of life's minutia and money problems and that "to do" list hanging over your head. Relax, let all of it fall away, turn your cell phone and your computer off, and get rid of all distraction and clutter. Sometimes washing the dishes or cleaning your room or going for a walk can get you in the right head space. Get rid of those barriers and enter into a space where time no longer constrains you. Now your mind can explore without the confines of gravity, time and space. You are free. Now you're ready to write.

Your best ideas will often come when you are driving and zoning out, or dreaming and you wake up with an idea, or maybe while you're walking through the forest or taking a shower. Creativity thrives when there is no agenda and no pressure and no time constraints. So those tend to be the moments. But learn to engage in those moments on command so you can have a purposeful writing session if you want to. This takes time and training but you can do it.

Learn to create that space in your mind and flip the switch to get you soaring through the cosmos, connecting with your imagination whenever you need to write. But never waste the moments that come on their own either. Write the words down when you accidentally back into inspiration. Happy Accidents create beautiful fucking songs. Once you get good at recognizing and documenting these happy accidents, the next level will be creating songwriting sessions on purpose. Both will be effective throughout your entire musical career. Always be ready for them.

Now, back to the lyric book. How do I come up with words you ask?

THINK OF COOL ORIGINAL BAND NAMES
What would you name a band if you started one today? This is NOT just for naming bands though. It's a fun way to trick your mind into coming up with cool words and word combinations. This could be used for a verse or a chorus down the road some day. It could end up being a song title or any number of things. Maybe it becomes an actual band name as intended. Who knows! But these are just songwriting "filters" you can use to get your ideas flowing. Don't worry about what they will be or won't be. Don't limit anything. You're just looking for cool words and phrases here ultimately. The rest will come later when you have time to hone your ideas. Right now, it's just finding words you like and jot them down in your lyric book. Start brainstorming band names as one way to accomplish this.

NOW THINK OF COOL SONG TITLES
Again, these might not end up being song titles, they might end up being band names or album titles or just small parts of verses or choruses. Don't worry about the results of the golf shot, just concentrate on your swing. This is the Zen of songwriting. Jot down what you come up with in your book and add them to the master list.

NEXT TRY THINKING OF COOL ALBUM TITLES
These are just helpful, creative ways to engage your mind in order to come up with cool words and combinations of words. I call these "songwriting filters." Like lenses you take on and off of a camera to get different visual results, you can use these ideas to brainstorm new ideas. This is your mind using different cognitive lenses to see differently and come up with unique words and phrases. Add them to your list.

THINK OF YOUR FAVORITE WORDS
You don't have to separate these filters or use subtitles. I just have ONE master list of words and phrases that go on for pages and pages, days and days. Then I can use them for whatever I need later when I'm ready to sit down and write a whole song. At that point I'll have a head start because of the work I've already put in. That little black book can turn into a gold mine at a moment's notice.

I might have jotted down a band name that now I'm using for a song title. I might have jotted down an album title that then became the hook of the chorus. I might have jotted down a favorite word that then became the name of my band. I'm just having you try these various filters to engage the creative, right brained sweetness lying dormant! Then, at a later time, you can use these words and phrases for whatever you end up needing. It's a brilliant, and often underestimated and overlooked tool. But it leads directly to great, original songs before you know it. Since you're always being observant, waiting to capture the moment, you'll see results. Just remember, write it down or you'll forget it!

THINK OF COOL MOVIE TITLES
Imagine you are writing and directing a movie. What would you want to see on the big screen as a movie goer? Now imagine making that movie. See a few scenes in your head. Write down the titles of the movies you come up with.

THINK OF GREAT BOOK TITLES
Jot them down!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE WORDS?
The Phoenix, A Murder of Crows, When I Fall From Grace, The Tale of the Rain and the Moon, these are all songs I have written that started out as words and phrases in my lyric book and later became recordings in my songwriting catalogue. If you see a movie, hear a phrase a friend said, see a painting, even pick up on a conversation on the phone, or see a commercial that has NOTHING to do with music, but you like a word of two, maybe you can jot that down and turn it into a song at some point!

WHAT OTHER FILTERS CAN YOU COME UP WITH?
Create your own clever little techniques in order to add some content to your lyric book.

WRITE FROM THE TITLE
Often I write my songs from the Title. In other words, I start with a word or a phrase, make that the title of the song, and then create the rest of the song from the top down. Here's the order I tend to work in when using this filter: come up with the title of the song, then go right to the chorus and do the hook first, then I'll develop the verses that lead up to and prepare for the hook each time it rolls through. Then I'll write a bridge or a pre chorus or an intro (if needed) to glue everything together. This is the way a lot of Nashville and LA professional songwriters work. It narrows the focus and gives direction. I used to write by strumming chords, then coming up with a melody, then shape the lyrics from that inspiration. There are hundreds of ways to write. But then, slowly but surely, I started writing from a the title and directly using my lyric book for the necessary rocket fuel to blast off, creatively speaking. This has quickly become my favorite way to work over the last few years.

I have a bunch of unorthodox approaches to writing songs that I'll give you in the future. But this is the most effective and the most powerful technique I have EVER used over the years. I started doing this 20 years ago and I'm still doing it today. All 5 of the songs I wrote that ended up cracking the top 40 charts were written this way. Try this. It really works and it's actually a lot of fun. I hope this tip helps at least ONE person out there, maybe that's you! Sending good energy your way, literally.

Much love and music y'all!

G

Check out my music, art, and orgonite here:

http://geoffbyrd.com/