PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Songwriting Inspiration

Well,

I have some thoughts on this.

1.) Inspired energy. Inspire means "to breathe life into" so "Inspired" literally means "to have live breathed into." I have found that with 100% accuracy you most often have life "breathed" into you when you help out other people, or encourage and inspire them--say something nice. That energy comes back you. The more you encourage and inspire others the more inspired you will get. You will never be inspired if you don't. You will only be isolated, empty and flat--and that's the way your songs will sound.

2.) You have to listen to A LOT of other people's stuff. One goldmine I have found is BIAB demos for styles. Every day for the last four years I have listened to 2 or 2 of those demos and found chord progression ideas I liked. Now I have several thousand arranged in folders in every genre. So if a sync licensing company says "Can you crank out a song in this style in 24 hours" I can say--"No, I can do it in 20 minutes."

3.) Write lyrics all the time. I use my phone to record both audio and voice to text files of every chorus, hook, or verse idea I can think of. I also use Evernote because it syncs up with everything.

I have hundreds of chorus ideas in a chorus folder because I think choruses are the heart of a song. I don't always know what to do with choruses on the spot, but if I think of one I write it down immediately and file it in a special folder. Then weeks later, after it has had time to "stew"--the song almost always pops out. Okay, I have been simmering long enough! I am ready now!!

4. Electronic post its. Microsoft has electronic post it notes. I keep it open all the time so if I think of something while I am doing something else I can put a verse line or idea on an electronic post it. Then at the end of the day, I transfer all those post it notes to a Word document. Then if I want to know "What was that line I had about heart at the end of the road?" I just do a search in word and there it is!

5. Use Audio chord Wizard. If I ever hear a song I like in my collection, and I am fascinated by the chord progression, I am never content to just wonder how they did it. I load it into BIAB audio chord wizard and check it out...Oh, so that's how they did it huh.

Those are the main ingredients of my process. Oh there are 2 more:

6. Carry a notepad where ever you go and write down what people say in malls, churches, bars, restaurants, on the street. Human beings are a gold mine for song lyrics.

7. Read A LOT of books. Every novel has about 400 song titles or choruses in it so far as I can tell.

P.S. I just wrote on a sticky:

Belladona
Neighbors at her feet
Wonder if she'll find them
something good to eat

Do you think it has a chance?? Does anyone hear a melody???