Songwriting: Songwriting Challenges – Part IV

Especially if you often write a lot of songs, it can be difficult to start a new song from scratch. But that is also possible if you don’t write that often and have become a bit rusty. There are many ways to start writing a new song. At the songwriting lessons at the Wisseloord Academy you will learn ways to get rid of this problem from many experienced songwriters.

We will present you with a few ideas so that you can already benefit from them!

Get rid of your distractions

Today, there are many ways to get distracted. Phones, televisions, tablets, all too much of course. But while writing, this can be disastrous if you’re constantly checking your notifications. Sometimes full focus is needed to fully immerse yourself in a story. Something that is very much needed for songwriting. If you know that you get distracted easily, be very hard on yourself for an afternoon or evening. If necessary, go to a cabin on the moor where there is no WIFI and leave all your potential distractions at home for a while. See what comes of it!

Fake lyrics

Sometimes it is difficult to come up with a good hook or text ‘from scratch’. For example, if you have already come up with a good melody, you could already record it or record it to your production in your DAW, but without lyrics. You can start humming, of course, but you can also sing ‘fake lyrics’, a kind of babble. You may now think, what a total nonsense. Right, that’s exactly the point. Just pay attention, because you will certainly encounter sounds and words when you listen back that will give you ideas for new lyrics.

Different environment

Most songwriters and producers work in the same environment nine times out of ten. They have their own studio or work in the same (rented) writing or rehearsal space. It feels very familiar, of course, but it can also have its drawbacks over time. You no longer get new and unknown stimuli from your environment because you already know them, which can affect your creative process. So, give yourself the new stimulus that your head needs every now and then. Find another studio, start writing with someone else or, if necessary, rent a house for a few days in a place that is still unknown to you. You will be amazed at how much a new environment can bring and add to your creative process.