Inspired Song Alerts, Issue #014 -- More Tips for Writing a Song

© Rolffimages|Dreamstime.com Issue No. 014 Welcome to the Inspired Song Alerts Newsletter! With each letter I'll try to bring you fresh and informative ideas on songwriting, recording, and music publishing. (Even on keeping your dreams alive!) I guess you'll have to decide whether or not the ideas I bring you are indeed fresh and informative! If you decide it's worth the read, please tell your friends! And if you haven't already, subscribe to Inspired Song Alerts here. And don't forget to sign up for the Inspired Songwriting Blog, to keep up with any changes to Inspired Songwriting Tips. There just may be some! In This Issue... More Tips for Writing a Song A few more tips to help things along Your Songwriting Tips Do you have a favourite tip you'd like to share? Pick of the Month Recommended reading Inspired Quote of the Month A little shot of inspiration to keep you going through those dry spells! More Tips for Writing a Song Are you having trouble writing a song? The songwriting process isn't necessarily an easy task and perhaps we shouldn't expect it to be. It's often referred to as a labour of love. Labour being the operative word. For me it's a love-hate relationship! But with practice songwriting does become easier. Here are a few tips to help things along. © R. Eko Bintoro|Dreamstime.com 1. Try Something New Personal songs about love or how you're feeling are wonderful. But have you ever tried your hand at writing a song inspired by an historic event that you didn't witness first hand? Check out Robbie Robertson's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", or "Don't Drink the Water" by Dave Matthews Band. These types of songs are compelling because they are based on real-life events and are filled with powerful human emotions. It's to your advantage that the outline of the story is already there. The stage is set. All you have to do is write a story within that story. You can make your song even more compelling if you become a character in the story and write it in first person! 2. Write the Lyrics to Match the Music Sometimes it can be difficult coming up with new lyrical ideas. If you're not sure what you want to write about, write an instrumental. Write it with a clear and definite melody, with a verse section, chorus section, perhaps a bridge. Make it memorable and able to stand on its own as an instrumental. Now, how does this tune make you feel? What kinds of emotions does it stir up? Take some time to really explore your feelings and then write your lyrics to match the mood the music evokes. 3. Think of Yourself As a Songwriter Don't underestimate the power of this one. It is of vital importance that you believe in your abilities as a writer. Make a point to always think and speak as though you are a successful songwriter. Click here to read the rest of the article on my site. Your Songwriting Tips Do you have a great songwriting tip you'd like to share? Write about it here to share it with visitors to inspired-songwriting-tips.com We'd love to read all about it! Pick of the Month This month's recommended reading is Songwriting and the Creative Process by Steve Gillette. Steve's songs have been recorded by dozens of major artists and his book covers all aspects of becoming a master songwriter. Included are chapters on melody, harmony and rhythm as well as copyright, publishing and succeeding in the music industry. I have this book and I highly recommend it. Inspired Quote Of The Month "...if you wanted to chart new territories and head off over the horizon, you had to make sure you weren't overly influenced by what others were doing...so it didn't matter what other bands were doing...we did what we were doing..." - Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin Thanks for reading this issue of Inspired Song Alerts. If you liked what you read, please recommend it to your friends! They can sign up here Until next time, happy writing! All the best, Richie Gilbert inspired-songwriting-tips.com You are subscribed to Inspired Song Alerts. The back issues are at the following URL... http://www.inspired-songwriting-tips.com/Inspired_Song_Alerts-backissues.html If you wish to remove yourself from this mailing, please click on the following URL... http://inspired-songwriting-tips.com/cgi-bin/mailout/mailmgr.cgi?us=LQ.21148906.25771447.aab0f889fbf583997913508508be1e9c (If the above URL is not a link, copy-and-paste the URL into your Web browser. That will confirm your removal.) To change your e-mail address, please click on the following URL... http://inspired-songwriting-tips.com/cgi-bin/mailout/mailmgr.cgi?ca=LQ.21148906.25771447.aab0f889fbf583997913508508be1e9c (If the above URL is not a link, copy-and-paste the URL into your Web browser. That will confirm your change.)