Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Four ideas: songwriting


* Have a conversation. “I wouldn’t want to co-write with somebody I couldn’t have a good conversation with,” says Grammy award winner Tim O'Brien. Tim O’Brien, The nashville based bluegrass, country, and old time jack of all instruments adds, “Listening to conversations is a good way to get song ideas.”

*Go fishing. Boston based bluesman Chris Smither says, “I don’t always write everyday, but I spend some time in my writing mind, my writing head, every day. It’s like fishing: you have to keep your line out there in the water...”

*Take a nap. “That sounds so bogus,” says Gretchen Peters,
whose songs have ben recorded by Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, George Strait, and others. “But when a song a isn’t working, taking a nap is the best thing. I wake up, and a lot of times the solution in right there.”

*Make space. Irish American singer and songwriter Cathie Ryan says “Songs come in all different ways, of course. I had the song In My Tribe come all at once, while I was out hiking in Monument Valley. .I think the reason it came that way is that I was away from all the cell phones and schedules and business you often have to deal with as a musician.”

What are your best tips on the creative process? and do you enjoy this sort of article? please comment below, and thanks.

you may also want to see

ten songs

creative practice: laughter

fourth sunday in advent: community

-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, here is a way to do that, through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Bookmark and Share
posted by Kerry Dexter at

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home