“My songwriting is like extending a hand to the audience.” Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl, arguably one of the best songwriters of his generation, highlights the importance of being able to connect your songs to your audience. The best songs, and the longest lasting songs are the ones that are able to connect to listeners across generations, and across popular fads. But how can modern songwriters accomplish this? In today’s world, everything is constantly changing, and what people want from their music is constantly changing with it. By following these simple but yet helpful tips, you will find your songs become deeper, and more accessible to your audience.
Give Yourself a Break
If you have been making yourself write and write without taking a break, you are doing yourself a disservice. If you do not give yourself a break, and go live your life, you will not have anything to base your songs off of. You will become so focused on trying to write the ‘’perfect song’’ that you forget that the perfect song needs inspiration. Inspiration will come to you through putting your song to the side for a moment, and enjoying what is right in front of you.
Stop Looking for Perfection
The ‘’perfect song’’ is actually one of the biggest myths in the music business. There is no such thing as a perfect song. You will always find a line you want to change and rewrite, editing for endless days. You will always find what you consider to be a flaw, and you will always want to fix it. It is sometimes the small flaws in the song that make it accessible to listeners. However, take the time to make key adjustments and feel satisfied before recording your song.
Let Others Read your Lyrics
Too often songwriters find themselves keeping their lyrics to themselves, refusing to let anyone see or read a work in progress. Allow fresh eyes to read your work. You could be too involved in your work, and too bias in your own writing. Having someone (a person that you can trust and is knowledgeable) who does not have the same involvement will help you see the tweaks and changes that you should make, but cannot see.
Don’t Let the “Correct” Way of Doing Things Dominate Your Writing
Many songwriters believe that there is a “right” way of doing things, and a “wrong” way of doing things. Whether you pick this up through schooling, or simple trial and error, you each have our own definition of how to write a song. But in order to write something great, something that people will connect to, you need to break free of these definitions. Try something different, and see how it works out. Give people something that they have never heard before, and experiment.
♪ ♫ Mylène Besançon is the CMO of SongCat, a top-rated online recording studio. SongCat produces professional-quality songs for writers and musicians at various stages of their career. For more information, and to hear what SongCat’s clients are saying about the company, you can visit songcat.biz. ♪ ♫