Very recently, I was honored by a request to teach a songwriter's workshop in our region (stay tuned for that, Seattle-area folks). As I am mulling over possible formats for this, I find myself thinking more deeply about my own songwriting process, as ultimately I need to be able to relay it to others in a digestible format. 

The truth is that many songwriters thrive on a degree of chaos (or serendipity) in their approach. Songwriting courses, however, are often sterile and overly clinical, and rarely do they result in an emotive and memorable tune. So how do we bridge that gap? How can I take what is effective for me and present it to others in a way from which they can derive benefit and apply it to their own processes? 

I think the answer lies in minimizing technical emphasis. Yes, as musicians we absolutely need to have skills to write a good song, but the degree of musicianship required depends largely on genre, not to mention our own personal goals. If I want to teach a songwriting course from my own vantage point, I need to focus on the psychology of songwriting first and foremost. In other words, how can we as artists be in the right headspace to produce something that others will connect with emotionally and remember?

Firstly, we need to be able to connect with ourselves emotionally. We need to believe in what we are writing and performing. It needs to come from the heart. The first part of that is faith, not necessarily in a religious sense, but faith in ourselves, the process, the universe, God, or whatever rings truest to you.

Rainer Maria Rilke is one of my favorite poets of all time. When I was maybe 18 or 19 years old, I picked up a copy of his famous "Letters to a Young Poet". There is a quote that always stuck with me, and it rings true to songwriting as well as poetry:

“Believe that with your feelings and your work you are taking part in the greatest; the more strongly you cultivate this belief, the more will reality and the world go forth from it.”

This is the type of faith required for great songs to be written. I've spoken to peers who love to play music but have struggled in writing their own original songs. I can't speak for their own blockers, but I believe in many cases it comes down to anxiety and hesitation, as well as other mental blockers, the same blockers that once plagued me for live performance. 

Here is another great quote by Michael Jackson:

"I feel that somewhere, someplace, it's been done and I'm just a courier bringing it out into the world."

This is something I completely agree with. I have never written any song that I like without this degree of faith. If we approach it with a planned and clinical mentality, we'll probably fail in our pursuit. In fact, we shouldn't be pursuing the song. We truly need to let go and approach the process with a degree of play the way a child does. I never say to myself, "I'm going to write a really good song now" and accomplish that feat.

So what does letting go look like exactly?

For me personally, I don't approach songwriting as a creator. I try to think of myself as a receiver. A local (and talented) artist I know named Jonathan Sherrill has told me the same, and he often refers to people as "beams of light," which I particularly like. If we think of ourselves as recipients of art, we can tap into what Carl Jung called the "collective unconscious" for inspiration as well as our own unconscious mind. This can also be viewed as God or the universe, or what have you. The most important part is to let go and get your ego out of the way. We have to believe in what we are doing in the utmost, and we have to let go enough to truly feel the emotions that can serve as a wellspring for our art. This may sound esoteric or pretentious, but from my own experience, it is patently true. Rigid mental states and anxiety about outcome will not produce great art. It never has nor should it.

How exactly I am going to put this all into a songwriting workshop will take additional mulling over and a few drafts, but I truly believe the key step in writing a good song is being in touch with our emotional, if not spiritual selves by getting ourselves out of the way. The best songs I've written have often been 70% finished in under an hour, and so often start with a simple chord progression that promotes a feeling in me. From that feeling, vocal and lyrical improvisations can begin. Improvisation, like our emotions, depends on trust and letting go. 

Here is another quote by one of my absolute favorite singers, songwriters, and performers of all time:

“I just let the emotion dictate what the arrangement is.”

-Jeff Buckley

Jeff knew, and guess what? So do we. We knew it as children, but may have forgotten along the way due to trauma, or just from the weathering from life’s challenges, but we can remember again. 

I'll touch on all this further down the road. I hope you are all having a beautiful week. Remember to trust yourselves, and the writing will sort itself out easier than you realize.

-R