How Do You Handle Songwriter's Block? Who Is Your Target Audience?

Question

Many songwriters have innate and natural ability which they may have never honed in curated music lessons. When your own innate ability runs dry, what techniques do you utilize to move the songwriting process forward? Do you also understand how to direct your songwriting narratives towards a specific audience? Do you understand how to craft your unique talents in a performance atmosphere?

Answer 1

Hi. I would suggest two things -- one musical, one relating to storytelling.

Taking them in the opposite order, thinking about what happens in your life and trying to tell a story is a great idea. It can be something bad, a lesson learned. Or a positive experience. Or maybe something happening in the world, or how you might think people in the world might interact to make the world a better place. There are so many options! If you find something you are passionate about, I think you are more likely to get rolling again.

As it relates to music, just sit at your instrument and play. Maybe you find a chord pattern you like, or a melody you like. I prefer to videotape anything I like in a short clip. Then you can play more and find more things you like -- in the end you are likely to put together a great song hopefully not only a verse and chorus but something with a great intro, outro, interlude, transition, etc. I find sometimes I put two or three ideas together and when combined they make a really good song, it's actually better sometimes to compose in components when the ideas might not be flowing as much as you might hope they are.

Hope this helps, happy to discuss more if you wish!

Answer 2

Having a Masters in Music Education with a Theory/Composition emphasis is a huge asset in assisting artists with their songwriting techniques. Social Media is an amazing platform to increase your reach, but do you understand how to apply that in live performance situations? Would you like more opportunities to hone those performance skills? PM me to learn more!