Writing Music to Change the World?

You can probably imagine that to write world-changing music will require that you think and act different than the average hobbyist. You will need to cultivate the mindset and habits of the professional artist in order to produce great music on a consistent basis.

So how do you achieve the mindset and start to act like a real artist?

I suggest you keep the following 10 points in mind when it comes to songwriting...

1 - Learn what you need to learn...

"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." - Friedrich Nietzsche

You probably know that good music doesn't just happen, it takes knowledge, skills and experience and a great deal of work to produce good music. Professional songwriters and artists continue to learn more about their craft as they know that the quality of the music depends in large part on the skills and knowledge they have and apply.

You don't have to be able to read music to write music though you will have to understand at least basic music theory in order to compose. You will also benefit from learning the basics of computer music production which allows you to capture your work straight away and offers you further possibilities for creative expression.

Songwriting books, courses, instructional DVD's, seminars and web sites can help you when you start writing music and also to improve your knowledge and skills in each area of the writing and production process as you go along.

2 - Create the time and space you need...

"I love the magic of the studio." - Graham Coxon

You will not ever have the time and space to write quality music unless you MAKE the time and space. You may need just a simple room and your guitar or keyboard though I suggest you start to think about building a dedicated home project studio.

Your own home studio gives you the ability to go from initial idea to finished production in one place and also cuts off outside distraction so you can focus on your work.

Your studio will always be a work in progress, so get the basic equipment you need for writing music, be patient, and expand your studio as the need arises.

3 - Know your enemy...

"How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'." - Martin Luther

The artist has only one true enemy when writing music...

... Resistance.

Resistance is anything which distracts you from sitting down and writing music. The greatest resistance will be internal in the form of lack of motivation, distractedness, negativity, anger and despair among other things.

Resistance can also work through other people and outside events.

Resistance aims to kill your genius and destroy your creative core and feeds on your fear and doubt. You overcome Resistance when you sit down and start to write because when you work Resistance crumbles.

4 - Inspiration follows action...

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working." - Pablo Picasso

Wait for inspiration? You will never create good music when you wait for things to be just right. The real artist sits down to write music no matter what they feel like. The Muse comes to those who seek her and the way to seek the Muse is to keep writing music on a consistent basis.

Do the work!

5 - Everything is music...

"There's music in the sighing of a reed; There's music in the gushing of a rill; There's music in all things, if men had ears: Their earth is but an echo of the spheres." - Lord Byron

Your entire sensual world is filled with pattern, rhythm, harmony and movement. The plastic bag dancing on the wind, the sound of footsteps on the pavement, the movement of cars and people through a reflection in a shop window. Everything is music when you know how to listen.

Absorb the sights, smells, sounds, feelings and events of the world you exist in and translate it into your work when writing music. You will never lack great material to work with!

6 - Trust your ears and your judgment...

"This above all: to thine own self be true" - William Shakespeare

You will have to make many decisions while writing music so the ability to trust your ears and your judgment will help you decide what to do next at each moment.

This can be more difficult than it may seem.

You will have to make up your own mind and rely on your sense of what makes good music.

Remember, if something sounds good to you it probably is good. So, learn to trust your ears and...

7 - Keep moving forward...

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

Yes, you can get stuck in the process of writing music and this will waste a lot of your time unless you keep moving.

So, how do you keep moving? You first need to know what you want to create and then you need to think about the next action or step to take to achieve your intended outcome. This can be difficult when you've worked on a song for a while, so...

... take a break from the music you're working on and work on another piece and then come back to the original piece in a day or three. This gives your unconscious mind a chance to work things out behind the scenes, so when you get back to the original song you'll move ahead with greater ease.

8 - Watch out for the overkill...

"The choice is between which mistake is easier to correct: underdoing it or overdoing it." - Timothy Geithner

You have to know when the song is done, and this can be one of the most difficult skills to master. Artists are rarely satisfied with the work they produce and usually feel that a song can be improved.

The point comes however where you have to stop and deliver the finished work. Why?

So, you can start the next one!

9 - Quantity produces quality...

"Talent is a matter of quantity. Talent does not write one page, it writes three hundred." - Jules Renard

The more you create the better you create. Look at the amount of songs written by for example Lennon and McCartney or Bob Dylan. Yes, they are considered great songwriters because of the quality of the music writing. The quality however is a result of the amount of work put in to writing a large quantity of songs. Don't try to make every song perfect.

Just make it as good as you can and keep moving ahead on to the next song.

10 - Seek advice and constructive criticism...

"Seek advice but use your own common sense" - Yiddish Proverb

Friends, family and fans will usually say your music is good. You have to look elsewhere should you want real advice or criticism to improve your music writing.

Songwriters and producers will understand your situation and will be able to help you improve the quality of your work. You can also get involved with musician and production forums and communities online which offer you the ability to network with other artists for feedback about your music.

Remember to always take advice from who it comes, use what you can to improve your music and don't be afraid to ignore the irrelevant noise from those who don't even play an instrument.

Your music should be what you think the World needs, not just what the people want.

The people don't know.

You, the artist, must enlighten them!

Marius van Dyk

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