What Is In The Way?
WHAT IS IN THE WAY?
Sometimes, when you sit down to write music, it seems that a hundred different things get in your way. Here are some ideas on how to approach this problem.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
What exactly is in the way? Are you just really tired? Is there something that needs to be done right at this very minute? What would be the consequences if you wrote music instead of doing this other thing? Would it still be a problem 5 minutes from now? Would it still be a problem tomorrow? If you look at the problem, chances are it really does not exist. Ask yourself, “Why can’t I write?” Ask yourself “Why?” each time an objection comes up to find the core reason, and I bet you will find that you, for some reason or other, just don’t want to at the moment. If this is the case, perhaps you should ask yourself “Why?” again, and find out what you would really like to do, instead.
In my case, I have to admit I sometimes don’t like being a songwriter, because it has lost me a lot of friends. If your original intent to becoming a songwriter was to be more popular, there are other ways to go about doing that. The higher you go up on the ladder of success, the more people will be below you on that ladder, and will be jealous of your success, and not like you for it. You learn after a while that these people are not your friends, and never will be, and you are better off without them, so why not write more music? Perhaps you should look for friends among folks who don’t mind your success, since they are successful in other areas or yours on their own, and don’t feel the need to compete with everyone. The point is, once you find the core issue, again, it is usually just a problem with you, so why not overcome it and write some more?
Asking “Why?” is a good way to get you there. Write these steps down in your journal, and see how they change over time. This could be a wonderful area of personal growth for you, and can only help your songwriting. You could even write a song about this.
SOLVING THE PROBLEM
Okay, now you have figured out the problem. Writing some more is one solution, since chances are you are only making up some excuse not to write, and have five minutes in which to write at least a new riff. Write the riff or a clever couplet of words, and put it down on paper or tape. Problem solved, for the moment. Now how to solve the deeper problem? Think for a moment—in a perfect world, what would be the perfect solution for your problem? Again, ask “Why?” and do this several times. Write this down in your journal, and look at the results. What can you do, right now, that would solve this problem, even in just a tiny way? Write this down, and keep track of your answers over time. This can be yet more songwriting fodder, and another great personal growth exercise.
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