How Talent and Instinct Can Get In the Way of Good Songwriting

Good songwriting happens when someone has an instinct for it. But like anything in the arts (or in anything, come to think of it), great songwriting happens when you build on your innate talents, through study, analysis and practice.

Most people who write songs have at least some level of instinct and talent, because it’s unlikely that someone would have an interest in something for which an instinct is completely lacking.

The problem with talent is that it has a way of fooling you into thinking that you don’t still have things to learn. Moreover, natural talent can also make you feel suspicious of studying: there’s a common myth that studying gets in the way of instinct.

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One of the biggest problems that comes from being naturally talented is the formation of bad habits, to the extent that people start to believe their bad habits are actually an asset. The “well, it works for me” opinion can seriously impair a songwriter’s ability to improve and build on their instincts for music.

What bad songwriting habits do you have that you’re currently dealing with? If you say “None!”, take a look at the following short list, and you might find that it’s time to put the magnifying glass on your technique, and work to improve your songwriting process.

1. You only write when the feeling hits you.

There’s an important aspect of discipline that comes from scheduling your songwriting activities. If you only ever write because a great idea suddenly hits you, you are missing out. Scheduling your songwriting means writing when you don’t think you have anything in your musical brain to write.

When you do that, you’re usually in for a pleasant surprise. You discover that your brain can formulate great musical ideas even when you think you’re at a low ebb. The kind of discipline that comes from a writing schedule is a vital part of bumping yourself up into the world of the songwriting professionals.

2. You don’t explore new songwriting processes.

Do you find yourself starting each and every song the same way? Perhaps vamping a few chords, or always playing the same instrument? Explore as many new and different ways to initiate the songwriting process as you can. Try guitar, piano, mandolin, your old high school flute, your uncle’s fiddle, and so on.

You don’t need to be good at an instrument to get melodic ideas. But sticking to the same old instrument all the time locks you into a kind of muscle memory that works against musical innovation.

3. You don’t seek out partnerships with other musicians.

If for you songwriting is always a solitary event, where you never incorporate the ideas of someone else, you could be missing an enormous opportunity of expanding your musical palate. Find times to connect with other good musicians.

Remember that they don’t even need to be songwriters, per se. Just sitting down with a good guitarist and improvising some melodies over a chord progression that they’ve come up with, and then hearing them “respond” to those ideas, can open your musical mind in important ways.

4. You aren’t actively trying to expand your musical tastes.

Anyone can listen to the music they love, but have you ever tried to listen to genres that you’ve previously sworn off? You may hate country, for example, but there are many great songwriters and bands who are pushing the boundaries of that (and every) genre.

So take the time to do an online search for “best country hits”, “best metal songs ever”, “best bluegrass”, and so on. As you experience other genres, you’ll find your own personal definition of what good music is will get nudged in different directions. And that’s always a good thing.

5. You aren’t getting your songs “out there.”

These days, it’s so easy to use your computer to write songs. The advantage is that you can be your own producer and distributor. The disadvantage is also that you can be your own producer and distributor.

Getting your songs “out there” means not just streaming them on the internet, but also getting out there yourself, and playing your music wherever it’s appropriate to do so. For some of you, that’ll be a café. For others, it might be some sort of larger venue. But songwriting from your bedroom, though it may seem convenient, puts you in a musical vacuum that you’d do well to avoid. Get out there, and put a face on your songs!

Any one of these bad habits are relatively easy to fix, even if (as in the case of the last one) the fix may take some time. And don’t forget to study the music of great musicians. Listen to a lot of music, read books, interviews, always try to figure out why great songs are great.

Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter.

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