Guitar, Pencil & Paper

When Songs Are Hard to Finish – Reasons and Solutions

Is there anything more frustrating for songwriters than when a song starts easily, but the whole process grinds to a halt before even half the song is finished? There are several potential causes for this sort of thing — and to be honest, you’ll likely encounter each and every one of them at some point. […]

songwriting frustration

The Value of Small Goals in Songwriting

If you find yourself always succumbing to writer’s block, you may find yourself thinking that there’s as much frustration in the act of songwriting as there is fun. What can you do to prevent a creative block from constantly showing up at the worst times? One of the best ways I know to keep writer’s […]

songwriter-guitarist

Sometimes, an Inability to Write Isn’t Writer’s Block

When you sit down with your guitar but can’t come up with anything creative, you’re likely to think that you’re going through a bout of writer’s block. And then it’s a matter of waiting it out until the creative juices start flowing again. But there’s a problem with this quick analysis: creativity in humans is […]

guitar and music paper

Is Writing Quickly a Help or a Hindrance?

Everyone’s got their own comfort zone when it comes to how quickly they can write music. Some need time to assess as they write, while others are okay with writing quickly, leaving the evaluating of musical ideas until much later in the songwriting process. Comfort level aside, there could be something to be said for […]

Guitarist - Songwriter

Why is Finishing a Song So Much Harder Than Starting One?

It’s part of human natural ability to understand music, at least to some degree. People with absolutely no musical training can often tell when they’re hearing mistakes as their young child works on their weekly piano lesson. Humans have this musical ability through DNA, bolstered by whatever experiences they might have as a casual listener […]

songwriter - guitarist

Does Your Sense of Creativity Ebb and Flow? That’s Normal.

Some songwriters seem to be able to come up with something singable practically every time they sit down to write, while for others, it feels more like hard work, and it can take many sessions to finish a song. Both of those scenarios are normal, in the sense that there is no particular “normal”. But […]