February 13, 2022

About the Author: Stefan Joubert

Passionate manager of LSI. Discover your voice, regardless of age or talent. Contact now at enrol@londonsinginginstitute.co.uk to start your singing lessons in London or online!

Every singer and musician from amateur to world-class professional level deals with writer’s block at one point or another. You can’t expect your creativity to be a continuously flowing fountain of inspiration and there will be good and bad days in your creative process. Some sessions you will feel at your most productive, starting and finishing lots of new ideas while others may feel like slow burners. It’s important to keep in mind this is a normal part of the process. However, if you want to experience creative productivity more often than not and find that magic writer’s block cure, these tips will help.

man in recording studio

Get Out of Your Head

Sometimes, our mindset can be our worst enemy when it comes to getting the most out of our writing sessions. We focus too much on what others might think and the standard we uphold for ourselves. Don’t forget, letting all your ideas out is how you will tap into the good ones.

Our top tip for writer’s block cure is to approach each session without judgment. Start freely, let your ideas flow and leave your inner critic at the door. Once you have a few to work with, that’s when you can start polishing them, discarding the ones that don’t work and honing in on those that have the most potential. But always start with an open mind to tap into your creative genius.

Improvisation is a fantastic way to loosen up and surrender to the process! Instead of always approaching your songwriting session with a clear structure, try to improvise a few chords, sing a few melody lines over them, and let any words that pop into your head come out. This is a fantastic way to get out of your head and learn to trust your instincts and natural musicality.

man and woman writing a song

Switch Up Your Process

You need to get inspired and get outside of your comfort zone for creativity to really flow. Being surrounded by the same environment, the same routine and the same writing process can make you quickly hit a wall and get stuck. When this happens, your go-to writer’s block cure will be to switch up your process.

If you always write at home, try to rent a local studio or practice room to give you a different environment. Working alone might get tiresome too, so try writing with another artist and see how well you bounce ideas off each other. In your daily routine, visit new places, try something different and open yourself up to new experiences. Take in those unfamiliar environments around you and get inspiration from them.

Your writing process could be helped with a little shake up too. If you always start with chords and melodies, try to write some lyrics before you even begin to approach music. You may not enjoy writing rhythm sections, but switch it up by creating an initial groove to guide your creations.

man writing a song

Write Frequently And In Short Bursts

Blocking off huge sections of your day could feel overwhelming if you’re going through a writer’s block. Break your writing sessions into more manageable, achievable tasks.

Got 10 minutes? Write down a quick lyrical idea. Have a half hour spare in the evening after work? Come up with a quick verse or chorus, or both. Setting yourself up for a shorter session will feel more achievable, while pushing you to stop second guessing yourself since you only have a limited amount of time.

Every songwriter, no matter how accomplished, needs to practice frequently. You need to hone your craft, develop new techniques to elevate your writing skills and make writing feel like second nature. This way you won’t even need to look for that magical writer’s block cure! Writing frequently and in short bursts will supply you with endless ideas that you can use for fully completed songs. It will stop putting the pressure on seeing one idea from start to finish in a session or feeling like you must rely on a small selection of songs and ideas.

musician creating a composition

Journal Your Thoughts

Journaling is an incredible tool for artists. There is no more therapeutic way to understand your own thoughts and feelings, which you can later express through music.

To truly journal as a songwriter, focus on sensory experiences. Things you can see, touch, taste, smell or hear. Try to describe them, how they make you feel. These nuanced details will really help to set the scene in your writing and create a transformative, intimate feeling for the listener. You can also try articulating your feelings in a metaphoric and more poetic way.

Getting your thoughts out on the paper, without the pressure to create rhymes or place your syllables to fit with the music can also prompt more uninhibited, raw emotion, fuelling ideas to be used in your next song.

female singer recording her song

Play With A Few Ideas

Learn to leave your ego at the door when you begin a songwriting session. It’s not about taking one idea and sticking with it until the end, but letting your creativity have some fun and arrive at something you are truly proud of.

So, play around with all of your ideas, entertain them and give them a chance to grow, while being prepared to let them go if they don’t work. This is a careful, delicate balance to strike and one that takes a lot of practice to instantly identify what works and what doesn’t.

If you want to get there sooner, start by analysing other songs, as well as your own. Why do certain elements work well together? Do these two melodies complement each other or are they clashing? What could make this chord progression, lyric or melody line more unique and memorable? Maybe removing some of the harmonies or counter melodies would bring forward another strong idea?

As you become more comfortable with your own creative process, these decisions will become much more fluid and intuitive.

Take Adult Singing Lessons To Improve Your Songwriting Skills!

Learning to sing will make you a much more capable musician. By learning the songs of others, you will quickly pick up the skills and writing techniques necessary for your own creations! Not to mention, getting more comfortable in your own voice will open up new possibilities in your songwriting. At London Singing Institute, our expert coaches specialise in adult singing lessons and create an encouraging, supportive environment for your voice to really thrive. Enquire today about our versatile courses in blues, jazz, rock, pop, classical and musical theatre.

Find out about our one-to-one adult singing lessons in London. Make your vocal dreams come true!

Tags: Motivation, Productivity, Songwriting tips

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Tags: Motivation, Productivity, Songwriting tips