5 Tips For Maintaining A Thriving Songwriting Practice

 

You may not realize this if you’re a developing artist, but you have a unique songwriting practice. This includes everything: from your approach to writing lyrics to how you come up with riffs, beats, melodies, and song structures. It’s individual to you and looks different for each songwriter. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your time creating, whether you’re new to music-making or a seasoned writer:

Create as consistently as possible

If you want to make great music, it helps to create as often as possible. Writing tons of songs will help you find your productive rhythm. However, unless you have tons of time on your hands and exercise discipline, the best way is to create consistency and stick to a strict weekly songwriting schedule.

Prioritize doing what you enjoy most, but leave enough time to get things done

A songwriting practice that isn’t fun and rewarding will quickly become something you dread. However, it’s crucial to make time for both the tasks you love doing, as well as the things you’re less of a fan of. Productive songwriting takes work and discipline. It’s not enough to focus your energy on what you enjoy most, be it toying around with synths or finishing the lyrics for your latest song. If you nail this balance, you’ll find it easier to write your best music!

Create in a clean, inspiring place

Carving out a dedicated space for creating is important for not only your creative mindset as a songwriter but also your productivity. If you have to spend half of the hour you set aside to write setting up your drum set, you may lose steam. Having a dedicated studio or some other space to create is a luxury, but it’s one you should work towards setting up for yourself as soon as you can. Keep the space clean, and make it into a place you feel inspired working in.

Focus only on music creation when you sit down to write

Do everything you can to focus on only making music when you write and your sessions will be far more productive. This means turning off all distractions when you make music, mentally and physically. However, don’t forget to allow yourself time for breaks! This is just a reminder that the time you’ve allocated to music-making should be used efficiently.

Create goals 

Setting goals will help you stay productive in your songwriting practice. You could start with achievable goals, such as finishing the chorus of your new song. As you gain momentum, set larger goals like creating 15 tracks for a concept album within the year. A combination of short and long-term goals will help give direction and purpose to your music creation practice.

Showing up to your unique writing process engaged and ready to create is important – but that’s often only half the battle. By embracing discipline, creating consistency in your routine, and setting goals for yourself – you’ll be sure to make your best music.