Battling Songwriter’s Block? Revisit Old Songs

by Brian Casel | April 23, 2009 | One Comment

Every songwriter battles writer’s block from time to time. When the creative juices are running dry, we look for ways to find renewed inspiration. How about revisiting an old song or two? This is a great way to refresh your approach and try new ideas on old material.

Go back. Way back.

Find a song you haven’t touched in months or even years. Something that hasn’t been played live recently. Pull out one of those gems that never materialized on an album, or one that got lost as newer material took priority.

You could be surprised at what you find. It might be a tune you barely even remember writing. Or a song that was left half-written. Maybe it’s a song that you weren’t very excited about when you wrote it, but now rubs you in a different way.

Go back to the front page of your songwriting notebook. Dust off the old tape deck and fire up your old 4-track demos. Pull out the hard drive from years past and load up those old recording sessions. The buried gems are there. Bring them back to life.

Refresh Your Approach

Try something new with your old songs. Since you haven’t played these tunes in a while, draw on that renewed excitement and get creative.

For example, if it was written as a strait rock tune, you might try it with a bit of a swing. Slow down or speed up the tempo. Invert the chords and attack the song from a different direction.

Try reversing the dynamics. If the original called for a loud chorus with a steady verse, try it with a dramatically soft chorus this time around. Maybe you could try an extended intro with a little improvisational noodling before breaking into the lyrics.

You might decide to insert your re-worked songs into your current set-lists. This is a great way to keep things fresh for your live audience as well as you and your bandmates. Here’s another post about structuring a killer live set-list.

As you play around with your old songs, you’re breathing new life into your creative flow. Before you know it, your songwriter’s block is behind you and you’re back to writing new material. Revisiting your old songs can help you to spark that renewed inspiration you’re looking for.

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