Unless you’re an established working songwriter, chances are good that songwriting is something you do in your spare time. Whether you’re doing it for fun, to complete an album or EP project, or you hope to win a Grammy one day, it’s important to establish a regular writing routine. But how can you do it in the midst of a day job, band, family responsibilities and walking the dog? In this post I’ll give you five strategies to help you block out distractions so you can effectively focus on following your dream.

This is a video interview at the 2010 TAXI Road Rally with hit songwriter and songwriting coach Jai Josefs, author of Transforming The Tune – Secrets of Musical Rewriting. Jai is also the author of Writing Music for Hit Songs, the definitive text on modern music writing endorsed by hit writers including Diane Warren. Jai’ songs have been used in TV shows on every major network and over a dozen major motion pictures with such stars as Harrison Ford, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Billy Bob Thornton. Learn more about Jai Josefs at www.jaijomusic.com.

Like anything, songwriting improves as one practices one’s craft. Practicing songwriting can often be a daunting task not only because it seems odd as a concept, but also because it requires admitting that your own songwriting needs improvement. Here are some tips on deconstructing songs to improve your own writing.

In a previous post I proposed 4 reasons keeping a day-job can benefit your songwriting career. This post will tackle the flip-side. Freelancing, or making a living without a steady nine-to-five job can be the perfect support system for the working songwriter. The first part of this post covers freelancing as a career choice. The second part ties freelancing to the songwriter’s career.