photo credit: istockphoto

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.

1. Get Up An Hour Earlier

You’ve heard this one before, but it really works. Steven Memel, an L.A. voice/performance coach and author of the Science of Switching On, encouraged me to do this and it has made a huge difference. I give myself enough time to make a cup of coffee and grab something to eat, then make sure I’m in my studio writing by 6:30 am. I wish it didn’t have to be so early, but it’s the only way I’ve found to protect my precious writing time from work/family interruptions and distractions. The great news is I seem to be most creative during this time, and have come up with over 50 song ideas within a month. Now I just gotta finish some of ‘em.

2. Find A Dedicated Place To Write

It really helps with consistency if you write in the same place each day. Hopefully you have a home studio, but even if you don’t, a desk or kitchen table will do. Wherever you write, make sure your writing tools are handy, which may include pen, paper and a pocket recorder. If you’re a regular Serve The Song reader you’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of having a dedicated creative space before. It’s critical if you want to establish any kind of regular writing routine. Find a place in your home that is off limits to family, friends and any other distractions such as TV, computer or phone. Make it a special gift you give yourself to make time to write there every day.

3. Set Clear, Measurable Goals That Stretch You

What is the purpose of your dedicated writing time? Why are you doing it? It’s one thing if you’re simply exercising your creative muscles. It’s quite another if you want to go for a Grammy or get a song placed in a film. Knowing your desired outcome will give you the motivation you need to keep writing on a regular basis. Are you working on an EP or album? When do you want to release it? Work backwards from that date to figure out how long you will need to produce and package the recording, and then even further back to determine when you need to have your songs finished. Write these goals down and put them somewhere prominent where you will see them each day.

4. Find An Accountability Partner

Get yourself a cheerleader in the form of an accountability partner. This could be a fellow songwriter, bandmate, or friend who knows you well. This person needs to be a positive force in your life to cheer you on and help you stay on track when you need it. It’s best to have someone outside your immediate family who understands the ups and downs of the music business. That way they can remain objective as you work through the inevitable ups and downs of songwriting and recording.

5. Include Your Most Important Relationships

Even if you’re a budding Grammy winner, at the end of the day nothing is more important than taking care of your most important relationships. Whether it’s friends, parents, children, or a significant other, these people make up the fabric of your life.

Your songwriting efforts will be far better supported by a family/friend/roommate/spouse/partner who understands how important songwriting is to you. Let them know what you’re up to and see if they’re willing to give you the time and space to accomplish your goals. In return, it’s your responsibility to come out of the studio once in a while and spend time with them. You’ll enjoy happier, healthier relationships and might just come up with that monster hit as a result.

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. He is a nationally renowned songwriting coach who has taught songwriting at UCLA as well as for dozens of songwriting organizations and conferences nationwide. Many of Jai’s students have gone on to successful careers in the industry, and several have been signed to major label deals.

Jai is also a successful songwriter/producer whose credits include more than 30 recordings with such companies as MCA, RCA, Motown, and Disney and hit artists like Jose Feliciano. His songs have been used in TV shows on every major network (CSI, Brothers and Sisters, What About Brian, Monk, Cold Case etc.) as well as over a dozen major motion pictures with such stars as Harrison Ford, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Billy Bob Thornton. In his latest work, Jai teaches the songwriting techniques used by hit writers like Pink, Jason Mraz, Taylor Swift, Rob Thomas and John Lennon. Learn more about Jai Josefs at www.jaijomusic.com.

Photo by Adrian F

This is a guest post from Rob Oxoby.

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 (What is the difference between practicing songwriting and being creative by actually engaging in the process of songwriting?) but also because it requires admitting that your own songwriting needs improvement.

Many times, once we write something we have a hard time letting it go, admitting that it needs complete rewriting or that may just not be that good to want a live performance or recording. Many years ago, I read somewhere that Charlotte Cafferty (then guitarist of the Go-Go’s) wrote hundreds of songs that never saw life beyond her notebook. She viewed these is not good enough for live performance and use them as examples to learn and practice what worked and what didn’t work.

Personally, for every 10 songs or so I write, one makes it in front of a band; and for every five that I bring to the band, one makes it to a live performance or recording. While this may suggest that I’m extremely prolific or just plain suck at writing, I take a different view: In a sense, all those bad songs I write are practice for the good songs I write.

In any event, admitting that a song you have written requires rewriting/retooling/rejecting can be difficult. Sometimes when I’m just not in the mood to rework my own material, I turn to the work of others. My approach is this: How many times has a song you don’t particularly like gotten stuck in your head? It happens to me all the time. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and one of my kids’ favorite songs is stuck in my head. Sometimes I (inadvertently) hear a song by an artist I don’t like, only to have the song repeat over and over again in my head throughout the day. There must be something about these songs that makes them “stick.” So, I use these songs as material to practice my songwriting. Literally, I take these songs and start rewriting them, taking them apart to figure out what makes them tick and why they are so catchy. At the same time, I’m honing my own skills with melody, harmony and rhythm.

Deconstructing a Hit

When practicing songwriting, it’s useful to think about what it is that makes these songs (perhaps regrettably) so memorable. Is it the melody? Is it the artist’s phrasing? Is it the rhythm or chord progression? As such, rewriting an existing song can serve several important purposes:

1. By dissecting and rewriting an existing song you can learn a great deal about what makes its melody catchy or its rhythm addictive. I often take an existing song and try to change one aspect (e.g., melody rhythm progression) while keeping everything else constant. This allows me to see how, say, the artist phrasing works within a melodic or harmonic structure. Sometimes I keep the melody and try to change the chords or rhythm in order to understand how a seemingly catchy melody can be supercharged by the right rhythm and harmony to create a monster you can’t get out of your head. Through this, you learn what works and what doesn’t for more general songwriting.

2. This type of work also gives you an opportunity to step outside of your genre. Maybe you can take that goofy Carrie Underwood song about cheating and turn it into a mambo? Maybe you can really stretch out an do what these guys did, converting a Brittany Spears song into a fugue. By stepping out of your genre and writing something really different, you open yourself up to new ways of conceptualizing a song. You hear new rhythms and phrases that may spark ideas for your own original material.

3. Finally, by working from an existing song you are not only learning from an example of a “successful” song, but you’re also practicing your own craft. In re-writings say a Beyonce song or something from the soundtrack to bear in the Big Blue House, it’s impossible for you not to interject your own ideas and style. As such, your songwriting, arranging, and your toolkit of songwriting tricks and ideas can only get better.

Rob Oxoby

robbyoxoby@gmail.com

photo by Scarleth White

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.

The Freelance Lifestyle

What do I mean by freelancing?  I’m talking about using your professional skills to service a wide variety of clients and companies – not one single company.  Many freelancers work primarily from home, or travel to various companies and locations to perform their service.  It comes with a tremendous amount of freedom, but also lots of additional responsibilities.  Aside from working in your field, you’re running a business and that can become very time-consuming and stressful.  But also rewarding.

Freelancing lends itself well to a few specific skills, particularly creative fields.  Here are just a few examples of common freelance career paths:

• Graphic Design
• Copywriting
• Journalism
• Web Design
• Computer Programming
• Audio Engineering
• Session Musicians / Instrument Instruction
• Video Editing

Professional freelancing comes with several pros and cons.  First lets look at the pros:

• Flexible working hours
• Little or no commute
• Often work from the comfort of your own home
• Involvement in a variety of projects and industries

And now the cons:

• Lack of a steady paycheck / fluctuating income
• Less or no interaction with co-workers
• Additional responsibilities (you’re running your own business)
• Work can stretch past 40 hours per week

If you are considering dropping the day job and diving into the freelance lifestyle, you should take some time to take all of the angles into serious consideration.  For more valuable info about freelancing, check out the fantastic blog, Freelance Switch.

Freelancing + Songwriting

As any dedicated musician knows, pursuing a career in songwriting takes a tremendous commitment of time and effort.  It’s hard to strike a balance between paying the bills and meeting your musical goals.  Freelancing, whether music related or not, can offer the flexibility many songwriters and musicians are looking for.  Lets break down the benefits:

1. Flexible work schedule = Writing songs when inspiration hits.  Since you’re not stuck in a nine-to-five every day of the week, you’re free to use your daily time however you want (for the most part).  If you work from home, you might decide to dedicate 2 hours in the middle of each day playing and writing music.  Or a great idea may hit you at 10:00 am and you want to spend the morning laying down recordings.  Of course, this doesn’t mean you don’t have other paid work to attend to.  It means you have the freedom to work at night, or arrange your schedule however you see fit.  It’s hard to capture your songwriting inspiration when you’re stuck in a cubicle all day.
2. More networking opportunities.  While it’s true that as a freelancer, you probably won’t see much daily interaction with co-workers.  You might be working completely alone most days – especially if you work from home.  However, as a freelancer, you will get meet many clients, work at many different companies, and attend networking events.  This makes for broader networking opportunities.  Whether you meet someone who can directly help your songwriting career or not, knowing more people in more places is better than knowing a bunch of people in only one place.
3. Freedom to Let Your Creativity Flourish.  Many songwriters (including myself) find it difficult to talk about writing music with their co-workers at the daily nine-to-five job.  It can also be difficult to shameless self-promote weekly or monthly gigs to your co-workers.  When you’re in “work mode” you’re not in “creative mode”.  That separation can cause you to downplay that part of yourself – the creative and emotion-driven songwriter part.  Since freelancing brings in you in contact with a wide variety of people from week to week, it can be easier to put forth your true self.  Of course, this is different for everyone, but seems to be a common thread among many musicians.
4. Mix your freelance work with music-related goals.  Freelancing allows you to dip your hand in a wide variety of projects and interact with professionals in a variety of industries.  Even if your specific skill as a freelancer is not directly related to music, you may find opportunities to apply your skill in a music-related context.  For example, I make a living as a freelance web designer.  For the most part, my client’s websites are not music related, but from time to time I’ll work on a website for a recording studio, or music publisher.  I’m still doing web design work, but I’m involved in the music industry and networking with people connected to music.
5. Songwriting as a freelance career.  Of course, songwriting, composition, and many other skills within the music industry lend themselves well to freelancing.  You can easily apply any of the advice for running a freelance business to your songwriting career efforts.  Working as a freelancer also gives you the flexibility to work in several fields at once.  Once again, I’ll use myself as an example here.  The majority of my income comes from freelance web design work.  However I earn some of my income from producing music for picture – more on making money in music for picture here.  Freelancing gives me the freedom and flexibility to dedicate time to both web design and music composition.

As you can see, there are arguments to be made for both sides.  Freelancing and keeping a day-job both provide sufficient financial support systems to songwriters who are in pursuit of a career in music.  It’s all about finding that balance and keeping your lifetime priorities strait while staying financially secure.  It’s tough out there, but there’s always a way to make it work for you.

photo by wrestlingentropy

It takes hold of the best of us.  It creeps up on us when we least expect it.  It sucks our musical inspiration dry.  It stops our songwriting career progress dead in it’s tracks.  I’m talking of course about laziness.  How do we as songwriters and musicians battle the urge to stay glued to the couch?

Is playing music “work”?

I don’t know many musicians who think of playing and writing music as “work” – even if it’s how they make their living.  It’s just too enjoyable to be considered a burden.  But it does take a tremendous amount of time and effort to build a successful career in music.  You have to constantly push forward, churning out new music, booking and promoting gigs, spreading your music and gaining listeners, or securing paid music composition work.  The mechanics of the daily grind can be exhausting.

On top of that, the path is littered with failures and setbacks.  How many successful bands do you know that caught a big break as soon as they formed their band?  I don’t think it’s even possible.  At some point, everyone plays shows to empty rooms.  Everyone watches their music fall through cracks and into oblivion.  That’s just how the story goes for songwriters and musicians just starting out.  These are just a few reasons musicians might succumb to laziness.  Fear not.  It gets better.

Working against the odds

Musicians have the unique ability to push forward when the overwhelming odds are stacked against them.  In order to find any kind of success, you must first work through some failures.  Use these failures to ignite your inspiration.  The moment you meet a setback is the moment you must push through.  Your only alternative is finding false comfort in sinking into your couch watching garbage reality TV shows about has-been rock stars on VH1.

Get off the Couch

There’s nothing wrong with chillaxin out and refreshing your energy.  Just don’t let it consume you to the point that your songwriting work suffers.  The way to avoid this is to understand what it is that keeps you on the couch for so long.

It’s not that you don’t want to work.  It’s not that your not interested in playing through scales, recording takes, promoting your music online, and planning rehearsals.  You love doing all that.  It’s that first step to get up and get started that requires so much more physical and mental energy.

If we can just get past that first hurdle – making the decision to start and taking action – the rest will flow beautifully.  Once you’re up and running, knee deep in the creative process, you’ll forget all about your relaxation mode because you’re totally consumed in your passion to create.

There’s always tomorrow

When our work as songwriters and musicians doesn’t meet the success we were hoping for, it can often cause us to give up and hit the proverbial couch for a while.  We must realize that as artists, every session is different.  We may not be feeling it today, but tomorrow we might write a golden song.  Who knows?  Nobody knows.  We just do.  So keep doing.

I’m going to leave you with a link to one of my favorite blogs, Zen Habits.  There, you will find quite a few articles that deal with overcoming laziness.  Hopefully you can relate some of ideas to your songwriting career.

Tell us your secrets!

How do you battle laziness?  What do you think causes it, and how do you identify your personal solution?