10 Crazy Songwriting Techniques To Break Through Songwriters Block

By Dana P. Rowe, PCC, CPCC, CPQC

Is songwriter’s block preventing you from writing your next song? We all hit a wall sometimes, and songwriter’s block is a very real thing. If songwriting is an integral part of your life, then it’s time to stop the madness and start using these 10 Crazy Songwriting Techniques To Break Through Songwriters Block. These techniques will help you unleash your imagination and be unstoppable as a songwriter!

Before You “Beat a Dead Horse,” Consider Taking a Short Break

The art of songwriting is a tough one to master. Theoretically, the more you write, the better your songs will get and the easier it becomes to maintain that level of quality over time. However, if you’re feeling creatively stuck, and we’ve all been there, don’t be afraid to take a breather or do something else that doesn’t require the same mental muscles. Hello! I’m a composer, and I’m writing an article on ways to break through writer’s block. You do the math.

Sometimes you just need to give your brain a break. Whether it’s reading a good book, bingeing on your favorite TV show (we love The Great British Baking Show), or working out at home – don’t overlook the value of giving your brain a short break from songwriting. You’ll probably come back refreshed!

Okay, so maybe you’ve tried taking a break, and you’re still stuck. Time for that proverbial kick in the seat of the pants!

 

01 Collect News Articles

“Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.” – Ai Weiwei

You might be surprised by how many songwriters draw inspiration from the headlines. In fact, it’s a common technique. For example, after reading about it in a newspaper article, “A Teenager Shot And Killed 17 People” became a song title and an entire album for Jason Isbell.

Paul McCartney wrote ‘Paperback Writer’ after reading a Daily Mail report about an aspiring author and composed it on the way to Lennon’s house in Weybridge.

Collect articles related to your favorite topics or themes that you can use as songwriting fodder.

 

 

02 Keep a List of Song Titles and Ideas

“For me, songwriting is something I have to do ritually. I don’t just wait for inspiration; I try to write a little bit every day.” – Sean Lennon

Use a songwriting journal or notebook. Collect possible song titles and song ideas here. Honestly, if you don’t do this, you’re missing out on a super resource for times when you’re feeling stuck. Keep it on you at all times so that when an idea or title occurs to you, you’ll have somewhere to jot it down quickly.

With all the distractions in today’s world, it can be easy to forget a lyric or title idea. It’s a good idea to make your songwriting journal a part of your daily routine and get creative with how you use it and maintain it! I used to carry around a small Moleskine notebook. Now there is an app on my phone for note-taking, and I have started using that instead. An added benefit, cloud technology ensures that everything is with me on all my devices!

 

03 Limit Yourself

Maybe there are too many options for you, and you are feeling overwhelmed. Limiting your musical choices could be the key to finding inspiration for a new song. Research shows that creativity and innovation are born when one has self-imposed limitations, so it makes sense then that limiting yourself musically may lead you in new directions!

Challenge yourself to a new level of creativity by writing your next song with fewer notes and chords.

Glynis Johns was a talented actress, but she had a limited vocal range and a breathy voice with not much power. Stephen Sondheim wrote the popular “Send in the Clowns” to accommodate her voice by writing short phrases and limiting the song’s vocal range to an octave so she wouldn’t run out of breath or get hung up on high or low notes. She won a 1973 Tony Award, which she deservedly earned thanks to this iconic song written around her vocal limitations.

 

04 Don’t Use an Instrument (Or Learn a New One)

Another form of constraint in songwriting would be learning how to play another instrument or trying your hand at writing a song with no help from any sort of musical device whatsoever–a challenging but ultimately rewarding process.

Prince is one of the most prolific musicians in history, and his musical versatility may be unmatched. He played 27 different instruments with ease, was never satisfied for long periods of time before releasing more music onto an unsuspecting world (he put out 39 studio albums), and even made unbreakable commitments to write a song every day.

Sometimes when I’m writing, my fingers will go to familiar places on the piano and, in a way, limit my creativity. When I want the melody of a song to have an emotional impact, I often step away from the piano altogether and just sing until I find something that resonates emotionally.

05 Try Using a Hit Song as a Lyric Template

Here’s a fun challenge. Choose a classic song, like “My Girl” (by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White) or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen).

Try writing your own lyrics for it in the same form while still maintaining all of its original beats – change up every word completely but keep that number of syllables intact along with keeping those rhymes right where they need to be.

Tip: Don’t settle for weak rhymes. Challenge yourself to use “true” rhymes when you do this exercise. The technical quality of your work will be infinitely better, and it’ll improve the craftsmanship in songwriting.

Now that you’ve written a new lyric, set aside the song you used for your template and create a brand-new melody and chord progression.

It’s not uncommon for this task to be challenging because you will be limiting yourself with a pre-defined cadence or rhyme scheme. However, you might end up composing a fantastic new song in the process.

This exercise really opens up endless opportunities if we’re willing to explore them!

Tip: Give your new set of lyrics to a composer but don’t tell them what song you used for a template. I predict magic…

06 Start With a Hook or Comp Pattern

Sometimes the best songwriting tools are not lyrics. In fact, an instrumental hook or a memorable comp (accompaniment) pattern can really help to make your songs more catchy and engaging! “Hook” refers to anything repetitive within a particular arrangement that can stick with listeners after hearing them just once.

Starting with a great bass line, a repeated melodic pattern or an exciting drum pattern can inspire new ideas and set the tone for your song in a way that lyrics cannot.

If you are feeling stuck, this is a sure-fire technique to get new ideas. Put the pattern on a loop and see what it inspires in you. If that doesn’t work for you, or if technology just isn’t your thing, just use the voice memo app on your phone!

07 Write In a New Key

Writing in an unfamiliar key is a great way to create music without the pressure of feeling like you have to write something good. Just finding your way around the new key helps generate new and fresh ideas instead of writing within your comfort zone.

You’ll find yourself trying out chords that might lead you down some interesting paths that could result in something innovative and unexpected for even seasoned musicians!

 

08 Write a Sequel or Response to a Favorite Song

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” – Salvador Dali

To break through songwriter’s block, you could write either a sequel or a response to your favorite song. This is a great way to get inspired–write your own fan fiction for the music that moves you most!

Your idea might be an ode to how far they’ve come since their beginnings – an homage to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” could be “I told you I’d make it, and well, look at me now!” Or maybe a song about what was once seen as a heart-shattering breakup has become easy with time and ended up being the best thing that could have happened.

09 Rearrange an Existing Chord Progression

“Anything you do, let it come from you. Then it will be new.” – Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George

Rearranging or expanding a chord progression can be an effective way to come up with new musical ideas. It’s essential to start by looking for patterns in the original piece and then rearranging them into different shapes that might sound interesting.

Rearranging chord progressions is one of my favorite ways to generate new song ideas from old ones! You want your listeners on their toes when they hear something fresh out of left field – but it needs some familiarity as well; you needn’t reinvent the wheel every time if all goes right. Just find a few tweaks here and there to take it somewhere new.

Experimenting with substitute chords opens the door to create new harmonic territory. Consider beginning with something as basic as a 12-bar blues pattern and see what can happen.

 

10 Tell the Story From a Different Perspective

“What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.” – Eugene Delacroix

This technique is a great way to explore an idea from all angles and find new inspiration.

We already cited the song “I Will Survive” by songwriters Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. It tells the story of a breakup from one perspective, but what if we told that same tale in reverse? What about from his perspective? Maybe he’s not the monster we’ve been led to believe he must be for all these years.

Final Thoughts

This article explored different songwriting tips and techniques to help you break through songwriter’s block and unleash your creativity.

Whether you decide to tell a story from an alternative perspective or experiment with new keys, melodic hooks, or chord progressions to come up with new ideas, these songwriting tips have all been proven successful by seasoned songwriters.

Songwriting is an art that becomes easier over time and takes perseverance. Hang in there and give these tried and true tips and techniques a try. I’ll be on the lookout for your next hit song!