When my daughter-in-law was five years old, she wore the following outfit: a bathing suit, sneakers, a nylon rope belt, and a homemade wooden sword.As a child with an exploratory imagination, clothes were never just clothes; they were part of what she needed in case she ran into a pirate, encountered a dragon, or had to fend off a saber-toothed tiger during her day.I often wonder why I don't dress like that anymore. Unfortunately, like most adults, my creativity for fashion kind of died out and went mute somewhere down the road. But as a songwriter, I need all the creativity possible.
Maintaining easy access to your playful side—your ability to make new connections, see things differently, or just ask “why”—is essential to writing great songs. But C级执行名单 this source of new ideas and associations needs regular priming, and in the hustle and bustle of the music world, we sometimes forget to 'play' music.So here are my six quick exercises to jump-start your creativity. Or, if your creative block is particularly severe, here are six kicks in the ass you can give yourself right now.1. A picture is worth 1000 words
This exercise is a byproduct of many songwriters' favorite accidental pastime: watching people. If you are looking to improve your character description and development, it will help you to focus on these attributes for your lyrics.Cut out at least three characters from a magazine, full color and full if you can, and place them on the table in front of you as if they were dolls or part of a storyboard. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, write who they are; their names, their stories and their connections to each other. Start asking questions like: How did they meet?Who broke whose heart?
Who is still waiting to meet them?Who tells the story in the song?Who's the song anyway?Kick your gossip into high gear! For a good example of this, listen to Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner," in which she introduces and describes character after character, while sitting in a restaurant. Vega does not include herself in the story as a participant until the very last verse.