New Year, New Start: Stepping Out Of The Comfort Zone

Hi all,

Welcome to the first edition of “A Songwriters Journey” for 2010. With the New Year upon us many of us think about resolutions to improve ourselves. As songwriters, we may want to incorporate new ways to create music by getting out of our comfort zones.

When I think of “comfort zones” what comes to mind is the same old - same old tried and true ways we’ve come accustomed to writing songs. For instance, most often I approach songwriting the same way, with a guitar, a base lyric and develop a melody around that lyric, finally I tweak and tighten. Additionally, my songs have been Country oriented for the most part. But, sometimes you have to step out of the comfort zone to push the envelope on your creativity.

There are many ways to write songs and I have tried several in the past. The one common thing I have discovered by attacking songwriting from different angles is I generally come up with something out of pocket for me. Have you ever tried writing a new song with just a drum groove to get started? I have, the outcome was a Christian Rock tune, written awhile back. I enjoyed the experience so much I wrote another Christian Rock song using a similar approach. Besides getting a couple of songs out of the deal, the experience was a load of fun and took me somewhere else musically.

Here are some tips for moving the dial on your songwriting this year that I have utilized in the past…and will use in the coming year.

1. Try writing with different instruments than you would generally use for songwriting. I have written songs using drums, guitar, piano and bass as the primary instruments.

2. Have you considered writing simply using your voice (Accapella), I have, it works pretty good and it doesn’t lock you into a perceived chordal arrangement.

3. Change the genre that you commonly write in (Country, Pop, Rock Alternative etc…)

4. Change directions. If you commonly write a lyric before the melody, try the melody before the lyric.

5. If you write lyrics you may find yourself writing things that relate to you. If you are content with life, love and family, your lyrics may depict just that. As a lyricist, try moving the dial by approaching a subject from another point of view (think movie). I wrote a Christmas song for the “Tiny Angels, Songs Of Christmas Joy” project called “A Christmas Recipe”, the producer needed another female song to round out the CD, so I wrote a song from a young girls perspective. Talk about changing directions…no I don’t long to be a little girl :-), but I placed the pictures in my head from the perspective of a music video.

6. Co-writing is one of the best ways to “change” your sound and thought process. Co-writers bring different skills and perspectives to the table that you may not have and vice versa.


Anyways, I hope this month’s blog takes you out of your “comfort zone” and helps provide you with some ways to move the creative dial. As always, feel free to add more ways to keep the creative process flowing.

My best in 2010,
Ray