WAYS TO WRITE SONGS OUTSIDE THE BOX

Most of us tend to gravitate toward the same kinds of things when we write.  We write grooves and we make it the way it feels that we like it to feel. And we tend to write topics we like as well. But there is one thing to remember, what we want isn’t necessarily what it is supposed to be. When we are writing music to be released, basically we are making a craft for a market. We can’t just say “this is what I like, and people must like it”. Use these exercises to stretch your writing boundaries.

Write songs from the point of view of the opposite gender from time to time. As a man, trying to write something that feels honest and real for a woman to say is challenging for me. Every now and then, I force yourself to write from the opposite gender’s perspective. That helps me to get out of my comfort zone and think and process the way different than how I normally do on my daily life.
 
Write a song from a viewpoint with which you disagree. If we only write what we think and believe, we are going to have a lot of songs about the same things. You don’t have to ALWAYS write from your perspective. Try putting yourself in the shoes of someone whom you disagree with. Write a song from their perspective. Imagine it this way, an actor isn’t always playing the roles that he/she truly believe in the character’s believes. For example, as far as I know, none of the actors of famously “gangster” roles are actually gangsters in real life, and furthermore, maybe in real life they’re pretty much against violence or anything illegal, but they act, and create a character, different than their own believes. Sometimes it’s good to act in your writing process.
 
Imagine yourself in a situation that you have never been in and write about as if you had been there. Research the topic if you need to.  I was writing a song about 4-wheelers one time and had to do a lot of research, because I don’t know much about them personally. Write a song about doing something you’ve never actually done just to challenge yourself! Or I’m pretty sure you’ve read some strange stories in the news or on internet and subconsciously you’ve thought to yourself “what if this had happened to me?”. That can be a perfect starting point!  Just start imagining it actually had happened. Live in that situation for a bit or maybe a couple of days. Become that character. Feel it and then write about it. The result will amaze you!
 
Become a character. Write a song that a you think a well know TV or movie character might sing. See how accurately you can imagine their viewpoint. Writing from another character’s perspective will certainly get you outside of your usual box. Basically, it’s pretty much like the previous practices mentioned above but the difference is that instead of “developing” the character, you will “learn” it and then you’ll bring your version of it to life.
 
Choose an idea and explore the way three different people might approach the same idea. Pick the direction that you think more people will relate to. Considering different angles for a song before you write is always going to increase your chances of landing on the BEST one. This method of practice can be very challenging, and it can be pretty fun!
 
It’s important to shake things up every now and then.  Don’t let yourself get caught in the routine of writing the same old thing.

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 15 years of experience in music production, mix and mastering, recording engineering, live sound designing/engineering, lyrics writing and music arrangement. He has produced more than 800 and written more than 2000 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.