From Notes to Verses: Letting Music Guide My Words

One of the main reasons that I love songwriting so much is because it’s a creative process that allows me to express my emotions, thoughts, and life’s experiences by simply mixing music and lyrics. As a songwriter, the approach that ignites my creative spark is when I immerse myself in different music tracks from various genres, and letting the melodies and rhythms to guide me towards the direction of what I want to write about. It’s been since forever since I did a blog post, and so today I figured I’d focus on the first thought that came to my mind regarding songwriting. So I just wanna share with you, the method that keeps my songwriting journey on the move, by letting the music guide my words.

Like we all know, music has a way of triggering emotions, setting moods, and painting all kinds of images in your mind. When I sit down to write a song, I start by listening to different music tracks from various producers. By doing this, I expose myself to a multitude of genres, each with its own unique characteristics. Whether it's the infectious groove of a funky bassline, and I soooo loooove a distorted electric guitar, the hard hitting drive behind the drums, the classical feel that strings add, or the soothing melodies of a piano, each stem offers its own flavor that sparks my imagination.

As I listen deeper into the music, with my headphones on, sitting on my favorite chair or even the floor, I pay close attention to the initial vibe of the tracks. The rhythm, the chord progressions, and the overall feel of the track gives me a starting point for the song. It's like embarking on an adventure where the mu

sic becomes my compass, guiding me through uncharted territories of creativity. The track's energy, tempo, and instrumentation help me tap into the essence of what I want to say, setting the stage for the words to play out.

People often suggest finding your niche and being proficient in that genre and that’s what I used to do, but that’s not enough, since having the opportunity to explore a wide range of genres. By immersing myself in tracks from different producers working in diverse musical styles, I constantly expose myself to fresh and inspiring sounds and instruments. This not only keeps my creative juices flowing but also challenges me to adapt and experiment with different writing approaches. From pop to rock, hip-hop to electronic, country and folk or sometimes getting tracks of blended elements from multiple genres. The possibilities in today’s music are endless.

The marriage between the music and the lyrics is the make or break of it all. I am always focused on trying to write my best because when the producer’s track is amazing, I’ll be dang if I’m going let my lyrics be anything less. The music acts as a canvas, and the lyrics become the brushstrokes that paint the picture. I usually listen to the first 30-40 seconds of the track and jot myself notes of what feeling comes to mind. Then once I've absorbed the initial feel of the music, I play it all the way through a couple times to let my thoughts and emotions flow fully, to allow the basic concept for the song to take better shape. Whether it's a heartfelt ballad, an upbeat anthem, or a thought-provoking story, the music's influence backs up my every word and hopefully resonates with the intended emotions that the producer had in mind. It’s a bonus if I come up with something totally opposite of what the producer felt but they love my concept better. That’s the ultimate feeling for me! I love it when the producer is happy with what I wrote because honestly, without their music my lyrics would be just words.

It’s the music that challenges me to explore new concepts, experiment with different writing styles, and create unique and captivating songs. A huge thank you to the musicians, producers, composers and vocalists who I’ve worked with over the years, I am truly grateful for the opportunity of working with you!

So, that’s my songwriting thing in a nutshell, sit down to write, break down every note, measure, instrument and allow the music to be the guide. Let me know in the comments, lyricists, producers, what do you feed off of to get your dose of inspiration to write your songs?

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