The Songwriting Garden: Chapter 1 - What apple to pick first off of the songwriting tree?

Welcome Everyone! I want to start off with a quick thank you for stopping by! It means the world to me that you decided to read my Blog about Songwriting! This Blog is going to be full of different chapters that I'll post regularly regarding different topics about the process of actually writing songs, to some general helpful tips to know as a songwriter. I wanted to create a Blog full of content talking about what I do everyday of my life! Songwriting is truly my biggest passion and I'm so excited to share with you how I create my art. These chapters are for everyone so if you've been writing songs for years, please still read! Every songwriter has a unique way of creating their art and it can always be beneficial to learn something new no matter how big or small that tip may be. Also as a songwriter, I would love to read anything that has to do with writing a song and I'm sure you agree!

For non songwriter's who are interested to start, I hope I can pave your path of writing and introduce you to one of the greatest ways to touch people's hearts through something so beautiful. Music heals due to the stories told that show's no one is alone. So enter the gates with the first chapter of, 'The Songwriting Garden'.

Welcome, loves! This chapter is all about ways that can spark songwriting! I thought it would be good for a first chapter of a Songwriting Blog. Enjoy!

You hear a lot of songwriter's be asked the question, "how did you do it? how did you write this? what came first?" and the truth is, you can pick any random apple from the tree of songwriting to eat first. Yes some songwriter's may have rituals and have a process that they always follow by, but for someone like me who loves the adventure of where a song can take me even when I'm not expecting it, the process can be started by anything. It can be a word, a whole sentence, a person, a place, or a melody. Sometimes there will be a situation and it'll hit me and I'll think to myself "THAT is a good song idea". Sometimes that situation is a hard one and I'll think the same thing but blessed that I have a way to vent and can just write about this later for healing. Maybe it's about a guy I like, a friend that didn't act like much of one, or maybe just about myself. No matter what opens up the gates to the Songwriting Garden, the magic is always the same and I always share the same hope that my art will help others.

If I start off with having a melody, I will constantly sing in gibberish until I find what I want to say. It may take some time and I may be sitting there for a whole hour singing like a alien, but at least at the end of the day the door to my mind was open and eventually brought in the right words. If you're starting off with a melody, think about how the music makes you feel and hopefully that can help spark your topic.

When starting off with a specific topic such as a word, person, place, situation, and etc, you already have a good idea of what this song is going to be about. I usually think about the story I want to tell about the topic and once I know the route I'm going down, I sit at the piano or guitar and think about the feelings I have towards it. That will determine the vibe and what chords/rhythm I want. Now sometimes I'll change chords if I'm not happy with the melody or I'll change the rhythm and play it another way. When writing a song always know that you can edit things and your start can be completely different to the finish. It may be a rollercoaster but it's worth the ride. Once I'm set with the music and how I want to tell this story, I'll sing lines and again, open up the door to my mind letting the creativity flow and began writing.

The beginning process of Songwriting is always fun because sometimes you might not even expect it. It can just hit you like a gush of wind and totally take you over begging for you to write it and you just have to. The adventure of songwriting is something you just have to follow because you know there will always be something new and worth while. Even if you've been itching to write about a certain topic and you've been aware of the story you wanted to tell, you may be surprised to find a gem hiding underneath the surface when you began writing. I've come across sometimes writing and finding something else I wanted to say about it that I didn't even have the intention to, but it just came out and wouldn't be complete without it. Songs writing themselves is literally the best thing ever.

I hope that you enjoyed the very first chapter of 'The Songwriting Garden.' For my songwriter's out there I hope you enjoyed this because I know some of you can relate! For my new songwriters, I hope that this gives you a head start! Always remember, music heals due to the stories told that show's no one is alone.

xoxo Drew