As I wearily opened my eyes in the early morning, I was awakened by a melody running through my mind. I decided to lay there letting it play through and finish before popping out of bed to run downstairs and do a quick vocal record. Five minutes later I am in front of my keyboard playing it through.
The song is about waking up and taking the day off. Just a little white lie. When you are feeling wrung out from your day job and just need a mental health day.
We oftentimes are guilty of just living day by day without taking the time for just us. It isn’t selfish to put a pause on things. I’m not saying jump out of bed and call in sick for the week. I’m saying set your priorities. Maybe don’t give yourself out so quickly to others agendas.
Songwriting Process Today That Seems To Work for Me
I’m only documenting this for someone out there who may find the same struggles that I have with creative bursts. Creativity for me is never planned it just happens or inspired by a moment or conversation.
When I first got back into writing music for some reason I relied on my guitar. Guitar was not my first instrument when I was a child, piano was. I would write countless melodies on the piano or keyboard, I still have the dusty tapes. Now I am realizing I really need to bring piano back into my life. It is very easy for me to find the right notes to play on the piano and quickly form songs. I hear them and can play them; on the guitar not so much (although I am getting better, slowly but surely).
I like it so much that after the piano and getting the whole song down, I went to my guitar and took to building out the rhythm; which seems to be a good recipe.
- Record the vocals, even if there are no real words
- Go to the piano play out the melody finish the song
- Write down lyric ideas
- Go to the guitar and get the rhythm down
- Use guitar and new rhythm for finishing up the lyrics and song structure
- Reflect on the song, like I am doing right now so I remember what inspired me and the process
Anyone else struggle with not taking enough time out of life for yourself?