Songwriting Potential Activity: Created by Douglas Fabian

SOO... I was searching through my Itunes library today, while strumming on guitar, and humming various melodies in my head. Suddenly, I was struck by lightning.... no! I thought of a quick writing strategy that I decided to test on a blank piece of blog paper...

First, take about three or four lyrics from one of your favorite songs (one that potentially "speaks to you") and write those lyrics out. My lyrics, "A Beautiful Mess" were taken from one of Jason Mraz's originals.

Now, I take these lyrics, put them on the top of the paper and start a poem without that much brain work (let emotions guide the writing):

Beautiful Mess

you are inching towards my core

Partnered with distress

you erase your sensible path

leaving a speck left to laugh

Do you indulge in masks?

Do you bare what words make you tear?

I'm surrounded now by your skill

fascinated by your strategy

we're here, we're always here

We just keep on waiting for your sound to be heard

______________________________________

Analyze your poem for a minute...

Next, I took my favorite line from this poem and started another, and so on...

To take it one step further, I tried turning this poem into a new song, with a total different melody and rhythm. It transforms the meaning. I really hope you can all give this a shot! It's fun, especially with an instrument nearby.

I find that this activity is really intriguing. The artist isn't just sitting down and writing a poem out of the blue, he/she must take lyrics that can be related to and combine those lyrics with inner expression and emotion. We all put our trust in music to take over our minds, so why not let music have a mind of its own and analyze our inner-self. Try it out!