How I write your song
I love to write at dawn after meditation. Pen to paper in my songwriting notebook I start with one word that comes directly from your story.
A stream of consciousness called clustering begins where I write whatever words come into my head. As I continue this writing flow of words, phrases begin to come through and sometimes even whole sentences. After completing a page or two I then read the cluster out loud circling the words and phrases that jump out at me. Anything goes; things, places, people, emotional passages, color, light, sounds, and feelings.
I use the other senses too like aliveness, temperature, movement, speech, individuality. I do this clustering for several days.
You might say I am remembering a song that's already there in the field of possibility.
I then take all of the circled words and phrases and enter them into my songwriting software and again read them outloud. By this time I know your story so well because I’ve been thinking about it day and night for the past month or so. I get past the chatter in my mind and pay attention to what’s coming through. I want to make an my own emotional connection to your song. Combinations of words come together that express the central theme or metaphor of your story. A dramatic structure emerges of the beginning middle and end. Each verse paints a new picture,
The chorus reveals the underlying meaning and message.It's your unique story. A one of a kind song.
I put myself in your story and ask “what does the song want?” The song has something to say and I want to hear it.
The music finds the story after I’ve written a few lines. I don't pick up my guitar until I've written a verse and maybe the chorus. In this way music is individualized to your song. The melody paints a picture and as it takes shape I take a walk with your song and sing it out loud. I'll soon be hearing it in the shower.
A song is only as good as it’s weakest line. As the song nears completion, I share it with my wife, Maureen, who has a great way of giving me a honest opinion. I keep editing and as the date of your show approaches my excitement to finish and perform your song builds to a peak. It's an unbelievable experience of joy and passion. I'm excited to write your song!