Rhyme schemes are one of the tools of songwriting. Choosing what rhyme scheme to use is actually quite simple when you look at it from a different perspective. https://www.tiktok.com/@songwritinghub/video/7528058981420420357 In the video, I covered a few rhyme...
Imagination: A songwriting tool – 5 tips
Have you ever watched a movie that starts with “This story is inspired by a true event”? I’m pretty sure you have, that means you have experienced the power of imagination. What if the story was only inspired by 10% or 20% of the real events and the 80% was embellished to make the story more interesting? As songwriters, we can do the same.
Let your imagination run wild
1. It’s not always personal
- Many writers always maintain that for a song to be “authentic”, it has to be a story taken from their lives.
- What if you have a story that inspires you to write? a friend’s heartbreak, a movie, a song, a poem, a conversation? The truth is that we can relate to a lot of stories, we have been through challenges, heartbreaks, pain, joy, and falling in love. You put the emotions in the story whether fictional or inspired by real events, you are the storyteller, and they are your words. Use 20% or 30% of your personal experience and embellish the rest. why not?
2. The director’s chair
- Imagine you were a film director, you would have a cast. Who is this story about? what is your story? Focus your story on your characters. Are they falling in love? breaking-up? Getting over the significant other?
- This is the part of songwriting where I take the most time. If you do not have an interesting story to tell, I do not have a song. Starting from a chorus idea is always the best starting point once you have your story. Your song will be centralized around that chorus.
3. Location, location
- Once you have a story, you can paint a picture in the listener’s head. Is this story happening by the beach? accidental meeting in a coffee shop? a party? the list can go on.
- A story can even happen at different locations
- Taylor Swift’s Coney Island is full of descriptions of a place – And I’m sitting on a bench in Coney Island – The fast times, the bright lights, the merry-go – Were you waiting at our old spot
In the tree line, by the gold clock?
4. A moment in time
- You can indicate when this story is happening. Winter, you are cold and missing someone. Or Summer, walking around hand in hand in the street. A break-up that happened a year ago, and you are still not over it. Or 5 years of pure happiness.
- Taylor Swift’s song describes the moment in time as well – When the sun goes down
The sight that flashed before me was your face – And it gets colder and colder
When the sun goes down
5. Stick the the script
- The last tip when writing is to stick to the story that leads to the chorus. Let’s say your story is “never getting over you”. Your character decided to move forward and succeed but something is missing. It has been a year, and yet there is still a void. If you introduce another love interest to this story, “never getting over you” no longer makes sense. Let your 2m30s focus on this story only. If you are itching to add another character, write another song “Breath Again”, where your character has moved on and is happier than ever.
Imagination is one of the underused tools in songwriting that can open a world of stories and songs. I encourage you to start being more imaginative and let your pen run freely. It’s not always personal.
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