GUITAR LESSON - LOOSENING YOUR GRIP If you find that you are easily frustrated with your songwriting, or often find that you are uninspired, you may be going through a similar problem that I used to struggle with. I used to have very high expectations of myself. I expected every new song I wrote to be a masterpiece. I wanted it to be perfect. What eventually happened was that all the songs I liked never went anywhere because I was waiting for the next moment of inspiration, which usually didn't come. Then I just kept pushing out the songs I wasn't excited about because I could detach myself from the songs and my expectations. Some were better than others, but most of these songs weren't worth the time or the effort.

I probably don't need to tell you where that went. Ultimately, I became dissatisfied with the songs I was writing and performing, and I couldn't simply detach myself from the songs anymore. I was getting very frustrated.

Recently I began to realize the problem. Expectations aren't necessarily a bad thing, but in this case they were destroying my creativity. I wasn't free to do what I really wanted to do. I was so caught up in trying to make every song perfect that I had basically cut off my creativity. I started to realize that my attitude toward songwriting had to change if I wanted my songs to change too. This is a big mental shift and it could take some time to sink in.

Once I was liberated from these pressures, things started to change. I started writing songs again, and this time I didn't preoccupy myself with where the song should go and how to make them perfect. The result was that the songs started to take their own shape and it didn't feel forced anymore. Maybe the songs weren't perfect, but they were a lot better than the uninspired drivel I was writing before. Finally I found a balance.

Now I'm not saying this is going to work for everyone. I haven't extensively documented my experience here, but I hope you can take something from this. I just found that my songwriting got a lot better when I stopped trying to dictate where everything was supposed to go. If you're having trouble with your songwriting, try loosening your grip a little. This article was written by David Andrew Wiebe, web designer, graphic designer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitar instructor, and music expert. Interested in winning a free CD? Click here for more info! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Recommendations? Email me.

Published on October 31, 2007