Using Lyrics and Poetry to Overcome Writer’s Block in Music

Part 2 of 5 of our series on “Overcoming Writer’s Block as a Musician”

As a musician, nothing is more frustrating than hitting a creative wall and not being able to move past it. In our previous article, we explored five techniques to help overcome writer’s block in music composition. In this article, we’ll focus on a specific approach: using lyrics and poetry to inspire your music. By focusing on the words first, you can unlock new musical ideas and overcome that dreaded writer’s block. Let’s dive in!

The Power of Lyrics and Poetry

Lyrics and poetry have the power to evoke emotions and tell stories through the use of language. They can transport us to other worlds, express our deepest feelings, and connect with others who experience similar emotions. In music, lyrics and poetry serve as a way to convey the message of the song to the listener. By crafting lyrics that resonate with your audience, you can create a powerful connection that will stay with them long after the last chord is played.

When you’re feeling stuck in your music composition, focusing solely on the melody or the chord progression can create a roadblock. By shifting your focus to the lyrics and poetry, you can approach your songwriting from a different perspective and potentially spark new ideas for your music.

Getting Started with Writing Lyrics

For some musicians, writing lyrics may come naturally. For others, it can be a daunting task. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Start with a theme or topic: Think about what you want to convey in your song. Is it a love song? A song about social justice? A song about overcoming adversity? Having a clear theme or topic can give you a framework to start crafting your lyrics.
• Use your own experiences: Your personal experiences and emotions can serve as inspiration for your lyrics. Think about an event or moment in your life that has had a significant impact on you and try to write about it.
• Don’t be afraid to edit: The first draft of your lyrics doesn’t need to be perfect. Don’t be afraid to edit and refine your words until they capture exactly what you want to convey in your song.
• Read poetry: Reading poetry can help inspire your own writing and give you new ideas for lyric structure and meter.

Using Cosonify to Enhance Your Songwriting Process

While writing lyrics and poetry can be a great way to overcome writer’s block, it’s important to have tools to help you in the process. Cosonify is a web platform specifically designed to streamline the ideation process for musicians. Let’s take a look at some of the features that can enhance your songwriting process:

• Researchboard: The researchboard allows users to look at metadata about songs on Spotify and leave comments on them to communicate what they like or dislike about other songs. This can be helpful in the earliest stages of the ideation process to research music you like and express details you appreciate about other people’s music.
• Whiteboard: The whiteboard is a digital canvas that offers the option to upload and listen to audio on the canvas. This feature can be used to brainstorm ideas, plan lyrics, or discuss song arrangements with collaborators.
• Ideaboard: The ideaboard allows users to upload an audio file and provides a canvas that scrolls across the screen while the song is played back. Users can place text, image, and video items on this canvas as a means to collect feedback on the version, plan lyrics or a music video, or discuss moods.

The Cosonify team is also working on a mobile app to serve as an idea storage and chat app for users. The app will make it easy to express your ideas on the go and offer you a way to never loose your ideas.

Inspiring Examples of Lyrics-First Compositions

Many musicians have used lyrics or poetry as the starting point for their songs. As an example, Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece “Hallelujah” was written over several years, with the lyrics serving as the driving force behind the song. It has been stated, that it took Cohen 5 years to finalize the song. With this information, remember that taking a bit longer to finish a song, is not a problem — it is simply the process you need to properly express something difficult.

By limiting your creative work to lyrics first (or alternatively melody first) instead of trying to come up with lyrics and a melody at the same time, and allowing yourself to make progress in your own time, you will eventually break through. This step also includes consuming other musical inspiration lyrics first, by either focussing on the lyrics while listening or by reading the lyrics by themselves.

As you can see, using lyrics and poetry as your starting point can lead to powerful and meaningful compositions. Try using some of the techniques we’ve explored and see what new ideas and inspiration come to mind.

Conclusion

Writer’s block can be a frustrating roadblock for musicians. By shifting your focus to the lyrics and poetry, you can approach your songwriting from a different perspective and potentially spark new ideas for your music. Utilizing tools like Cosonify can also make the songwriting process easier and more collaborative. Take inspiration from some of the great lyric-first compositions in music history and see where your own creativity takes you. Happy writing!

Read Also

This has been Part 2 of 5 of our series on “Overcoming Writer’s Block as a Musician”. The series consists of these articles:

1. Part 1: 5 Techniques for Overcoming Writer’s Block in Music Composition
2. Part 2: Using Lyrics and Poetry to Overcome Writer’s Block in Music
3. Part 3: Meditation and Mindfulness: Unlocking Your Creativity as a Musician
4. Part 4: Collaboration and Community: Breaking Through Writer’s Block Together
5. Part 5: The Power of Action: Overcoming Writer’s Block through Persistence