So The Music Mama’s own Tiffani (a.k.a. Sound Check Mama) suggested that I post something about my songwriting process – the ritual of coming up with ideas, putting them down on paper, etc. I’m so glad she asked because my writing routine is super efficient and highly foolproof. Want to release as many as four songs in just 20 months? All you have to do is follow my patented 15-step process, and before you know it, you too could find yourself at the L.A. Coliseum, watching one of your favorite bands.
- Grab your guitar.
- Sit down somewhere quiet where you won’t be bothered.
- Tune your guitar.
- Now go to your computer and see who wrote you back on Twitter.
- Come back and start playing some random chords until it starts sounding a lot like La Macarena.
- Spend another ten minutes wondering if you should do a cover of La Macarena.
- You’re hungry now, but you don’t want to interrupt your creative flow. So quickly grab some trail mix from the kitchen, but don’t eat the M&Ms. You’ll want to count those later to see which color wins. Then eat the M&Ms in the order that the colors appear in the rainbow.
- Say to yourself, man, I really should get started here. Play around with a few more chords. Check the time to see it’s 3:44.
- Do a little drum beat on your guitar and then stop to wonder when you last watered the plants. Then think about Robert Plant. Then think about that one guy in 6th grade who dug Robert Plant so much he renamed himself The Plant. Check the time to see it is now 5:10 and wonder what the hell just happened.
- At this point it is very important that you go to the computer and look up Robert Plant on YouTube. See what he is wearing in his In the Mood video and try to remember if it was a requirement for people in the ’80s to hitch their pants up to their shoulders.
- Now sit back down and play some more chords. Sing aloud to see if you can come up with a cool melody. Start feeling good about actually being onto something before realizing your new song sounds just like one of the tunes in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera.
- See how close you can come to sounding just like Michael Crawford singing “Music of the Night” in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera.
- Get up, go to the bathroom mirror, and see how close you can come to making yourself look just like the Phantom of the Opera by plastering Cherry Chapstick on your lips and making a half mask for your face out of wet toilet paper.
- Now answer the phone and tell your friend no, you can’t meet up because you are writing.
- Return to step 1 and say to yourself, this time I will really focus…
Now in return for this sage advice, why don’t you add yourself to my mailing list and check out my new album Girl on iTunes!
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
This is why you will be a big star! I loved this. I write stories not songs but I understand all of the steps. I love your trail mix and m&m ritual, I need to do that!
Love you to death! so glad to be one of your fans
foolproof. without a doubt.
So THAT’S how it’s done! If only I’d known 30 years ago… and could sing… and play guitar… I might have become a star!
Wow, your writing process is very similar to my daily routine. I TOO must be a creative genius. And who are you kidding, you can’t keep a plant alive.
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Hey Chris,
Loved your “foolproof” writing process. I smiled all the way through this post. Maybe because I identify with everything you just wrote -lol. Your creativity shows in your writing.
All the best,
Eren
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M&Ms: Ultimate Fighting Champion!
http://i.imgur.com/e5rlQ.png
Dang, Robert Plant liked his pants under his armpits, huh?
Sounds similar to my ritual for writing for magazines. Just waiting for inspiration to strike!
Glad you like my idea ’cause I love your plan.
By the way which M&M color won that day,afternoon or night?
Mmmm, M&M’s!!
I follow a process very similar to this when it comes time to do Uni work!
Universal Procrastinators!
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I’m impressed, I have to say. Really seldom do I encounter a blog that is both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. Your blog is outstanding; the matter is something that not enough people are talking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to it.
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Oh boy! It’s like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, just like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is outstanding blog. A outstanding read. I’ll definitely be back.
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Fascinating…definitely food for thought. I hope you do not mind if I send this over to a few other folks I know.
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It is fascinating to know the routine and even the secrets of every artist to have them post for other people to know and get to have a tip. I am truly grateful to know such people are dear enough to let us know this very valuable information. The steps shown are very helpful. Might as well follow your lead.
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Hi Chris, you have a great content here, I”l spread your thoughts..
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The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
This is great! thanks for the post!
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