Art, Advice and Stories

Article by: André Jay
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Table of Contents
1. Let The Sauce Marinate
2. Gibberish?
3. Collaborate More
4. Find A Topic That You Believe In
5. Clear Your Head

“What kind of story do you want to tell and share, what do you think would speak to people?” – André Jay

Whether at home or in the studio, there is a myriad of ways to write music. And quite often today as recording artists, we’re privileged to write to instrumental tracks. Creating words, melodies, and bouncing rhythms out of thin air comes from being in tune with yourself. It’s about knowing how to let go, and yet be fully alive at the moment and focused on your art. Today, here are our top 5 tips to improve your flow.

1. Let The Sauce Marinate

I’m talking about the music here. When you first hear a track or instrumental piece you’re working on, it’s a good idea to listen to it several times. I listen to it about 20-30 times before I find a melody, topic, or what direction I want to go in. Letting the music marinate into your mind will make it easier to write, simply because it will be embedded into your brain. Eventually, the ideas will come to you, then let it flow.

2. Gibberish?

When I am looking for melodies or verse flows I literally will throw out gibberish while holding a melody or flow. I sometimes will mumble words just to find the correct flow that I want to use. Once I find that melody and flow I will fill in those gibberish words with full-on sentences and actual words haha. I see it as a giant “mad libs” when I am using this strategy.

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3. Collaborate More

Working with other songwriters has taught me so much! That is actually where I learned the whole gibberish technique. It is extremely important to collaborate with other songwriters and musicians. Sharing strategies and skills literally has improved my songwriting over the years. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn within an hour just being in a room with songwriters. Collaborating also opens up many doors and expands your network, which is key in the music business.

5 Tips To Successful Co-Writing

4. Find A Topic That You Believe In

Songwriting is literally telling a story through music. What kind of story do you want to tell and share, what do you think would speak to people? Do you want to write a song about heartbreak? A new fling? Summertime? Being alone? Being dirt broke? Being rich? Getting hype with your friends? The list goes on… Having a topic will make songwriting so much easier and more fun because you’ll have a foundation set in place.

How to Express Your Story Through Singing

5. Clear Your Head

This means being in an environment where you can focus and feel completely comfortable being yourself. Having a clear head will help the thoughts flow and prevent writer’s block. I have been in the studio many times where I’ve had writer’s block because my mind was distracted by personal issues that didn’t allow me to focus.

Be sure to go into a songwriting session with a completely open/free/relaxed mind. Even though personal issues will be the fuel to your songs, it can sometimes interfere with a certain song you are already writing, for example: Are you writing a Happy Song? Welp, that means you can’t go into a session mad because it will be difficult to write that happy song? and Vice versa. Get the point?

In summary, let the sauce marinate in your mind, try “gibberish” and letting it go, collaborate more often, find a topic that’s in your heart, and clear your head. The artist’s journey is a beautiful gift. Now, how will you use these ideas in your art and music?

Article by: André Jay
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