Songwriting is truly more of a passion than a profession. Despite the explosion in the music industry, the songwriting process continues to grow. It does not matter if you are writing songs to earn a living or as a hobby; your songs should have a grip on your audience. This is why you should take these songwriting tips for indie artists seriously, as it will address how your songs connects to your audience.
As an indie songwriter, you should seek for originality and uniqueness as much as possible. This is, however, difficult as we find ourselves in an era where there’s too much music to consume out there.
Nonetheless, by following these six songwriting tips for indie artist, your music can be an instant hit even beyond your immediate audience;
Stay Still and Rid Yourself of Worries
As an indie artist, you do not have a record label breathing down your neck and reminding you of deadlines. Don’t set one for yourself either as an indie; be still and let the song come naturally and not under pressure.
Creating art should not be rushed. When under pressure, you tend to rush the process. Allow your brain to be well aligned when writing, and you’ll find it easy to make magic.
You may also practice active listening, as this can be a source of inspiration.
Reward Yourself After Every Song Written
You may have to tell your brain it will be rewarded for every piece of art it creates. That’s by doing anything you find enjoyable. For every song, you take to perfection, give yourself a treat.
This will serve as a motivation that lifts your spirit, giving you something to look forward to after every song.
You may have to create your motivation to get yourself to your best point of creativity. In the end, you’ll discover that you didn’t just sit around doing nothing. Every minute will be towards making good music.
Always Start From The Middle
Ask the best songwriters; the middle of the song is always the most difficult. That’s why your initial energy should be invested in getting it right with the middle.
Just be like the Arctic Monkeys, start your adventure from the middle. It’s always the perfect place to start.
When it’s a bit difficult to write your next song as an indie artist, focus on the middle. Hinge it on a melody that you love, and you’ll find yourself able to come up with the hook or bridge.
Be Daring and Break Rules
To make a unique song, you’ll need to free yourself from the confines of do’s and don’ts you’ve learned about songwriting. You probably have a teacher who taught you about music. Often, they’ll tell you there’s a good and bad way to do things.
While you’ve been restricting yourself to the good all this while, it’s time to test the deep waters with the bad ways.
There are no laws as far as creativity is concerned. No governing law that prohibits a certain level of creativity. That’s why we are telling you to break those laws that exist in your mind.
Push Yourself Beyond Average
To excel at songwriting as an indie, you will need to tell yourself of the level of averageness you’ve been operating. You will need to embrace putting yourself in challenging scenarios and let your songwriting skills bail you out.
If it takes setting a time limit for yourself, you might have to ignore our number 2 songwriting tip and break down boundaries.
Imagine the mental stress that Guns and Roses went through to write “Sweet Child O Mine in five minutes.
Put Your Imperfect Memory To Work
You may not enjoy the mental stress that comes with forgetting things, but you may have to use it to your advantage. Imagine that song you’ve not heard in decades and try to reproduce it.
There is a great chance that you will end up writing a song that is far better than the one you are trying to recall.
That’s the power of your imperfect memory at work.
Final Thoughts on Songwriting Tips For Indie Artists
By employing these songwriting tips for indie artists, you’ll experience much improvement in your creative process. Just put these tips to work one at a time, and see what works best for you.
Remember, you need to have the best songs as an indie artist as you cannot afford to operate at an average level.
