How Do I Write A Song?
This is a question I get asked all the time by my students and by people who are asking me about either of my bands. It was also a topic that would regularly come up through my time spent at music college and university and I feel that it is a question that people expect me to have a singular straight answer for. The reality is very different.
When I sat down to write this blog, I expected it to be about my approach to writing a song and techniques that I implement such as my use of chords and melody. I started to jot down key starting areas for writing a song such as:
So, let's take a jaunt down the inner ramblings of my mind as I ask myself the question, "How Do I Write A Song?"
How Do I Write A Song?
I love to collaborate more than anything. Perhaps this is down to my own lack of confidence in my abilities and a need for my ideas to be approved by others. Perhaps it stems down to some level of finding it difficult to communicate with others 'normally' about thoughts and feelings but finding an avenue through music and the creative process. Perhaps it suggests some degree of feeling detached and alone but working with others on a common goal fills that void. Whatever deep philosophical meaning you choose to read into this, I simply love working and collaborating with others.
Now I'm not saying this is by any means easy. To fully work with someone else on a creative level I have learned requires both parties to fully open themselves up and be comfortable with one another. This is so that simple human foibles such as embarrassment and taking criticism to heart can be left by the wayside.
At the start of The Passing Sages, a lot of the early writing process was done between Glen Gates and me. I would then take these ideas and collaborate further with Sean and Mr Clyne.
At the beginning there was a mutual respect between us. I saw him as this older and wiser authority figure with a wealth of knowledge and experience about music. I very much saw my role as adding to the song ideas that Glen had, making the song fit his vision when performed by a band. This meant I would never just come up with 1 idea for a part but numerous. Perhaps because of my own lack of confidence in being able to decide on the best idea, or perhaps because I really wanted Glen's vision to be met as best it could.
The more I worked with Glen, the more we relaxed around each other and we began to discuss more than just the music. Our thoughts and feelings, opinions on things and our worries. Starting to get to know each other on this level allowed us to understand one another better and made us more relaxed to think critically on what each of us were producing. We started to question each other more, sometimes resulting in disagreements and arguments. But this was good, we were in a much better place that at the start where we would just say "great", "well done" and "perfect" to everything.
We regularly talk to each other about this and how our writing relationship has grown over time. We are now a lot more understanding of one another and everything is done and said with the common goal and passion of making the song the best it can be. This is a relationship I have also developed with Sean and Mr Clyne.
Sean and I are also in Stay For Tomorrow so he has to put up with me a lot. I feel we have definitely gone through this process as well, regularly butting heads over sections of songs and the direction to take things in. Whereas now we understand that we are both just pushing each other to be better versions of ourselves and create better music.
I feel it took longer to understand and create that relationship with Mr Clyne. I think part of me always wanted to impress him because he is slightly older than me and has also studied music. I've always felt that I wasn't perhaps good enough or the right sort of funky jammer that Mr Clyne was looking for in a guitarist. I guess the positive of this is that it has always forced me to get better and better. Cue psychologists who are going to tell me I have some sort of people pleaser complex and by spending time constantly trying to please others then I am never going to fully please myself and find inner peace… Moving on.
I believe now, many years on that Mr Clyne and I understand each other more, thus aiding our writing relationship and making it easier to bounce ideas off one another more freely without feeling like we are stepping on the other’s toes.
Songwriting session August 2017. Nic Holson (left), Mr Clyne (centre), Glen Gates (right).
It took time but, Glen Gates, Mr Clyne, Sean and I got to a point, through a lot of arguments and insecurities, where we can work more proficiently and ultimately better when it comes to song writing and all other band related activities.
We then threw a spanner in the works, well two in fact when Carrie and Holly joined the band.
I found from the start that Carrie was easy to work with, however I got the feeling that her own insecurities about her abilities made her feel as though she couldn’t add to the song writing. However more and more recently she has been coming out of her shell and getting involved which is great. The more people involved I find is better, if all the chefs are cooking the same broth so to speak. All the different influences and experience that each member of the band has, aids in creating a unique melting pot that makes our sound.
When Holly first joined the band, I admit I was scared of her. I brought this up on the band Christmas night out… If anyone remembers that night that is. Despite this, I also respected her a lot and I guess I was nervous about my own abilities because I thought that she was already a great song writer. I feel out of everyone, she has been the hardest to read and it has taken time but I feel we are now at a place where we understand each other more and ultimately that we just want the songs and the band to be the best they can be.
As I said when I started writing this blog, it was just going to be about my approach to song writing. Whilst questioning myself I discovered that for me the most important thing is the relationships I have with the people I write with. All the skills and tricks that I have studied and learnt are useful to help me get to the desired goal quicker, but they are nothing without the people that I write with. Now this isn't for everyone, there are plenty successful songwriters who do it all on their own, but for me collaboration is key. I love being able bounce ideas off of one another and get different people’s perspectives on musical and lyrical content. We constantly challenge each other and our ideas, but it is all done out love and passion for the songs and the band.
So, my advice to anyone who is in a band is to not expect yourself to be the next Lennon/McCartney overnight. Let your relationships develop, open up to one another and push each other to be better and improve. If someone has an area of weakness, don't just put them down for it. Encourage them to improve and help them develop for this will only aid in your song writing. Take criticism from your band mates and know that hopefully everyone in the band has the same goal. I don't believe anyone goes into a band with the view of writing "rubbish songs", everyone wants to write great music. Take time to learn from those around you and hopefully like me you will realise just how important and special your band mates and writing partners are.
This is a question I get asked all the time by my students and by people who are asking me about either of my bands. It was also a topic that would regularly come up through my time spent at music college and university and I feel that it is a question that people expect me to have a singular straight answer for. The reality is very different.
When I sat down to write this blog, I expected it to be about my approach to writing a song and techniques that I implement such as my use of chords and melody. I started to jot down key starting areas for writing a song such as:
- Starting with a melody
- Starting with a chord progression
- Starting with a drum groove
- Starting with a lyrical idea
- Starting with a genre focus
So, let's take a jaunt down the inner ramblings of my mind as I ask myself the question, "How Do I Write A Song?"
How Do I Write A Song?
I love to collaborate more than anything. Perhaps this is down to my own lack of confidence in my abilities and a need for my ideas to be approved by others. Perhaps it stems down to some level of finding it difficult to communicate with others 'normally' about thoughts and feelings but finding an avenue through music and the creative process. Perhaps it suggests some degree of feeling detached and alone but working with others on a common goal fills that void. Whatever deep philosophical meaning you choose to read into this, I simply love working and collaborating with others.
Now I'm not saying this is by any means easy. To fully work with someone else on a creative level I have learned requires both parties to fully open themselves up and be comfortable with one another. This is so that simple human foibles such as embarrassment and taking criticism to heart can be left by the wayside.
At the start of The Passing Sages, a lot of the early writing process was done between Glen Gates and me. I would then take these ideas and collaborate further with Sean and Mr Clyne.
At the beginning there was a mutual respect between us. I saw him as this older and wiser authority figure with a wealth of knowledge and experience about music. I very much saw my role as adding to the song ideas that Glen had, making the song fit his vision when performed by a band. This meant I would never just come up with 1 idea for a part but numerous. Perhaps because of my own lack of confidence in being able to decide on the best idea, or perhaps because I really wanted Glen's vision to be met as best it could.
The more I worked with Glen, the more we relaxed around each other and we began to discuss more than just the music. Our thoughts and feelings, opinions on things and our worries. Starting to get to know each other on this level allowed us to understand one another better and made us more relaxed to think critically on what each of us were producing. We started to question each other more, sometimes resulting in disagreements and arguments. But this was good, we were in a much better place that at the start where we would just say "great", "well done" and "perfect" to everything.
We regularly talk to each other about this and how our writing relationship has grown over time. We are now a lot more understanding of one another and everything is done and said with the common goal and passion of making the song the best it can be. This is a relationship I have also developed with Sean and Mr Clyne.
Sean and I are also in Stay For Tomorrow so he has to put up with me a lot. I feel we have definitely gone through this process as well, regularly butting heads over sections of songs and the direction to take things in. Whereas now we understand that we are both just pushing each other to be better versions of ourselves and create better music.
I feel it took longer to understand and create that relationship with Mr Clyne. I think part of me always wanted to impress him because he is slightly older than me and has also studied music. I've always felt that I wasn't perhaps good enough or the right sort of funky jammer that Mr Clyne was looking for in a guitarist. I guess the positive of this is that it has always forced me to get better and better. Cue psychologists who are going to tell me I have some sort of people pleaser complex and by spending time constantly trying to please others then I am never going to fully please myself and find inner peace… Moving on.
I believe now, many years on that Mr Clyne and I understand each other more, thus aiding our writing relationship and making it easier to bounce ideas off one another more freely without feeling like we are stepping on the other’s toes.
Songwriting session August 2017. Nic Holson (left), Mr Clyne (centre), Glen Gates (right).
It took time but, Glen Gates, Mr Clyne, Sean and I got to a point, through a lot of arguments and insecurities, where we can work more proficiently and ultimately better when it comes to song writing and all other band related activities.
We then threw a spanner in the works, well two in fact when Carrie and Holly joined the band.
I found from the start that Carrie was easy to work with, however I got the feeling that her own insecurities about her abilities made her feel as though she couldn’t add to the song writing. However more and more recently she has been coming out of her shell and getting involved which is great. The more people involved I find is better, if all the chefs are cooking the same broth so to speak. All the different influences and experience that each member of the band has, aids in creating a unique melting pot that makes our sound.
When Holly first joined the band, I admit I was scared of her. I brought this up on the band Christmas night out… If anyone remembers that night that is. Despite this, I also respected her a lot and I guess I was nervous about my own abilities because I thought that she was already a great song writer. I feel out of everyone, she has been the hardest to read and it has taken time but I feel we are now at a place where we understand each other more and ultimately that we just want the songs and the band to be the best they can be.
As I said when I started writing this blog, it was just going to be about my approach to song writing. Whilst questioning myself I discovered that for me the most important thing is the relationships I have with the people I write with. All the skills and tricks that I have studied and learnt are useful to help me get to the desired goal quicker, but they are nothing without the people that I write with. Now this isn't for everyone, there are plenty successful songwriters who do it all on their own, but for me collaboration is key. I love being able bounce ideas off of one another and get different people’s perspectives on musical and lyrical content. We constantly challenge each other and our ideas, but it is all done out love and passion for the songs and the band.
So, my advice to anyone who is in a band is to not expect yourself to be the next Lennon/McCartney overnight. Let your relationships develop, open up to one another and push each other to be better and improve. If someone has an area of weakness, don't just put them down for it. Encourage them to improve and help them develop for this will only aid in your song writing. Take criticism from your band mates and know that hopefully everyone in the band has the same goal. I don't believe anyone goes into a band with the view of writing "rubbish songs", everyone wants to write great music. Take time to learn from those around you and hopefully like me you will realise just how important and special your band mates and writing partners are.
Thank you for taking your time to read this and allowing me the opportunity to ramble on, you have saved one of my students from this being their guitar lesson. Hope everyone is taking care and staying safe and I can’t wait to see you all and get out their performing again once this is all over.
All the best.
Nic
All the best.
Nic
That’s a great post! Love the insight. Thank you for sharing. ������������
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