Skip to main content

Is Your Songwriting Inspiration-Dependent?

Is Your Songwriting Inspiration-Dependent?
Is Your Songwriting Inspiration-Dependent?

by Kapa Freeman

Talent may be keeping you from your songwriting goals, but not in the way you think.

There's an idea in the songwriting community that's really harmful. It's the idea that you have to have "talent" to write songs that people love. I know, because I used to think that too. It was crippling.

When you run into negative feedback on your songs, you feel like you should quit because you "Just don't have the gift.". We get this idea because hit songwriters make it look so easy, but watch any documentary on a hit songwriter's life and you'll see how many bad songs came before their good ones... and how many drafts went into the classic ones.

Talent can actually be a songwriter's handicap if it's not combined with skill.

The talent-only songwriter essentially relies on inspiration to give them songs that people connect with, but inspiration can be a crutch... a pretty unreliable crutch... and it comes and goes when it pleases. And when you don't have it, you simply can't write a good song without it.

Why?

Because you can't control it. In other words, depending on inspiration is basically writing songs on accident. Great songs aren't written on accident. There's an exception to every rule, but do you really want to bet that you're going to be the exception?

The alternative to being a talent-only songwriter is being a skilled songwriter. The talent-only songwriter writes great songs on accident, but a skilled songwriter writes great songs on purpose.

  • They know how to write lyrics that connect emotionally.
  • They know how to format melodies to make them memorable.
  • They know how to combine the two so they flow naturally.
  • They know how to use harmony to make a chorus explode.
  • They know how to use rhythm to ramp up energy.
  • The skilled songwriter has full control over their songwriting process.
  • They don't wait for inspiration to give them permission to write a great song. Inspiration takes orders from them.

Talent will only take you but so far. Skill will take you as far as talent can take you, and far beyond.


Check out all of the posts related to Music Marketing: 


Kapa Freeman is the Founder and Songwriting Coach of The Intentional Songwriter, whose goal is to help musicians become publisher-ready songwriters so they can access songwriter-only income streams that pay more money for less of their time.

After taking an "assembly line approach" to songwriting, Kepa added consistency to his songwriting and went from song rejections to publishing deals over the course of a year. Now he uses this same approach to help musicians go from beginning to publisher-ready songwriters in a matter of weeks.

https://www.prosongsonpurpose.com/




Tags:

Popular posts

"In Victory" by Veanea: Praise Is How You Live in Victory

Jesus rose. That changes everything about today. Veanea had a simple goal: glorify the God of signs and wonders. What she didn’t expect was how quickly He would show up in the process.  Veanea had been working on a verse when a chorus for the song broke through —  “Amazing signs and wonders King!” She sang it over and over, sat down at the keys, and the bridge practically wrote itself. That evening, she prayed honestly, telling God she couldn’t write about His wonders without completely depending on Him. The next morning, on a train, she opened her Bible to Psalm 66. The verses seemed to sing right off the page in the exact melody she’d just received. She laughed, realizing that God had already answered.  That same joy runs through every line of the song. “You calmed the storm and stilled the wind and Your arm split the sea // So I can walk ahead in victory.” The God who parted waters for Israel is the same God who is walking with you through whatever it is that you’re carry...
More >>

"Is Anybody There? (Psalm 27)" by Stephen M. Miller: Holding On to Grace at Heaven’s Door

Stephen M. Miller's "Is Anybody There? (Psalm 27)" comes in the quiet aftermath of the Christmas celebrations, when reflection can feel like isolation. Stephen's song isn't about polishing away his mistakes, nor does it encourage you to do so with your mistakes. Stephen shares his painful experience, "I never saw it coming Lord // It felt right but it was wrong // Family and friends have left me // But I still have you and a song."   Stephen owns the fallout of his actions, taking accountability without despair. "I said it and I did it, Lord // Broke more hearts than I'll ever know // I can't fix this, though I've tried // Don't be angry, and please don't go." His song is a prayer for God's presence and guidance. "Hear me when I call you, Lord // Don't turn your face away // Don't give up on me like others have // Come help me through this day." Stephen describes a fear that we too experience when we ...
More >>

"Not Every Light Is Heaven" by whispering HOPE: How to Tell Real Light from Deception

How do you tell true Light from imitations? Something glittering always seems to promise more. Diamonds in the darkness, a glow on the horizon — your eyes move toward it before your mind catches up. That pull is what whispering HOPE is pointing out in this song: the way imitated brightness can masquerade as a blessing, but slowly draws you away from peace rather than into it. The lyrics describe an experience most of us will recognize. “Every glow looked like a promise, but it pulled me out of peace.” You’ve been there. A relationship, an opportunity, a version of success that sparkled just long enough to seem like the answer — but in reality it left emptiness behind. “Every spark without Your presence left a hollow in its place.” That emptiness is an important signal to pay attention to. The apostle Paul named this dynamic in 2 Corinthians 11:14 —  “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Deception rarely announces itself. It arrives dressed as an opportunity, appearing...
More >>