Songwriting is a genuinely tough but very fulfilling art that goes hand and hand with musicianship. But just like practicing your instrument, there are plenty of bad habits that you can make the task much harder than it should be. Below, we take a look as some of the most common bad habits that can quickly derail your songwriting process.    

Depending On Your Memory

Do not ever presume that you will be able to hold a particular concept in your memory for a few minutes - remember that lots of distractions might come your way within those few minutes. In case you have a fresh song idea, record it right away or write it down; and be sure to collect all those scraps together for future reference.  

Beginning New Songs The Same Way

There is nothing incorrect with being a chords-first songwriter. However, there is a problem with beginning every song you compose that way. How a song finally sounds has a whole lot to do with exactly how you start the process. Therefore, beginning all the songs by working out some chords on the guitar, for instance, will provide all your songs with an identical sound, and that is not good at all.  

Leaving Your Smartphone On Near You

Mobile phones are constantly beeping and distracting you. Composing a song demands attentiveness, and if you are always being disturbed there is absolutely no way that you will write properly. It is suggested that you mute the phone and keep it in a separate room while you are writing. For identical reasons, switch off the TV.  

Never Completing Songs

The majority of the songwriters focus on a number of songs at the same time. Some might invent fresh lyric ideas but cannot manage to focus and complete any of them. In case this seems like you, grab your notebook immediately and select one of the song fragments. Set a timer and stay glued to the chair till the timer goes off. In case it is not done by then, replicate the same process once again.  

Never Recording Completed Songs

It seems great to have a demo of a track you have composed; a demo is simply for reference purposes. Turn on a recording program or that digital workstation on your PC and get some audio down - afterward, you will be happy that you did.  

Doing The Same Things Over And Over

In case you are not obtaining the results you desire, perhaps it is time to look at performing things in a different way. A lot of songwriters check out what their rival songwriters are performing and feel that they must be doing the same task. However, this does not seem sensible if you are not where you want to be. Perhaps it is time to perform the reverse of what everybody in the music industry does and commence doing what really works.   By getting rid of the bad habits above, you can make sure that your time and effort doesn't go to waste. Whether its distractions, boredom, or just not following through, writing and recording a song is filled with bumps on the road. But by removing them, you can make sure the process goes as smooth as possible.    

Your Turn to Sound Off!

What are some habits that negatively affect your songwriting?

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