Welcome to Peoria Guitar School! Classic Rock - Heavy Metal - Guitar Lessons
Northwest - Valley 623-234-1130
You are an individual. A person with a unique story. Let the world hear it!
Starting with the first mistake:
1) Comparing your music to that of your favorite artists
There are many things wrong with this. The main reason is, they are a different person from you. They have different life experience, training, and perception of the world. Never expect to be the "next" Mick Jagger, Axl Rose, or James Hetfield. You are a unique being and should be proud of your own self-expression. The truth is, someone right now needs to hear your voice (or guitar, piano - whatever you play). When you are vulnerable and share your emotions with the world, you become a superhero. That's why the best artists are so popular.
Think about the reasons you love your idol. Is it because they censor themselves, in fear that someone won't agree with what they have to say? Or is it because they show themselves from the inside out, saying what they believe.
I know the answer.
So, become a beacon of self-expression for people who need the light. Understand that your "sound", your "voice" is great. Because you are the only person who can do it the way you do. Of course, there's always room for improvement though!
2) Letting it die after the first draft
Imagine if Shakespeare published his works without editing, polishing, revising. It might not be obvious to the casual reader, or in this case, listener. But you must know how rare it is for any creative work to be great with the first version. Sure, you can spit out a song in one day on occasion. But is it worth listening to?
The best writers edit the mercy out of their compositions.
This doesn't mean you have to be so meticulous about it that you change every letter, every word, every day. It does mean that you should improve it over time. I recommend waiting a couple days after writing before you come back to edit. Then you want to spend an accumulative few day to a week editing. That means the total time you spend on it should be at least a few days - regardless of if they are consecutive days or not.
3) Writing something that is different than what you intended
This might seem very obvious. But often times, we lose direction on the song's meaning. Being very clear on what we want to express will help us avoid this mistake. It also helps to write what we want to express down, so we can stay focused.
It's easy to start writing on a tangent, especially when ideas are flowing. That happens sometimes. But when we do this, it almost never turns out the same way we "heard" it in our head.
Learn to stay on track, and only write what the original idea for the song was about.
Keep your big vision at the front of your mind. It's important that you keep going the right direction.
Wait, you mean it's that simple?
Yes.
Of course, there are more mistakes you can make when writing a song. But these are the most important. And considering I've released three albums on my own, it holds some weight.
And there you go. You now have three things to avoid. This will make you a better songwriter in the long run. But above all, have fun. It's supposed to be an adventure.
Here for you on your musical adventure.
- Joshua Richard
About the author: Joshua Richard is a die hard Post Malone fan and watch collector. If you want to hear his music, visit https://monsterswhosleep.com