How do you write songs?

That’s the question I’m asked the most by guitar playing college students on the road, waiters here in Nashville and music ministers wanting to contribute something of their own making to their church’s services.  I could tell you the answer, but I’d rather show you.

I’m beginning to write songs for my next studio project.  I have an idea of where it’s headed thematically, but I’m not certain.  So, at this point I sit down with a guitar or a piano every day and just play.  And go where I feel like going musically while not worrying at all about where things go lyrically.  I ad lib lyrics – la las, conversations with God, nonsense – unfiltered, without thinking about how silly I might sound.  I don’t think about pitch, perfect playing, commerciality, radio potential, etc.  I just sing and play.  It’s all about feeling, spontaneity, gut. 

And things happen – sometimes good things, very good things.

Last night, for example, I sat down with a guitar in my lap and played “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.” I played every variation on it I could come up with.  I played it for more than an hour: minor, major, modal, slow, fast, six eight, seven eight, five four, intimate, bombastic, every chord progression that fit and many that didn’t.  After a while I started hearing another melody that worked over one set of those chords.  I played it a dozen or so times and went to bed.

This morning, driving back home from an errand, the radio off, that melody came back to me.  As soon as I got home I sat down – this time at the piano – and banged it out for a quick recording.  Now, it’s captured and I can come back later and listen and decide if it’s worth turning into something that actually resembles a song.

This is like doodling to an artist.  Taking off all the boundaries – musical limitations and time constraints – and letting the ideas flow.  Then, capturing the musical doodles to scrutinize and actually work on later…with the filters back on.

Here’s this morning’s doodle: