Songwriting is one of the best ways for musicians to express themselves. It can even be therapeutic, giving players a healthy way to process challenging emotions and experiences. And while it is possible to be a successful songwriter who works completely alone, there are a lot of benefits that come from collaborating with other musicians.
First off, writing with another musician can be the best way to overcome the “blank page” roadblock. If you are not familiar with that term, it refers to when you sit down to create something and cannot seem to get started.
No ideas come.
Your creative brain has left the building.
Having another musician to talk with and bounce ideas off of can be just the catalyst you need to get your creative river to flow again. And it does not necessarily even have to be a musician! I am currently in one of my most prolific songwriting stages and it is because I am working with a choreographer, writing music for her performances. The process always starts with her telling me what she wants the dance to be about, the style or genre of music, the tempo, and the instrumentation. As we discuss these elements the blank page is quickly filled up with music.
Welcome back, creative brain!
Another benefit to writing with others is that it can protect you from plagiarizing yourself. It is extremely common for solo songwriters to sometimes repeat melodies, chord progressions, song structures, etc. This can be done subconsciously, with the songwriter not even realizing it.
I can remember working with an amazing guitarist and songwriter back in the early 90’s. The first few songs he brought to the band were fresh and innovative, but with subsequent songs he wrote we recognized that he ended every verse and chorus with the same rhythmic device. Since he was signing our paychecks, we did not point this out at first, but as we became friends, I finally brought it up to him. At first, he denied it but when I played parts from various songs and demonstrated the similar rhythmic phrasing he started laughing. He was completely unaware that he was copying himself. This revelation helped him to rework the songs, giving each song its own unique identity.
The final benefit to collaboration that I want to share with you is that working with another creative person can help you stay motivated, complete songs, and fend off procrastination. Working with other people can provide the accountability you need to stay on track and accomplish your musical goals in a timely manner. When writing alone it is so easy to get distracted or talk yourself out of being productive.
So, what does it take to be a good collaborator?
Not much, really.
All that is required is for you to approach each songwriting session with an open mind and a positive attitude. You should not be looking for someone who just agrees with everything you put forth. That is a dead end and no better than working alone. You need someone who will challenge or question your writing and offer new concepts and avenues to explore. That can be invigorating and result in the creation of the best music you have ever written.
Correction: Co-written!
So, go forth and find people to create with!
Story by Dale Titus
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Dale has been a professional bassist for 40 years and during that time was an instructor/counselor at the Bass Institute of Technology, a freelance writer for Bass Player magazine as well as the Editor of Bass Frontiers magazine. He also released The Ultimate Beginner Series for Bass videos and book for Alfred Publishing, as well as the Everything Bass YouTube channel.