I’ve been writing both words and music since my childhood, and nothing gives me more pleasure than combining those two interests in the medium of a satisfying song.

In writing my own material, my guiding principle is to respect the idea.

Some songs begin with a musical motif, some begin with a a sentence, or even a just a word or two, of text. Some songs begin with nothing more than a subject or a question. And some come from so deep in the sub-conscious that I don’t know where they came from. A song might get written in less than an hour, and the next one might take 10 years. With some songs, I have to read two or three books about the subject before I can put pen to paper, while others just demand a beer and a guitar. Craft can help a lot, but nothing can take the place of being open to ideas and being prepared to follow them where they lead.

I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of writing material for others. I’ve written songs for weddings, and I’ve written songs for companies. I once had a commission to write a song about weasels from a major utility company. I think it turned out pretty well. Fortunately, they didn’t try to weasel out of paying.  Having a brief can be almost as liberating and helpful as having a deadline. Sometimes the brief is to write a hit. Sometimes the brief is to celebrate an occasion. Sometimes the brief is to create a great work of art. All of these briefs are valid and spur creativity and excellence.

More recently, I’ve been doing quite a lot of collaborative and consultative work with other songwriters.

There’s nothing like 30 years of studying the songs of Gustav Mahler, Franz Schubert, Cole Porter, Jim Croce, Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix to help you see where the opportunities are to lift a song from ‘good’ to ‘exceptional.’ Again, craft can help, and I find that here in particular, my experience arranging and orchestration comes in very handy.

Part of a songwriter’s gift having the agility and delicacy to catch an idea as it floats by without damaging the fragile wings of inspiration, but that must be complemented by the patience and skill to be prepared to seek out, and do justice to, all the creative possibilities of the ideas you’ve so carefully and delicately captured.

If you’re looking for songs, or if you’re looking for ways to develop your songwriting, feel free to drop me a line at ken@kennethwoods.net