What Musical Inspiration Looks Like
By Tommaso Zillio
Most guitar students start taking lessons with the unsaid hope of one day being able to write their own songs. What I see in my experience is that, while they DO want to write their own song, they never talk about this with their guitar teacher.
Usually it’s because they make the assumption that their teacher can not help them in learning how to write songs.
(Wait, did I just write “LEARN” how to write songs? Yes, I did! And yes, you CAN learn how to write songs… it’s not something you have or not, it’s a skill like many others)
Back to us: if you want to learn how to write songs - no matter what is your present level, I suggest you let your guitar teacher know as soon as possible, so that he or she can help you in that.
the thing is this: musical inspiration and the ability to write songs are not a mystical thing.
In fact musical inspiration is a very mundane happening: it’s just you having musical ideas. If you ever sang something to yourself, or whistled a melody that you made up on the moment, that’s musical inspiration. It’s something natural that you just need to let happen.
Just pass by your local kindergarten and you will hear children singing made up songs all the time.
So musical inspiration happens to everybody: the difference between a “normal person” and a musician is that musicians learns to capture and use these moments to write music. That is, while a “normal person” would make up a melody and let it go (i.e. forget it), a musician knows what to do to take this moment and record it so that he or she can compose a song later.
In fact musicians specifically train to do this. Again, inspiration is innate, but knowing what to do when inspiration strikes is not an innate ability: you have to learn it.
In fact, it’s not even hard. So what should you do when inspiration strikes? Watch this video to find out:
Usually it’s because they make the assumption that their teacher can not help them in learning how to write songs.
(Wait, did I just write “LEARN” how to write songs? Yes, I did! And yes, you CAN learn how to write songs… it’s not something you have or not, it’s a skill like many others)
Back to us: if you want to learn how to write songs - no matter what is your present level, I suggest you let your guitar teacher know as soon as possible, so that he or she can help you in that.
the thing is this: musical inspiration and the ability to write songs are not a mystical thing.
In fact musical inspiration is a very mundane happening: it’s just you having musical ideas. If you ever sang something to yourself, or whistled a melody that you made up on the moment, that’s musical inspiration. It’s something natural that you just need to let happen.
Just pass by your local kindergarten and you will hear children singing made up songs all the time.
So musical inspiration happens to everybody: the difference between a “normal person” and a musician is that musicians learns to capture and use these moments to write music. That is, while a “normal person” would make up a melody and let it go (i.e. forget it), a musician knows what to do to take this moment and record it so that he or she can compose a song later.
In fact musicians specifically train to do this. Again, inspiration is innate, but knowing what to do when inspiration strikes is not an innate ability: you have to learn it.
In fact, it’s not even hard. So what should you do when inspiration strikes? Watch this video to find out:
You see? That was not the end of the world is it? In fact, you may already be doing something similar. And even if not, it’s never too late to start.
Even if at the beginning you do not feel that this practice make much of a difference, stick to it. In a few weeks you will see how much you will improve in capturing inspiration and make use of it.
About The Author A professional guitarist, teacher, and composer, Tommaso Zillio enjoys particularly writing about writing songs
Even if at the beginning you do not feel that this practice make much of a difference, stick to it. In a few weeks you will see how much you will improve in capturing inspiration and make use of it.
About The Author A professional guitarist, teacher, and composer, Tommaso Zillio enjoys particularly writing about writing songs