3 Creative Constraints For Writing More Songs In Less Time
Why Setting Boundaries Will Set You Free
Still on the road this week, seeing family and friends. Topped off the trip seeing Paul Simon at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
Watching him, I was reminded about creative constraints. Which prompted me to dig this one out of the vault — one of the first newsletters I ever wrote.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I realized it includes a line from Paul Simon himself about writing “backwards.” Made me want to reshare it.
Here are three creative constraints for writing songs faster.
In a world where artists are expected to create nonstop, speed is a superpower.
When I started my songwriting journey it would take me weeks to finish one song.
Now I can write one between breakfast and lunch (and still have time for a pre-lunch work out).
I do this by embracing creative constraints.
Unfortunately, most writers waste years writing songs without ever setting constraints for themselves.
Why?
They don’t understand the power of limitation.
Creative constraints are boundaries you set for yourself. They help you get more work done by giving you less to work with.
The greatest writers of all time did this.
Robert Frost likened writing free verse (poetry without a regular meter) to playing tennis without a net.
You might think this would crush your creative spark.
But constraints actually make you more creative.
Because when you limit your options, you’re forced to stretch yourself to come up with something unique. Something that fits within the guidelines you’ve set.
Not only that… you get to choose the constraints you work with.
You can even invent your own.
In this newsletter, I’d like to share three of the most helpful constraints I’ve found so you can use them to write more songs in less time.
Here are 3 time tested creative constraints to help you do that.
Perfect Rhyme
Rhymes are considered “perfect” when they end with matching vowel and consonant sounds, like smash and crash.
“Imperfect” or “slant” rhymes have matching vowel sounds with different consonants at the end, like smash and craft.
Perfect rhyme helps you write fast by giving you fewer options to work with.
The one trick to using perfect rhyme:
Avoid clichés like a cat avoids a bath (which pretty much rules out the word love).
Are you starting to see how this can boost creativity?
Using perfect rhyme makes you stretch to find new and better words.
Try it for yourself:
Write your next song using 80% perfect rhyme.
Notice how the perfect rhyme feels in comparison to the imperfect rhyme.
Start With The Title
Starting a song without a title is like driving around town on an empty stomach looking for something to eat.
Bad decisions at every turn.
When you start with a title, you know where you’re going.
Now all you have to do is let the lyrics lead you there.
You can even write backwards from the title. As Paul Simon says:
“…backwards is still an order. Songs move in many directions at once…”
Whatever way you choose, this makes your songs more clear.
And when your songs are more clear, they have a better chance of connecting with your audience.
Writing more songs in less time AND building a better connection with your audience...
These constraints are starting to look pretty good.
Structure Each Section’s Melody Using AABA
This one took me years to learn.
We know about song form. But great songwriters go deeper.
They see the hidden structure inside every section.
The chorus melody has a structure. So does the verse melody.
The most efficient one I’ve found is AABA:
Do something once
Now repeat that thing
Now do something different
Now go back to the first thing one last time
This is a quick way to create a feeling of completion for the listener.
It also eliminates the question, “do we need a pre chorus?”
No, we don’t.
The song feels great just like this:
Verse 1 - AABA
Chorus 1 - AABA
Verse 2 - AABA
Chorus 2 - AABA
Break (repeat the title and/or ad-lib melodies over the same chords).
Chorus 3 - AABA
Assuming your chorus doesn’t change, this lets you write a 12 line song.
Now the only question is, how long does it take you to write 12 lines?
If you enjoyed reading this, the highest compliment I can think of is if you restacked it or shared it with one person who you think it would help.
000-18?
I often know my title… but more importantly, in many cases, that title encompasses the metaphor I intend to use to carry the lyrics, the “theme”, the reason for the song.