Productive Co-Writing
By Kim Copeland
I love to co-write. I still write by myself often because I enjoy that process too. But sometimes writing in a vacuum can be frustrating, even painful, whereas co-writing is usually fun because you have someone to bounce ideas off of, say stupid things until the profound ones pop out, share the |
| Kim Copeland Music Producer |
Co-writing is very popular in Nashville. There are a few great reasons to co-write songs. One is that it typically builds catalog faster. Another is that it multiplies the potential exposure for the finished song. (Presumably all writers involved in the song will use their connections to get it heard, pitched, recorded and released. The royalties are divided, but the marketing efforts are multiplied.) Also, the costs of recording a demo and/or hiring a song plugger are diminished when there is more than one writer.
Some writers are very self-contained. They are good musicians, lyricists and vocalists. Most are not. Most of us are stronger in one area - lyrics, music or melody - than in another and can benefit from writing with others whos strengths play to our weaknesses.
If you struggle with lyrics, but are a great musician, look for a lyricist that could benefit from your musical talent. You will both write stronger songs by combining your talents. You will likely both enjoy the process as well as the success more. If you write strong grooves and lyrics, but are weak on melody, you might look for an artist who has a natural ear for melody, but has little interest or talent for music and/or lyrics.
A good place to find co-writers is at shows. If you have a local songwriters night, or even a band performance venue, go and listen. When you hear someone displaying a talent that you lack and that could enhance your songwriting, approach them and ask to try co-writing. If you are a member of a songwriting group, look for co-writers within your group, but do not limit yourself to them. With email, Skype, etc., it is easy to co-write long distance.
If you are a triple threat songwriter, you may enjoy co-writing because it brings your new perspectives and new ideas. There are many, many examples of great co-writing teams with both similar talents and complimenting, but different talents.
Deciding when, where and how to co-write can be as challenging as the actual process of co-creating a song. If you are good at melody, music and lyric, you should always write by yourself. But that does not mean that you should not co-write as well. Sometimes we can all benefit from another point of view on a topic or another's way of saying the same thing differently than ourselves.
The trick is in knowing when to co-write; which ideas to offer up for co-writing. Productivity is not just quantity, it is also quality. Co-writing can help you write more songs and stronger songs if both writers are focused on the same goals.
When you have a topic that is near and dear to you - a therapeutic song; you should give it a try solo first. It may be that the writing process is more important than the finished product in some cases; i.e., the commercial outcome of the song may be enhanced by bringing in another set of eyes and ears, but the satisfaction might not be as strong.
If, on the other hand, you are not as emotionally connected to an idea, it can be very enlightening and fun to see how someone else approaches the idea differently than you. (A different payoff to the story; angle for the character; tempo; groove, etc.)
Co-writing can not only bring in other ideas from the other people in the room with you; it can also inspire you to new ideas that you would not otherwise have found on your own. Creative energy is a powerful force and sometimes it is magnified when two or more writers are batting ideas around and reacting to each other.
Another secret of productive co-writing is to find a couple of writers whom you feel comfortable bringing anything to; whom you know will be honest with you, but also willing to follow you down any rabbit trail, and stick with them. Have regular writing appointments and set goals for yourself as a team. Challenge and encourage each other and share in each others successes. You will grow together and find opportunities are multiplied by your co-writing relationship as you cross pollinate your audiences and resources.
I once had two co-writers who I wrote with every week. We began many sessions with golf clubs before we picked up guitars. 9 holes of golf almost always produced a germ of a song idea for us to chase in the writing room. It made us more productive than sitting, staring at walls would have. It relaxed us physically and creatively.
One secret to productive co-writing is to “get naked”. To be a good co-writer, you must be willing to bare your souls with each other; to explore without inhibitions whatever the subject matter is. That is the only way you can write honestly with another person in the room.
This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to share all of your very personal experiences with the other person, but you have to be able to get into character in front of them and share whatever honest emotion drives the song you are writing.
Productivity comes from practice. The more you co-write, the more access to ideas you have and the more help you have writing those ideas to completion.
When you become a good co-writer, you will also become a better solo writer.
Better writers write more songs because they spend less time in angst over what is good and what is trivial. They understand the craft of songwriting better and things that may once have been stumbling blocks are now second nature.
Most often, productive co-writing is also fun co-writing.
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