Songwriting Sunday: Chance Composing

Oh, composition.

There are times when I have to write a song but just can't get the creative flow going. When I am not feeling like writing music, I have some tricks to get things started. I have pictures that help me get going, thinking about goals, and today's topic, chance composition!

Chance composition is one of the best ways for me to unstop dams clogging up my creativity. I use either dice or small cards to help me. The way it works is pretty easy. I decide what each card or number indicates. The dice have the numbers 1-6 already there, so I can use those for pitches. I roll a die, jot down the number, figure out what that means in pitch, and then, off I go to grab some staff paper.

I think I am going to add my small cards to my songwriting kit. I can make some really little ones that will fit into a snack baggie that will fit into the kit without any sort of issue.

The biggest problem with doing some chance composition is that the dice do not always make the most musical phrases happen. I have learned to take some creative license with what happens during these types of compositions. I change rhythms to fit my meter and lyrics. I make sure that phrases end as they "should" to make things sound more musical and make them easier for me and my clients to sing and remember. 

I usually can break out of a creative rut without too much work when I use this technique. It helps me realize that music is always there to be played and played with. I enjoy this because of its random nature. You never know when you will end up with repeated notes or repeated patterns or things that would sound great for different styles but not for the clients that I need to compose for.

Here is my mantra during composition - "There are no ways to be wrong!"

I write everything down because you never know when an idea that isn't right at the moment will become the foundation for the next song. So, I jot things down on post-it notes when they aren't ready to be developed fully. It is time to make this an intentional practice in my life again.

Today's songwriting practice is not mine - there are rumors that Mozart used something like this to compose when he got stuck - but it is a fun thing to have in your songwriting toolbox. Enjoy!!