Co-writing is a normal part of the songwriting life. But many people struggle with the idea of co-writing. Songwriting is often deeply personal and bringing someone else into that process can be understandably uncomfortable at times. These 5 tips can be implemented today to help improve your co-writing experience:
Get to know each other
Depending on how well you know your co-writer, meeting to create together can feel awkward. Before “getting down to business,” I’ve found it helps to ask my collaborator how they are doing and to be ready to share how I’m doing. If you’re a little nervous it might help to say so out loud. If you’re having a bad day, try being honest about that. Often these “warm up” conversations can even inform the song you’ll write that day.
Embrace your songwriting superpower
My son loves the Avenger movies. Ever notice how the Avengers are more powerful as a team because each Avenger has a unique superpower they bring to the table? Most songwriters tends to be better at either melody, lyric, or overall vibe. Rarely is a songwriter truly great at all three. What’s your songwriting superpower? And how can you grow in that strength?
Play with the magic number
Recently, a friend who is a top ccm/worship publisher mentioned that he’s discovered the magic number is “three writers in a room.” Two is better than one, but he’s found his best songs emerge when three people write. Once you get the hang of writing with one other writer, challenge yourself to invite a third person into the mix.
Be a good hang
Generosity goes a long way in any relationship. One of my favorite entrepreneurs, Paul The Apostle, wrote this advice: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.” I’ll be honest: I need to improve at this as a co-writer! We can passionately fight toward the perfect lyric, note, or vibe WHILE being considerate and hospitable as collaborators.
Come prepared
Rarely have I had a good co-writing experience if I show up expecting the other person to bring the ideas. Find a way to capture and organize your song ideas so that you can easily reference them at the beginning of a writing session. Even better: have 1-3 ideas already picked out. If the other writer doesn’t have something then you aren’t scratching your heads trying to force “inspiration.”