Songwriting Therapy 101: What’s a Song?
Most individuals I’ve asked believe about songs in terms of what they hear on the radio, those polished, professionally recorded sound nuggets that we sing in the shower, in our automobile, and when we assume no 1 else is listening. That is undoubtedly 1 definition. But what about instrumental music with no vocals, or vocals with no instruments (a cappella), or nontraditional instruments, or songs with no rhyming or chorus or strings of words that generate sense? To appear at music only as that which is presented to us by means of media is, in my opinion, to miss the point altogether.
There is a lot of books and classes and details on the net about the mechanics and theory behind writing songs. But most of That’s geared toward acquiring your song published, recorded, and on the radio, which is wonderful if That’s your aim. But songwriting can be utilised for healing, to express our thoughts and feelings and tell our stories. Employing songwriting as therapy is the approach of creatively operating by way of life’s challenges, past hurts, pressure, and so on.
If you feel about what tends to make a story excellent, it really is not just about the words. It really is what the words portray. It really is how they sound, the photographs they paint, the memories they unlock, and the lessons they teach. In a song, you not only have words to operate with, you also have sounds, such as the instruments and vocals, melodies, harmonies, and chords, that can support make a mood, express a feeling, and give a complete new dimension to the words.
For the reason that no two persons are specifically alike, their stories and their songs are not either. Therapeutic songs may perhaps involve:
- producing a vocal sound that expresses a deep feeling
- repeating a word or phrase sung to a melody
- singing a pre-current song that tells a story related to yours
- producing an original song that tells how you triumphed more than a challenging scenario
- playing an instrument that mimics the highs and lows of an expertise
- permitting your self to speak your story by way of words or sounds
- experimenting with various rhythms
By means of the approach of songwriting, you can discover unique methods of expressing oneself and ultimately figure out What’s most healing for oneself. So What’s a song? I define a song as a story that utilizes sound in a healing way. It is not up to me to define what That’s for any person else. What is YOUR definition of a song?
And if you would like to read far more about the healing energy of music, sound, and songwriting, I invite you to get your free of charge copy of my unique report “How to Use Music and Sound for Healing” at SongwritingTherapy.com.
