Music from the Heart: Songwriting
Published in "Devozine," Nov/Dec 2016 Edition
Psalm 104:33
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
The lyrics usually come to me first, and I jot them down in a spiral notebook. Then I cross out words and replace them with more fitting revisions. A template for a tune dances in my head and comes to life as I sit at my keyboard and pencil chords above the lyrics.
One of the many things I love about songwriting is that a song can't be wrong. It is my creation and can be crafted in whatever way I choose. The combination of lyrics, melody, and rhythm have never before been expressed in the exact way I am expressing them.
The song has no life until I give it one. This process uses my mind, voice, and fingers, but it also taps into my heart. Words that have long lived within me find their way to paper as lyrics. Feelings of loss, joy, confusion, or sorrow find a resting place when they are woven into a song. Pain is dulled, if only slightly, when I hear it creating something beautiful instead of continuing the cycle of grief within me. The music I make from the deepest places of my heart is always the most healing.
Dear God, help us bring you the music of our hearts. Whether our tunes sing of rejoicing or sorrow, thank you for listening. Amen.
Psalm 104:33
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
The lyrics usually come to me first, and I jot them down in a spiral notebook. Then I cross out words and replace them with more fitting revisions. A template for a tune dances in my head and comes to life as I sit at my keyboard and pencil chords above the lyrics.
One of the many things I love about songwriting is that a song can't be wrong. It is my creation and can be crafted in whatever way I choose. The combination of lyrics, melody, and rhythm have never before been expressed in the exact way I am expressing them.
The song has no life until I give it one. This process uses my mind, voice, and fingers, but it also taps into my heart. Words that have long lived within me find their way to paper as lyrics. Feelings of loss, joy, confusion, or sorrow find a resting place when they are woven into a song. Pain is dulled, if only slightly, when I hear it creating something beautiful instead of continuing the cycle of grief within me. The music I make from the deepest places of my heart is always the most healing.
Dear God, help us bring you the music of our hearts. Whether our tunes sing of rejoicing or sorrow, thank you for listening. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment