In a previous section we talked about the “Crawl, Walk, Run” technique, which is a handy metaphor for when you (1.) “Crawl” by learning the basics of a new technique, taking care to make sure you’re doing it correctly; then (2.) “Walk” by repeatedly practicing it to become more and more fluent; and (3.) “Run” by applying the technique in real-life situations.
To find your feet with any new challenge, you can use a variety of strategies. In this session we’ll examine seven effective strategies for learning.
Test your memory
Just reading a book or listening to lectures is a good start — but you’ll want to go beyond that and really internalize what you’re learning. Unless you ingrain the knowledge deeply in yourself, it won’t come easily when you’re writing songs. So to absorb information more deeply, try reading one chapter or listening to one lecture and taking notes on just the main points. Then close the book, conceal your notes from yourself, and test yourself on what you’ve read.
Collect and compare examples of what you’re learning
Let’s say you’ve been reading about rhyme schemes — how many examples of different rhyme schemes can you collect from songs you hear? Another example: if you’re learning the minor pentatonic scale, listen to songs that use that scale, such as blues and rock, to hear how different artists draw on that scale’s notes to write melodies.
Use what you’re learning to write songs (or pieces of songs)
When you study the craft of lyric writing or music composition daily, you’ll get lots of ideas for songs. Some of these will arrive as actual pieces of lyrics or music, but others are more like hunches: “What if I wrote a song using that rhyme scheme I was just reading about?” or “I haven’t written a song in ¾ time yet; what might that sound like?” Ideas like these slip away easily, so I recommend immediately capturing them on paper — and try to act on these ideas quickly, just to see what happens. Don’t put pressure on yourself to create something brilliant — instead, make learning and discovery your main goal. Some experiment results might sound like promising song material; others won’t. But you’ll always learn something by making the experiment.
Teach what you know to somebody else
Presenting instruction from memory to a fellow aspirant is a great way to reinforce your learning. Whether it’s done in a formal teacher-student context or in a more casual setting, sharing what you’ve learned is great review.
Record yourself playing, listen back to it, and evaluate
When attempting to play something difficult on your instrument (your voice counts as an instrument), record yourself playing and then listen to the recording. It can be hard sometimes to hear your own mistakes while your mind’s all tied up in the mechanics of actually playing, so evaluate the recording with a notebook open in front of you, taking notes on exactly what needs correction or what needs improvement. Sometimes it’s a good idea to let the recording sit overnight so you can listen tomorrow. This ensures that you hear yourself a little more objectively, so you hear yourself a little more like your listeners do.
Critique the work of other songwriters, and get critiqued in turn
It may feel a bit nerve-wracking, but revealing your works-in-progress to fellow songwriters and asking for an honest evaluation can be a great learning experience. You can get evaluations for free from your peers either locally or online — or you can pay somebody experienced in the craft to give you a more professional and thorough evaluation. Giving thoughtful, honest critiques to fellow songwriters who want your input can be a learning experience, too. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about the craft by listening carefully, thinking deeply, and offering opinions on the work of fellow songwriters.
Analyze a song to discover what makes it tick
Song analysis is paying close attention to a song and deconstructing its individual parts. The goal is to see what useful lessons you can learn from another songwriter’s work. Use all your technical knowledge to notice what techniques are in play: for example, you might take note of the rhyme scheme, you might do some detective work to figure out what scale the melody uses. Which techniques can you recognize in that song you love? Which techniques are serving the song well, and which could be used more effectively? What techniques give the song its unique mood?