How To Finish More Song Ideas

Work through your endless notebooks of unfinished ideas, and get your songs ready to show the world.

If you are a songwriter then I'm sure you have a mountain of songs that just "aren't quite there yet" or are "missing something". Or you have endless concepts, verses, and choruses that you struggle to expand into full songs.

Maybe you are a producer, forever chasing a mixdown you are happy with?

Or a musician that agonises over arrangement?

Either way, struggling to finish song ideas is an issue that nearly every artist out there comes across.

Luckily this article is full of strategies and techniques to help you finalise songs, so you can perform them, release them, and get them out there.

Sketch first, refine later

Whether you are a songwriter, lyricist, singer, or producer. Perfectionism, and getting bogged down in details can destroy momentum, and leave you feeling stuck. It can help to think of the creative process as circular and not linear. Expecting to complete one part, and then move on to the next, can cause you issues. Getting bogged down by the details when in creative flow can cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture, and stop creativity in its tracks. Leaving you unsure of where your idea was going, or what it even was.

One way to overcome this is to shift your mindset, and think about sketching your song roughly at first, not stopping to agonise over adjectives, EQ a drum, or stress over simile. Maybe you aren't happy with your chorus or the last line in a verse is scrappy. Keep going, you can go back later and refine. It can be more important at this stage to use your creative energy to expand an idea, so you don't get stuck in the early stages of songwriting.

Photo by Adhy Setya on Unsplash

Set a deadline

Making music can be an endless cycle of tweaking and adjusting if we let it. Reworking melodies, metaphors, and chasing the perfect mixdown. Setting a deadline can help you to focus, make critical decisions, and help with perfectionism.

A couple of things to think about when setting a deadline:

1. Is it far enough in advance that it's actually possible?
2. Does it provide enough motivation to help you finish your idea? For example - your deadline could be a gig, a slot with a session musician, studio time, or maybe you've announced on socials that you are releasing a song on that day.
3. If a single deadline feels overwhelming. Break the process down into smaller tasks, each with their own deadline.

Write a checklist

Once the excitement behind an initial idea fades, it can be tough to keep the interest going long enough to get a song over the line. Writing a 'To Do' checklist can help to overcome this. Not glamorous I know, but whatever works right? Write down everything that needs to be done to finish your song and work on each task one at a time until it's finished, and tick them off as you go. This can give you the sense of achievement, and motivation to get an idea done.

Here is an example of a checklist for an electronic music artist:

• Finalise second verse
• Add reverb to intro
• EQ background pad
• Automate delay on vocal
• Sidechain kick to bass
• Check loudness

There are apps available such as Todoist that can help you here.

Stay organised

Another tip that isn't exactly rock and roll, but it can work. 

Staying organised can help for a number of reasons, and there many different areas you can organise for more fruitful song writing:

• Have a dedicated space in your home for songwriting. This removes more obstacles and excuses to the creative process. If your amp, mic, and notepad are always ready, you can jump straight in whenever you are feeling it.
• Keep your space organised: This is another thing that can knock you out of creative flow, especially if you are a top level procrastinator. There's no better distraction to finishing your song than a messy writing space that needs cleaning.
• Have somewhere to write lyrics at all times when inspiration strikes. This may be as simple as a notepad on your phone, or a real life one small enough to carry around all day. The missing piece of a song puzzle may come to you when you least expect it.

Bonus song finishing strategy: Always keep previous drafts of songs. It's often the first versions of songs that have the most vibe that you are looking for, driven by early excitement and creativity. You may not use all of the older version, but there could be an important puzzle piece that slots into your current version, and helps you to complete it.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Ask for an opinion

When you are in the middle of the writing process, it can be hard to stay objective, and easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Asking someone for feedback can help you to solve areas you are stuck on, give you confidence in parts you are unsure on, and give you a path through the undergrowth of songwriting to a release ready track. It's important though to ask someone that has the necessary skillset to give helpful and honest feedback. Asking your dad if he thinks you've written a hit is probably not going to help.

Go to an open mic night

Another tip to help with perfectionism and confidence is to perform your songs even when you don't think they are finished. An open mic night, particularly in a different town if you are worried about your reputation, can be a great place to use as a sounding board.

Performing at open mic can help to:

• Show you that the song actually is ready!
• Show you which parts get a strong reaction, and which don't, so you know what to work on.
• Work out problem areas. Performing live can help you to come up with solutions in a way that writing can't.

Collaborate

A second pair of ears can be pivotal in a song's journey. Working with different artists can bring a fresh perspective, new skillsets, and strength in areas that you lack. Whether it's working with a songwriter, lyricist, singer, or another type of artist.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Here are some reasons collaborating can help you to finish song ideas:

• New skillsets: If you are a songwriter, working with a musician can help you to inspire and unlock new areas in your song. The same can happen if you are a lyricist, hearing a vocalist give life to your lyrics 
• Provide a sounding board
• Creative back and forth
• Keep you accountable
• Can keep motivation up and vibes flowing
• Combining genres that you hadn't considered 

If you are wondering where to find a songwriting partner, Verse-Chorus is a collaboration platform brimming with musical talent. With songwriters, lyricists, singers, producers, and more. Connect and create with thousands of musicians in one place.