Somebody who writes songs and composes
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Does any of this sound familiar? You have been noodling for hours and as soon as you put down your instrument a new lyric pops into your head. Or while doing the dishes you have a great idea of how to fix your third verse. Maybe while watching TV you find the missing words to that killer hook melody you had. Or a classic one is while brushing your teeth or showering. How do you prevent these great ideas from escaping? How do you not forget these perfect song solutions?
You can write these ideas down on a notepad app on your phone or computer. But I’m not a big fan of this. Why you ask? Well, that’s because when you are behind your computer or looking at your phone you have too much distraction. All these things that don’t have anything to do with your
The Songwriting Notebooks In This Guide
Why do you need a songwriting journal?
This is where the necessity of a songwriting journal comes in. A song journal or songwriting notebook is something where all your creative song and
A songwriting journal is for any songwriter, composer or musician who wants to write songs, compose
- It can help create inspiration for your songs. This is because you express your feelings and experiences in words. Here you can feel safe to write about anything that matters to you or what’s happening in your world.
- It will improve your writing skills. Writing down ideas by hand makes you think more deeply about them. This might just end up making your lyrics, melodies and chords more effective, catchy and developed. You can also practice writing techniques, such as rhyming, metaphors, storytelling and wordplay.
- It will help you keep track of your ideas. This in turn will make you progress as a songwriter. Your song journal or
music journal is where all your ideas live. The good ones and the bad ones. You can use it to reflect on your songwriting process any time you like.
Songwriting & Sheet Music Notebook from MusicArts
The reason I love this notebook is because it has enough space to write. It’s quite a bit larger than the Moleskin Journal for example. When a notebook is smaller in size, I feel like I need to write very small. It makes me feel less free. Also, I like the clean but vintage design. It makes me want to write
Quick facts: 120 lined and staffed pages. Full 8,5” wide x 11” paper. 12 staves per page. Premium cream paper.
Moleskine Art Music Notebook
The Moleskine notebooks are classics. Many years ago I got my first Moleskine as a moving-out present. And boy did I use it a lot. I took it with me to all my composition classes. The quality is premium, and the paper is nice and thick. Just I wished that the pages were a bit larger. Although, that does make it easier to take with you.
Quick facts: 192 lined and staffed pages. Full 5″ x 8.25″ paper. 11 staves per page. Premium thick, ivory paper.
Songwriter’s Journal
The Songwriter’s Journal is more than a notebook. It’s a fun book and dare I say also partially an educational book. The book has quotes from famous artists inside as well as cheat sheets, quick how-to facts and more theory nuggets. It is very suitable to give as a gift to somebody you hold dear.
Quick facts: Room for 72 songs. Full 6-1/4” wide x 8-1/4” paper. 9 staves per page. Premium thick, ivory paper.
Thick Classic Notebook
This thick classic notebook is more like a lyric sketchbook. Quality-wise it reminds me of the Moleskine. The reason that I like to have a lines-only songwriting block is that when I am making drafts or sketches, I don’t want to waste the valuable staffed paper that’s on the other side.
Quick facts: Hard Cover. Full 5.7” x 8.4” paper. 180 pages. High-quality thick paper.
