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Songwriting Guides Staying on track
Keeping faith in yourself
When you are faced with constant rejection, the bills need to be paid and you are not able to concentrate on your music because of your day job, it can seem very bleak indeed. It is certainly true that a lot of what happens as a songwriter, particularly in the early years, is down to the work you do yourself in getting your work known, recorded, talked about and played live. But, even later on, songwriters who are successful and making a living still have to keep working to sell their songs.
You have to constantly maintain your confidence in yourself as a writer and that is a complex balancing act which is down to what works for the individual. For some people it is just part of their personality, for others it is there because they have had a number of successes. It can certainly help if you have a few gold or platinum discs staring you in the face!
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Never think about your songwriting 'career' at 4am in the morning.
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For others just starting out, it is a case of keeping your self-belief going by whatever means can help.
Here are a few suggestions to help you keep faith in yourself:
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There's no doubt we can lose faith in ourselves if we are surrounded by people who don't support what we do. Make sure you have friends or family members who support what you are doing. If you don't, then create that support network for yourself by meeting other songwriters through music organisations, courses or going to gigs and open mic nights.
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Stress gets us down and can weaken our confidence. Learn to recognise when you are stressed. Take up a way of combating it - meditation, yoga or exercise can help. So can talking to someone else.
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Never think about your songwriting 'career' at 4am in the morning. Everything seems bleak just before dawn.
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Count your successes - not your failures.
- Don't forget to enjoy yourself.
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Songwriting Guides
Writing a Song
Performing
Working with Other Writers
In the Studio
Publishers
Record Companies
Management
Staying on Track
Having a Routine
Confidence Tricks
Keeping Faith in Yourself
Rejection
Creative Block
The Long View
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ÌýThe Songwriting Game |
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Pick a chord
Play with chords and find out what kind of songwriter you are with the Songwriting Game.
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ÌýDON'T MISS |
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Doves Special guests on Dermot's show this week
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