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FINDING YOUR OWN MUSIC - By Jon Foreman

FINDING YOUR OWN MUSIC
Switchfoot's Jon Foreman shares his songwriting tips

Courtesy of Hooah magazine



Thinking about putting your experiences to music? Jon Foreman, frontman of the alt-rock band Switchfoot, was 19 when he wrote the band's first album. He and the rest of the group would play on weekends and summers while in school. When music became a full-time gig, the guys went on to record five more albums, including the double-platinum Beautiful Letdown, and their most recent, Oh! Gravity. Known for hits like, "Dare You To Move," "Meant to Live" and "Awakening," Jon, who has been writing songs for 10 years now, says he uses music to "ask questions I'm trying to figure out." He offers a few tips to those interested in turning their own thoughts into songs.


1. PLAY ON
Websites like ChordBook.com can give you basic know-how, but the way to hone your music skills is to play - a lot. "The good thing about guitar is there is really no wrong way to play it," says Jon.


2. LISTEN AND LEARN
If you want to write good songs, listen to good songs and read the liner notes. "Learn other people's songs," Jon adds. "Figure out why you love them. And then take it and make it your own.


3. SAY SOMETHING
If you want to write lyrics, start paying attention to to life. "Where writings starts is when you find something of worth," Jon says. "You're going through the day, and you see a beautiful tree, sunset, ex-girlfriend, whatever - and that moment becomes something to write about. It's an honest experience that makes good music."


4. ADD MUSIC AND LYRICS
You may find that you write a melody first and lyrics later, or it could be that you're a words-first writer. "Every song grows out of itself in a different way," Jon says. "Sometimes it's out of a poem you wrote. Other times you have something to say lyrically. The best songs are the ones where the music and the lyrics come at the same time - like two branches of the same tree."


5. PAY ATTENTION TO THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD
Jon says their are two "voices" to listen to. "One is a creative, childlike voice that finds everything in life worthy of writing a song about," he says. "The other voice is the critical voice that's a little more aware. That's the editor. He's saying 'Oh, that's not that good' or 'You can do better.' If you only have the creative, then you write a bunch of songs that might be terrible. But if you don't have the voice of wonder then you don't write music to begin with."


6. WORK AT IT
"Songwriting is both an art and a craft," Jon explains. "The craft of it is like any other craft. If you want to get good at making tables and chairs, you need to make a lot of tables and chairs. The more you do it, the better you get at it."


7. WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE
You're writing songs that you hope others will want to listen to, but you can't be a people pleaser. "You have to write from the perspective of 'Do I love it?' rather than 'What do other think?'" Jon says. "Don't forget why you got involved with music in the first place."


8. GET INSPIRED
Songwriting is creating, so it's necessary to continue to find new approaches. Otherwise, Jon notes, "The music can get a little tedious for you and for the people listening." He suggests going to new enviroments for inspiration, trying to see things from a different perspective and pushing yourself creatively.