Everyday Inspiration as Part of the Songwriter’s Craft

With a background in Woodstock, ON, Isaiah Belleth is working toward a biblical studies certificate at Calvary Chapel Bible College. Passionate about playing the guitar, Isaiah Belleth is drawn to inspirational, gospel, and Christian styles of music, with a focus on singer-songwriters.

Crafting songs that resonate, are original, and contain a clear message is an art form that many possess the potential for and few are able to achieve. Inspiration can come from nearly any direction: from reading a book or seeing a movie, from friendships, and even from places that we are not consciously aware of.

Many ideas for popular songs occurred out of the blue and were only set down as finished pieces because the composer had the motivation and musical skills to effectively complete the composition. An example is Paul McCartney, who described hearing the full melody of “Yesterday” in a dream and having the awareness when he woke to run to the piano before he forgot it and play it several times.

McCartney would not have been able to accomplish this if he wasn’t already in the habit of composing music professionally and knew when a workable idea emerged. He also followed the tried and true method of starting with a hummable melody and filling in the chords and arrangements later. Another successful approach that applies to many songs is paring down the lyrics to those that are personally meaningful and can be stated in everyday language, such that they linger in the listener’s consciousness long after the song ends.