They Didn't Come in Cold
The secret to an hour-long creative session is what happened in the days before it. Four musicians, one song, and a method that transfers.
A group of four musicians came together to write a song. Concept to finished product in an hour: go!
Not that they expected it would be fully finished, but they wanted to demonstrate how they work collaboratively.
And while a lot of the technical details were lost on me, I appreciated watching their process.
For one thing, they didn't come in cold. Rather, they had already been with the Lord individually, and asked the Holy Spirit, “What are you speaking? What are the sounds of heaven that you are offering?”
The man on keys went first. His initial offering had a peppy rhythm with some words. Charming.
The guitar player said, "Oh! That's very much in line with what I'm thinking." His initial offering had a similar tempo and similar feel.
The third person said, “You just played the bridge, while the first guy played the chorus. These work together.”
Then they talked through what they wanted the song to express, and how the verses (ideally) all point to the chorus. “If this is the first line of a verse, do we want the first three to rhyme? Or lines two and four?”
The man on keys said, “When I'm writing a song, there are lines that are critical, and I don’t want those ones changed. But I don’t need to hold on to all the lines with equal intensity. Not every single line needs to be carrying intense weightiness.”
The third person went and checked RhymeZone and a thesaurus. The fourth kept track of all of the ideas, and had the technical know-how to lay down the actual notes in whatever program they were using.
Quite fun, to witness a group exercising their creativity together.
As a non-songwriter, my main takeaway was: come to a discussion with some ideas. Prepare on your own, and hold ideas loosely and with generosity.
Lord, I think this could apply in so many contexts. What suggestions do I have for our next board meeting? What book would a child like to hear next? What verse am I hearing for the upcoming prayer meeting? What conversation idea do I have when I visit a friend? What life skill could I mention the next time I’m driving with a child?
Lord! Remind us to ask you what you’re speaking, in creative endeavors and the more mundane tasks.
Thank you. Amen.
This is what we pray for, that you may become complete,
Amy Joy
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