Phil Wickham - How To Write A Worship Song | Teaching Moment
Summary
TLDRThe transcript captures the creative process of songwriting from a spiritual perspective, emphasizing the importance of finding an 'anchor' or central idea inspired by moments of worship. The songwriter discusses the journey from inspiration to perspiration, detailing the iterative process of refining lyrics and melodies to convey a heartfelt message of faith and trust in God's goodness. The summary highlights the struggle and dedication required to transform a divine spark into a song that resonates with both the congregation and the songwriter's own spiritual journey.
Takeaways
- 🎵 The process of songwriting often involves a lot of work and deep thought, with only a small percentage of songs coming easily.
- 🌟 The 'anchor' of a song is a crucial starting point; it's the central idea or inspiration that the entire song is built around.
- 🕵️♂️ Discovering the anchor often comes from moments of genuine worship and meditation on God's attributes.
- 💡 The anchor can be a unique perspective or a fresh way of expressing an aspect of God's nature, which sparks a deep emotional response.
- 🔥 Having a clear vision of what the song is about helps in crafting the rest of the song, even if the melody or specific lyrics are not yet known.
- 📝 The songwriter compares song structure to a sentence, with the chorus as the subject, verses as verbs, and adjectives and adverbs as descriptors and modifiers.
- 💬 The importance of not forcing a song for the sake of it, but rather allowing it to flow naturally from a place of authenticity and inspiration.
- 🔄 The willingness to rewrite and revise is essential in the songwriting process, with the anchor idea being the guiding force through revisions.
- 🌱 The songwriter emphasizes the importance of being faithful to the moment of inspiration and working hard to bring the song to life.
- 🎥 Life experiences, such as holding a baby for the first time or watching a movie, can provide new perspectives and inspiration for songwriting.
- 🔗 The songwriter's role is to create something that not only deepens their own understanding but also helps others grasp new insights about God.
Q & A
What is the primary aspect a songwriter should focus on when starting to write a song?
-The primary aspect a songwriter should focus on is finding an 'anchor,' which is the central idea or inspiration that the entire song will be built around.
How often does the songwriter find the songwriting process to be challenging?
-The songwriter mentions that 19 times out of 20, they really work on songs, indicating that the process is often challenging and requires a lot of thought and effort.
What does the songwriter believe is the source of the best 'anchors' for a song?
-The songwriter believes that the best 'anchors' come from moments of genuine worship and connection with God, where the focus is on pleasing the heart of the Father rather than creating a song for a specific purpose.
Why does the songwriter emphasize the importance of having a vision for the song before starting to write?
-Having a vision for the song helps the songwriter to have a clear direction of what they want the song to convey, even though the specifics of the melody and lyrics may not yet be known.
What is the role of an 'anchor' in the songwriting process according to the transcript?
-The 'anchor' serves as the foundational idea or inspiration that sparks the creation of the song, and it is something that the songwriter feels is special and worth exploring in depth.
How does the songwriter describe the process of finding an 'anchor' for a song?
-The songwriter describes it as a process of meditation and marinating in a thought, trying to figure out the best way to express what they want to say.
What is the songwriter's approach to developing the verses and other parts of the song once they have the 'anchor'?
-The songwriter compares song development to constructing a sentence, with the chorus as the subject, verses as verbs, and adjectives and adverbs as descriptors that build upon the central idea.
What is the songwriter's attitude towards rewriting and refining a song?
-The songwriter is open to rewriting and refining a song, emphasizing that if the 'anchor' is strong and meaningful, it's worth the effort to perfect the song, even if it means starting over.
How does the songwriter use personal experiences or observations to inspire songwriting?
-The songwriter draws inspiration from personal experiences, such as holding their first baby, or from observing and relating to characters in movies, using these experiences to connect with spiritual truths and create relatable songs.
What advice does the songwriter give for dealing with the challenge of writing verses that support the 'anchor'?
-The songwriter advises not to be afraid of rewriting verses and to keep working on them until they effectively draw people into the central idea and help them understand why the song was written in the first place.
Outlines
🎵 The Art of Songwriting: Finding the Anchor 🎵
The speaker discusses the process of songwriting, emphasizing the importance of finding the 'anchor'—an initial idea or inspiration that forms the core of the song. This anchor often emerges from moments of worship or deep reflection on God's attributes. The speaker describes how they often meditate on this thought, allowing it to guide the song's development. They also mention the challenge of transforming this anchor into a complete song, requiring time and effort to ensure the message resonates with both themselves and their audience.
🌟 Embracing Inspiration: The Vital Role of the Anchor 🌟
This paragraph delves into the significance of inspiration in songwriting. The speaker recounts instances where songs were born from special moments, such as spontaneous worship or everyday experiences that trigger a profound connection with God. They stress the importance of being faithful to these moments of inspiration and the perseverance required to develop them into fully-fledged songs. The speaker also highlights the role of the anchor in providing direction for the song's message and structure, even when the melody or lyrics are not yet clear.
📝 Crafting the Song: From Anchor to Finished Piece 📝
The speaker continues the discussion on songwriting, focusing on the journey from the anchor to the completed song. They describe the iterative process of writing, rewriting, and refining verses to ensure they effectively support and expand upon the anchor. The speaker also touches on the collaborative aspect of songwriting, sharing experiences of working with others to develop songs that resonate with congregations. They encourage songwriters to be persistent, even when faced with the challenge of transforming an anchor into a compelling and meaningful song.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Songwriting
💡Anchor
💡Inspiration
💡Worship
💡Chorus
💡Verses
💡Bridge
💡Meditation
💡Praise
💡Goodness
Highlights
The importance of having a clear vision and 'anchor' for a song to build around, which is essential for the songwriting process.
The process of 'marinating in a thought' and meditating on an idea to find the best way to express it in a song.
The value of capturing inspiration during moments of worship, which can lead to the creation of meaningful song anchors.
The concept of an 'anchor' as the initial idea or inspiration that sparks a song and sets its direction.
The struggle of writing songs that come easily versus those that require more work and thought.
The role of personal experiences and emotions in shaping the lyrics and message of a song.
The idea that sometimes the best song ideas come from spontaneous moments of worship rather than forced creation.
The comparison of songwriting to sentence structure, with the chorus as the subject and verses and bridges adding depth.
The necessity of rewriting and refining lyrics to ensure they effectively communicate the intended message.
The significance of the songwriting process in helping the songwriter and congregation connect with the divine.
The challenge of maintaining authenticity in songwriting, ensuring that the lyrics resonate with personal experiences.
The transformative power of music in expressing and sharing spiritual revelations with others.
The importance of being open to inspiration from various sources, including moments in nature or everyday life.
The process of identifying and developing the 'anchor' of a song from a moment of worship or personal reflection.
The role of feedback in the songwriting process, helping to refine and improve the song's message and impact.
The idea that songwriting is a journey of discovery, where the songwriter explores new aspects of faith and spirituality.
The comparison of songwriting to a physical journey, where the songwriter navigates through various ideas and emotions.
The emphasis on the importance of persistence in songwriting, even when faced with challenges and revisions.
The transformative effect of music on the songwriter's own faith and understanding of spiritual concepts.
The power of music to encapsulate and convey the depth of spiritual experiences and emotions.
Transcripts
when I first start writing a song you
know I what I'm looking for and what I
think is so helpful
even more than so helpful almost needed
to really chase after a song because
sometimes they come easy other times
they take a lot of work and I would say
19 times out of 20 I really work on
songs I really I really think through it
and give it a lot of time to process
I've actually found
I mean I've written some songs in the
room from start to finish with some
people that have gone on to live outside
of that room but more often than not my
strengths I think is really and kind of
marinating in a thought
meditating on a thought really trying to
figure out man what's what what is the
best way to say what I want to say and
to to come chase after that you need to
have a vision of what you want to say
first and so I call I call the thing you
start a song with is I can anchor you
know the thing that the thing that you
build the whole song around the little
idea that has come to you that you think
man there's something so special there's
an angle there's an angle of some aspect
about God or some way we could say we
love you that I've never really sung
about before or some reason it sparks in
my heart so I'm gonna chase that down
and so first we're gonna talk about like
kind of uncovering that anchor and how
you find it and so often when Brian
would say this too cuz he sends me a
little voice memos and and mp3s once in
a while of just moments that are
happening in worship and I think some of
the best times those anchors come when
you're just in that moment of
worshipping God pleasing the heart of
the father and you're not you're not
trying to come up you're not thinking
what would my church sing and just
trying to shine a barf out like the best
idea you can you know but what I find is
that the anchor it's almost like the
inspiration of the song
come out of moments for me that I am
like the the prime a reason why I'm
singing out that or why it's being
created is because the what was to just
bless the father's heart and as like an
example of that would be like okay like
you know this this would be maybe things
that don't end up making their way all
the way to being a songs like okay my
church said they needed upbeat songs and
so they wanted a praise song and so okay
I'll see it's gonna be called praise him
forever you know and we're gonna like it
just feels like stale you know it's just
in and it never really gets finished
because there wasn't something that like
my heart remembered oh yeah like that's
when I felt like the presence of God and
I was just talking to him and he was
responding to me and there's something
really special that happened in my heart
and it could have been like when you're
singing to him like sometimes I get on
my piano and I'm just just say Lord like
like can you can you throw out the idea
that these are this song is for a record
of them can you help me not think about
this is gonna be for a record from my
church and I just want to I just want to
worship you in this moment and it might
be 30 minutes of just reading the
scripture once in a while and how your
goodness your anger there's just a
moment but goodness lasts a lifetime
it's awesome thank you Lord and there's
and so I'm gonna sing in and it's just
like you know
thank you for your goodness it lasts my
whole life you know I can chew yeah can
you just start meditating when that
means Oh to last a lifetime like my
whole life I can count on your goodness
I can count on you I can count on your
goodness man that could be a title and
then maybe maybe you even think I count
on you goodness that could be title of a
song and you just and maybe maybe in
your heart right then it just you were
not counting on his goodness and
something about where you're at and in
that moment with a truth you fell upon
like it's almost like you know there's
nothing new Under the Sun there's
nothing kind of new we can sing but at
the same time there's a million infinite
new things we can sing about this God
who is infinite and he just once in a
while
lets us just kind of maybe maybe each
aspect of him is like a gym you know in
every little angle like if you can't
turn it a little bit like the light
reflects on it a whole different way and
so you've always known about maybe the
cross or let's go back to his goodness
you are oh he's known about his goodness
and you some songs about his goodness
and your church loves singing about his
goodness you think we have all the songs
we need about his goodness but then all
of a sudden you come across a verse it
talks about his goodness lasts a
lifetime
and you've been going through maybe a
situation where you just like you you
haven't been trusting in his goodness
and you just kind of connect this truth
with your moment and all of a sudden and
and not that you're doing all this for
the inker but all of a sudden if you
have eyes to see and you're looking at
your life like a songwriter all of a
sudden like this anchor is born for a
song because on this truth of God and a
little bit of different way than you've
ever thought you know like that man you
goodness lasts a lifetime I can count on
it I can count on it you know it's the
same man count on you count on your
goodness somewhere in there and you get
you kept you get just anchor and that
anchor you kind of with that you cast a
vision and I have a real clear direction
of kind of what you want the song to be
about you have no idea what the melody
is you have no idea what the what lyrics
you're gonna say other than something
surrounding this idea of being able to
count on the goodness of God you know
and and so that so sometimes it's like
well I'm gonna write this song it's just
lit my heart on fire and it's written
other times I just remember my count on
your goodness remember that for an idea
you know and maybe also some like count
on you I can trust in you in every
moment everything like your goodness is
there it's following me whatever it is
you know you kind of throw out some
phrases and I forget about it
sometimes for a year and then it come
after but at first but that if that
anchor is it came from somewhere special
I believe at some point it was meant to
come to you and and and you need to be
faithful with that moment of inspiration
to go through all the perspiration to
bring it to life you know I found
there's a moment inspiration that
doesn't come all the time but sometimes
in worship even some happen I mean
probably this morning I'm not sure what
was playing and all what isn't
but I know yesterday there was a cure
for times we started singing stuff that
that hadn't been written yet
and maybe it was just for that time you
know but maybe we'll go here the YouTube
or something watch the YouTube later and
be like well like that was cool there
should be a song about that you know and
and so as songwriters we get to look
through go through life and see
situations like you know maybe those you
who can relate or you will relate one
day like and the first time you hold
your first baby and you just this is a
whole new thing you know and it and it
widens your your ability to experience
God because of widens your own
experience you know or or maybe you're
sitting and you're watching Lord of the
Rings and you just so pumped about Frodo
font I mean he is he is just he's made
it you know against all odds he made it
man against them all and you're like I
just like when the goodness wins in the
end and God's gonna so he just like for
some reason all these things kind of
come together in your heart like I don't
know why but when Gandalf said none
shall pass man I just saw I just saw God
in that like protecting me you know it's
like so nerdy but like man I'm gonna
sing about how he sees kids he's above
me and below me and nothing's gonna
penetrate his love for me you know
whatever it is just like you know in
your hearts
wow there's not as songwriters you go
you go from just being a believer who's
like wow God thank you I can't wait to
go to church and and worship on that new
foundation you know the fresh revelation
of you but a song one we get to say well
how god I can't wait to make something
that that will point other people and
help other people understand what I just
understood for the first time what I
just saw in a new way the first time and
so all that being said man Karen on your
goodness and so so there's that that
anchor of a song that I don't is that
really can't be manufactured in my mind
and that and that you got to be on the
lookout for but once you have that
you've got somewhere to start and you I
find if I have a vision and sometimes
even a title of a song it helps me
so much as I'm crafting the rest of the
song and I think of songs sometimes I
wonder to a fault
you know cuz it doesn't always need to
be like this but I think of songs almost
like it's just like if you think of a
sentence a sentence has a verse a
subject may be some adverbs made some
adjectives but it all goes together to
create a complete thought
right and that's kind of what I think of
a song you know like like that you have
the subject which is the chorus in it
and it is what the song is about it is
what you're leading up to it is what
everything else in that sentence is
trying to talk about you know and then
you have like the verses which are like
maybe the verbs you know and then
adjectives and and those are kind of
describing what the chorus is doing and
where it's going and why you want to
sing it and then there's like the
adverbs that are like the bridge that
kind of say what the court of everything
else is doing in a different way you
know but if there's an idea that it's a
complete thought you know that one word
builds on the next that one line builds
on the next that that there's not a
wasted moment that there's not a wasted
lyric but it all kind of builds to
making you under making them you but
also even more so your congregation the
people you're leading that song for -
making them understand why you wanted to
write that song in the first place like
to bring them to the place of like they
feel like they've they're catching on to
that anchor for the first time you know
and so if you're talking about God's
goodness family I'm gonna write a really
bad song right now but just kind of show
you
so maybe the goodness it's really simple
but like
I'm purely on you goodness
or can it are you good
I counted on your goodness me
[Music]
it's your lucky day
I carried on
your goodness
something like that you know that's just
the counter your goodness you know and
so it's all like man we're like that's
cool to sing but man now we got a we got
a make that's great to talk a counter
yeah we are but man you with the vs. and
now you're gonna you're gonna draw
people in to why it is amazing that we
can count on his goodness
now you're gonna explain to them why
when we hit that chorus like we can sing
this like and then sometimes that takes
a lot of effort for me sometimes I write
I mean verses can take I write there's a
song we even put me and Bryan Bryan will
work on a new songs song we play at the
end of the service and has some cool
moments you know that you've probably
been a lot of songs week and even since
then we can't got off stage for like the
course is cool the bridge is cool but
those verses are need to change you know
and and they're changed and now we're LA
and we worked on and I think we gotta
you know but maybe they might be need to
be written again and don't be afraid of
doing that because you just you you if
you have an anchor that you really
believe in it's worth the fight you know
and I'm telling you like I mean I like
men songs that are actually on records
in the end well there's quite a few over
the years you know that I've kind of
made it into the light of day and it's
still suck can be such a battle you know
and I can't second guess is that even
worthwhile to sing about but I'm telling
you if there's something your heart that
sparked even from an idea you know like
chase it chase it chase it rewrite it
show it to people telling they'll tell
you I loved I hated everything so for
this it's like why it's like they'll
tell you why you're right I'll erase
everything and start over from this and
now it's a totally different title but
it still got the same you know you just
chase and chase and chase but
can it on you you know ma'am I guess
when my mind immediately just goes to
him
in the battle you you know you just
start thinking through it why would I
count on your getting this guy like
Wyatt over you show me you're good
giving me the cross you tell me that I'm
free I know I'm like if I believe the
lies that are going on inside I'm not
good enough for and Your goodness him
man that maybe this is the declaration
I will believe the lies in
you know just singing
I won't believe the lies anymore
[Music]
but you said it I'm your child you it on
your chart just I mean that is not a
good song but you're kind of you're kind
of going for I would believe the lies
anymore
yeah or in the end in the store maybe
like oh that's bad I gotta wanna do it
but what it what is there any more like
a county goodness man you with me in the
way huh wow you did you to great things
the same God did great things back to
the Old Testament like you're doing it
now the same God is silence the Lions
are you silencing the lies against me
the same guy part of the way is it doing
it possible
you know I believe with you that all
things are possible I believe
our sewer here
Rico even though I can see
[Music]
it's like hey there's something there
you know it's like we're doing it now
it's like that is it you are still doing
that I'm gonna good I'm gonna count you
know because I've seen what you've done
in the past man that's a cool idea I see
what you did you're past faithfulness
I'm trying to get past faithfulness
pushes me into trusting in the future
you know so what I've seen you don't
like I don't know how to phrase it but
that's I know that's gonna be the second
verse like your past faithfulness
propels me to trust you with my future I
mean that sounds like a bridge you know
not like those lyrics but something in
there it's like like like the God who
has done great things of the past is
gonna God is doing great things in the
present and if promise as I was you know
you you know it's all on a on a document
on your iPad and you're working it out
and you're hashing it out and you're
figuring how it all works and then you
rewrite it and then you rewrite it and
then it's like maybe this is something
my church we want to sing
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