“Now, I’m talking directly to musicians and songwriters here, because let’s be honest, you’re always hunting for ideas. New angles. Something real to pull from. And I genuinely believe this can help. Instead of waiting around for inspiration like it’s running late, you create the conditions for it to show up.
These aren’t generic journaling questions. Every one starts with your hands actually on the guitar, a chord you already know, a riff you play without thinking, a mistake from today’s practice session. I’ll drop a new one whenever I’ve got one worth your time, not on a schedule I haven’t built yet.”
Warm-Up
Play whatever chord your hand lands on first. One sentence: what does it remind you of?
What song have you been putting off learning? Why?
If today were a key, what would it be, major, minor, somewhere in between? Say why.
Think of a lyric you’ve heard a hundred times without really hearing it. Write it down. Why’d it hit different this time?
Turn Technique Into an Idea
Grab a progression you already know and swap one chord. What feeling walks in that wasn’t there before?
Play the saddest chord you’ve got. What’s the first line of the song it wants to open?
Take a riff you can play half-asleep. If it were a sentence instead of notes, what would it say?
Mute the strings, play just the rhythm. What does that alone bring to mind?
Noodle around in a key you never touch. What do you want to write about while you’re there?
Memory Prompts
What was the first song you learned start to finish? Write about learning it, not the song itself.
Pick a place that’s tied to a specific song in your head. What happened there?
Who taught you your first chord? Write them a line you’d actually send.
Practice Reflection
What did your hands pick up this week that your brain hasn’t caught up to?
Where’d you get stuck today? Write it as a character, not a mistake.
What’d you play today that you wouldn’t have tried a year ago?
When You’re Stuck (Quick Hits)
Set a timer for two minutes. Play anything. One line: what did you just hear yourself do?
Record yourself playing badly, on purpose. What do you notice?
Finish this ten different ways: “The song I haven’t written yet is about...”