What you can learn about Songwriting from Darth Vader

For my first songwriting lesson, I'd like to talk about Darth Vader, and what he can teach you about writing hit songs.

"But wait a minute! Star Wars has nothing to do with making music!" (I can hear your protests even as I type this)

I know this doesn't make any sense yet, but follow me for just one minute, because Star Wars can help you with songwriting. What I am saying is that there are certain lessons you can learn from the Sith Lord that will apply to your songwriting career.

What are they?

1. Have a burning Desire

The first step in doing anything great in life is to have a burning hot desire to see it done.

Darth Vader really had that burning desire. Think back to Episode III. Anakin felt betrayed by the entire Jedi Order. He used that emotion to become Emperor Palpatine's right-hand man and rule over the entire galaxy.

Maybe you just want to write a catchy chorus, not rule the galaxy. That's fine. It just means less competition for me ;-)

Whatever your goals are, desire is the first step in achieving them. So what's the next one?


2. Belief


You need to have a strong belief that you can become a songwriting genius before you can become one.

Think about it. Did Darth Vader ever doubt that he was the baddest dude in the galaxy? No! He just went right on ahead with whatever he wanted to do. Darth Vader never said to himself "Golly Gee, I sure hope this works" before he choked the life out of some poor guy. He just did it and knew it would work. As a songwriter, you need to be the same way (with less choking, of course).

So we have desire and belief. Good. You are well on your way to becoming a Dark Sith Lord, er, Songwriter. So now what?


3. A Game Plan


You don't think Darth Vader just randomly hacked and slashed at everything, do you? He had a solid game plan for what he wanted to do. Without a game plan, Vader never could have frozen Han Solo in carbonite, or conquered Hoth in Episode V.

Likewise, you need to have a solid game plan. Set goals for yourself, like writing a new song every week, or collaborating with another musician once a month.

So what do you do once you have a game plan?


4. Persistence


Picture this: You are Darth Vader. You are just sitting there, minding your own business, when some punk Rebels come out of nowhere and blow up your brand new Death Star! It still had that new-Death-Star-smell and everything! Seriously, you haven't even put 1,000 light-years on its odometer, and now it is totaled. I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty pissed. So what does Darth Vader do? He just shrugs it off and builds another Death Star!

That is persistence. That is the kind of persistence that you need to have in order to be a successful songwriter. Remember your game plan? Keep working at it. I won't lie to you and say that the music business is easy. It's not. But other people have made a living from writing great songs, and you can too. Persistence will cut through all obstacles, which brings me to my last point.


5. Lightsabers!


Let's face it. Any business, including the music business, is much easier when you have lightsabers. Believe me, when you have a lightsaber, people will listen to your songs.

That covers it for today. Don't worry if you didn't get any of the Star Wars references. It just means you have more of a life than I do :-P

Next time I will discuss why your mental attitude is the most important ingredient in developing your writing skills.