Welcome to this week’s songwriting exercise: the Sensory Exercise! This exercise is designed to help you tap into your senses and use them as inspiration for your songwriting. By using your senses to describe the world around you, you can create vivid and evocative lyrics that bring your listeners into the heart of your song.
To begin, find a quiet place where you can sit and relax. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Now, focus on one of your senses at a time. Start with sight and think about the colors, shapes, and textures that you see in your mind’s eye. Next, move on to sound and think about the noises, rhythms, and melodies that you hear. Then, focus on smell and think about the scents and aromas that you can detect. Finally, focus on touch and think about the textures, temperatures, and sensations that you feel.
As you focus on each sense, try to describe what you’re experiencing in as much detail as possible. For example, if you’re focusing on sight, you might describe the blue of the sky, the green of the grass, and the rough texture of a tree bark. If you’re focusing on sound, you might describe the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the crunching of footsteps on the ground. And if you’re focusing on smell, you might describe the sweet aroma of flowers, the pungent smell of spices, and the fresh scent of clean laundry.
Once you’ve spent some time focusing on each sense, try using the descriptions you’ve come up with to create a verse or chorus for a song. For example, you might use the colors you described to create a verse about a sunset, or the smells you described to create a chorus about a summertime barbecue. The key is to use your senses to create vivid and evocative imagery that transports your listeners into the world of your song.
As you work on your sensory writing exercise, keep in mind that the goal is not to create a perfect song right away. Instead, the goal is to practice using your senses as inspiration and to see where that inspiration takes you. You might be surprised by the creative ideas that come to mind as you focus on each sense. So take your time, be patient, and have fun with this exercise. Happy songwriting!
