As a guitar player that writes songs, you already know that ideas for new songs are not in an endless supply. There are times when the ideas just dry up like a puddle of dew in the hot desert sun.
But sometimes, just by taking a look at the world around us with a fresh perspective, we can spurn a whole new crop of ideas that we never imagined.
One way to do that is by reading. A wealth of new song ideas can be found in a good novel, or even a newspaper or magazine.
The key is to develop a heightened sense of awareness.
Quite often we aimlessly read a story or article, in a detached state of mind, and later, have a hard time recalling exactly what we read.
But by training the subconscious mind to always be on the "lookout" - to "turn on the radar" to be in tune to new and fresh ideas - a wealth of song titles, hooks, lines and concepts will start to flow seemingly out of nowhere.
At first this will take some extra effort. It requires reading the story or article, and trying to focus on what the storyline is, and also paying attention to any song ideas or lines that jump out. It's really a matter of reading with "two minds".
As you do this, you will also find that your reading time is extended. An idea or line will pop out at you, and you will stop to write it down, and then attempt to pick up your train of thought where you left off.
But after a while, keeping the "radar" turned on, and reading in this heightened state of awareness will become second nature, and before long your song idea notebook will be brimming with a cornucopia of new ideas to draw from the next time you pick up your pen and your guitar!
