You can check out Part 1 of our 3 Part Series on Songwriting by Clicking Here.

Robert is one of those songwriters we all dream of becoming. His ability to put pen to paper and turn ink to words invested with power and potency and then clothe them in a heartrending melody leaves us in awe… so when he announced that he was embarking on a song-a-day challenge for the month of May.. well, we had to see it unfold. And unfold it did. In the month of May he crafted a collection of compositions which are the makings for several albums. Poignant, passionate, and personal. There was no choice but to get in touch and get him to share a bit about the process with you. Sit back and enjoy our interview with Robert Gillies and his song-a-day-May adventures.

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A Bit Of Background:

How did you get into songwriting?

I started dabbling in songwriting when I was 15. I was listening to a lot of Jurassic 5, High & Mighty, and Hieroglyphics, and I was so blown away by the word-play and delivery that I wanted to experiment and see if I could mimic it. It wasn’t until I was 19 and I was going through some pretty heavy things that it emerged as a true form of self-expression, a way of working through how I felt by getting it out through art.

When did you write your first complete song?
I wrote my first song in 2005, so we’re looking at almost 8 years.

Do you have any formal training?
Yes, both as a musician and as a songwriter. I started out with piano lessons when I was very small, trumpet lessons at 8, and I began to teach myself the guitar at 17. I was accepted to study at Berklee College of Music when I was 21, and studied both guitar and songwriting when I was there. It was an amazing experience.

When you write, are you trying to achieve something or just seeing where inspiration takes you?
A bit of both, unless I have a specific song topic in mind. I find that I generally start with the intent of just writing a song, almost like arriving at my workshop, getting my tools into order, and looking at a large chunk of marble. Sometimes the raw inspiration will tell you exactly what needs to be done with it, and sometimes you have to just start working to figure it out. It might start with an idea in the shower, some words and a melody that arrive and suggest a direction, or it might start out as me sitting down to work, and just writing, beginning with a stream of consciousness in writing.

What (technically) does your typical process look like?
I’ll generally try to have a specific place that I’ll write, at least once things really get moving. Things usually start as soon as I step in the shower, which means I shower pretty quickly as I’ll want to jump out and get the idea down ASAP. If things are a bit slow I tend to employ the Pomodoro Technique to put the pressure on (working in 25 minute blocks of time), but once the engines kick in, I’ll be in the song for as long as it takes – minutes, hours, even days. I’ve pulled so many all-nighters just to get something finished.

What did your songwriting frequency look like before you began your song a day challenge?
Before this month, it was fairly sporadic. I would go from 5-10 a month, to 5-10 a year. When I was most most focussed I was typically writing around 30 to 40 a year.

The Song-A-Day Challenge:

Tell us a bit about what made you decide to challenge yourself to write a song-a-day?
My friend, Danna Richards, invited me to join her in doing Song-A-Day May, along with several other writers. Danna made a name for herself on YouTube writing a song a day for an entire year. I was honoured to have been invited to be a part of it, so I jumped on board immediately.

What did you hope to gain from the process?
Initially, I was fueled by the prospect of the creative challenge; I thrive on challenges. But as I thought about it more, I realized that a project like this could have a major affect on me. Songwriting requires me to reflect on myself and the world around me, and I was going to be doing a lot of digging and contemplating. When you are reflecting that much, you can’t help but encounter an element of transformation.

How long will your song a day experiment last?
I started Song-A-Day May on May 1st, so I still have a few days to go. At this point I’m about 2 songs behind, so I have to play some major catch-up to finish on time.

How did the process differ from your typical writing process? (more than the fact that it happens in a day)
This month the focus has been on getting to the gist of a song as quickly as possible. If I have an idea already, or inspiration for a song, that’s great, but if I’m feeling a little dry I literally just start writing about anything. If I’m doing nothing it’s like standing still expecting to go somewhere. In this project it’s better to go anywhere than nowhere at all, better to write a song I don’t like than no song. One of my favourite methods of getting the creation station going is writing a silly song – one of my favourite silly songs so far is called ‘Things That I Can See From Where I’m Sitting’. It felt like a cop-out, but it got things going and turned out to be pretty funny.

Do you make lists of song topics which you choose from or do you just see how the day feels?
If there’s a topic that seems right for the day (Mother’s Day, a friend’s birthday, the Yaran), then I’ll focus on that. If not, then the mood of the day will take me along for the ride.

Do you co-write with others.. or is it strictly you alone?
I’ve collaborated with others both in writing and in arrangement. I wanted to do it to not only expand my own ideas as I realised I could get caught in a pattern, but it also helps take a little pressure off.

What has been the biggest challenge with the process?
The biggest challenge so far has been getting back into writing after feeling like I’ve burned out. It’s happened a couple of times – I’ve either completely spent myself emotionally, or invested a ton of creative energy into a recording, and I wake up feeling over it. It’s like running a marathon and hitting the wall. Totally exhausting.

What was your biggest Ah-Ha moment during your song a day challenge?
The biggest eureka moment that I can think of so far, off the top of my head, is when I came up with the final line of ‘Saviour in Late ’85’. Sometimes the final line or conclusion of a song will fall right into your lap, and it just feels so right. It’s hard to explain, but it really feels like a miniature revelation.

How did writing a song a day affect your writing or your writing ability and/or process?
It’s made me a faster and somewhat more effective writer. The whole process was like a bootcamp in songwriting. I’m also identifying patterns in my writing a lot faster, so I’m getting better at writing outside of my comfort zone and exploring new styles.

Were there any unexpected consequences?
Mental fog. Seriously, trying to play shows or interact with people this month has been pretty hilarious.

How do you deal with burn out or writers block when you are on such a tight schedule?
Dealing with burn out is a mixture of endurance and forgiveness. I have to be able to know when it’s right to keep writing, and know when I should take a break. In terms of writer’s block, I don’t believe in it. What studying songwriting has taught me, and what this month of songwriting has taught me, is that writer’s block is easily fought will a little detachment and the will to change creative directions. If I’m feeling stuck, I tend to find it’s because I’m trying to force something.

 

Engaging Your Community:

Why did you announce it to the world?
Firstly, I thought it would be a fun experiment for people to witness, something a little different. Secondly, I write songs for people to listen to, so I wanted people to know that they’d have something new to listen to each day. Lastly, it keeps me accountable. The more people are watching and engaging, the more it keeps me on task.

How are you promoting your song a day series? Do you get your fans involved in the process?
Though YouTube has been my main outlet, I been using Twitter and Facebook to promote the project. I try to get my friends and fans involved as much as I can, either by asking for ideas, words, or even for them to get involved by playing instruments along to the songs.

Do you share the songs as they are written?
Yep, through YouTube, daily. I toyed with the idea of using Soundcloud, but I wanted people to get as much of the experience as possible. I’m going to poll my fans at the end, asking them what their favourites are for putting together an EP.

What has been the response so far?
It’s been enormously positive. I’m seeing more engagement and conversations in each video and update than I have before. It’s been generating discussions on song topics, songwriting tips, and I’ve even had musicians/songwriters lending their feedback.

Are there any things you could do more effectively next time to engage your fans?
I think sticking to a timetable would help. That way there would be an expectation of material at a certain time of day, and a feeling of consistency.

Closing Thoughts:

What have you gained as a result of this effort? Will you continue any aspect of the song a day writing process or schedule?
I’ve definitely learned that I’m capable of turning out more material than I realised, and that it’s perfectly alright to write ‘bad’ songs along the way. In terms of continuation, I know I’d like to work on keeping up a weekly output for my fans.

What 3 pieces of advice would you give to those writers who might be looking to experiment with writing a song-a-day?
– Firstly: Write fearlessly. Don’t edit as you go, let the words flow out, even if you’re not immediately satisfied with the results. Judging your work before it’s even finished coming out is like judging a mine by it’s first cartload.
– Secondly: Start early in the day and take your time. That way you’ll have the idea rolling around in your mind even when you’re not directly focussing on the song.
– Lastly: Make sure you’ve planned to take enough time out of your day to make this project a success. Expect to have a reduced social life, but majorly increased brain activity. Seriously – it can get hard to slow your brain down after 3 weeks of solid songwriting.

Any other advice you can offer to songwriters who are still trying to develop the craft of songwriting?
If there’s one thing that’s really helped me get a big grip on writing, it’s been studying other people’s songs. That being said, there is a fine balance between learning about people’s writing and copying it. Learn how people achieve certain effects. If there’s a part of a song that makes you feel a certain way, try to figure out how the songwriter did it – what was the chord progression? What shape did the melody take? Was there a lot of rhyme, or was it fairly free flowing.

We want to thank Robert for taking the time to do this interview and to encourage you to check out his YouTube page. His song-a-day-May challenge resulted in so many great songs that we just couldn’t fit in this interview. You can find Robert Gillies YouTube page HERE and even though his SADM challenge is over, he has embarked on Tune-A-Tuesday-June… so you can keep listening to the fresh goodness.

Check out Robert’s debut album ‘Astronaut’ on 9 Star Media or read more about him on his artist profile page.

Next up, in part 3 of our three part series on songwriting, we profile another Bahá’í songwriter who has been using the strategy of writing a song-a-day for a whole different reason and with amazing results.

Which song of Roberts SADM series is your favorite AND why? Leave your comments below! One lucky person who leaves a comment will receive a free download of his debut album ‘Astronaut’!