Music Intuition (8 ways I practice intuitive songwriting)
My best music and favorite melodies all came out naturally, like a sudden flash — unplanned and unhinged. This is musical intuition and it’s the foundation to my songwriting process.
Whenever I try to force a song out, it feels off. But whenever I let go (more or less), it feels more authentic and easier. I can go with the wind and create based on feeling. I’m open to new ideas, changes and random lightbulb moments.
In my opinion, it’s the best way to make music. So these are my favorite ways to practice intuitive songwriting.
Let’s do this!
What Is Intuitive Songwriting?
Intuitive songwriting, or musical intuition, is making music in the moment. It’s instant creativity with little to no conscious planning or technical methodology.
We all experience intuition in our lives — you know, that gut feeling. Sometimes, it’s hard to explain why you feel a certain way, but you just do (it’s an energy, a vibe).
For musicians, this is the art of listening to that gut feeling to make a song. It’s writing without a script or a template.
And it’s fun.
Why Practice Musical Intuition?
Less stressful and more playful (i.e., no rules)
Tap into your authenticity more and find your voice
Sharpen your songwriting skills
Boost your musical self awareness
Find flow more easily by letting go of strict guidelines
Become a more flexible musician (writing on the fly is an asset)
Develop a natural relationship with your instrument and sound
Intuitive Songwriting (my top 8 moves)
1. Looping + “Fishing”
These are two of my top go-to moves for intuitive songwriting:
Looping
Fishing (not actual fishing)
Looping is when I play a part of a song on repeat while I hum over it (or play an instrument over it) until I find a melody that hits. It’s one of my favorite ways to write intuitively, whether I’m feeling stuck or not.
“Fishing” is when I just play my instrument (or sing nonsensically) with no intention or goal. I’m just messing around like a creative explorer, based on mood and feeling alone.
With either of these methods, I’ll eventually (without fail) stumble onto something special. It’s creative play at work.
2. Step Away (then come back)
I do this before I finish most of my songs. It’s a simple move that creates objectivity and intuitive insight. It works like this:
Step away
Forget
Come back
Remember (but with fresh ears)
I usually know instantly if there’s something missing or if something just isn’t working. Because when you get lost in the weeds of a song, it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees. You can become “ear numb” to what you’re hearing.
It’s like smelling multiple perfumes back to back. Eventually, by the fifth one or so, you start losing your ability to judge which is best.
So wIth music, when I find myself struggling to decide on a direction or if a melody is even good, I simply step away and forget.
When I come back, everything suddenly feels obvious (usually).
3. Optimize for Flow
Flow state is when you’re so lost in a moment, you totally lose track of time and space.
It’s when creativity is highest and ideas come out intuitively. It’s the zone and it’s a musical sweet spot.
So (obviously), I try to optimize for and write from this place as much as possible. Here’s how:
Make sure my environment is inspiring
Get rid of distractions (social media, extra computer windows, etc.)
Schedule time to play (but with no end or cutoff time)
If I can, act immediately on spontaneous sparks of inspiration
Address flow bottlenecks or obstacles
Practice present moment awareness
4. Detox
This is probably just good advice in general (with or without the whole songwriting context). But take more detoxes.
For our purposes here (of writing music more intuitively), that means two things for me:
No social media
Stop listening to other artists
Removing external influences is an awesome way to reset yourself back to your natural state — your authentic self, without any influences.
We all know the benefits of a social media detox — no explanation needed. But detoxing yourself from listening to other artist’s music? This feels…wrong.
Because we’re supposed to all support each other, right?
True. And while I love getting inspired by other artists, I also love to be oblivious about what’s going on (the trends, the hottest sounds, the songs I wish I wrote…).
All of these things infiltrate the songwriting process and can subtly strip away your authenticity as a songwriter.
So again, I’m forever inspired by other musicians. But I love to step away every once in a while to remember who I am too. This will reset your musical intuition.
5. Songwriting Breaks
Want to know what I love as much as writing music? Stepping away from writing music.
It’s a serious hack for unlocking creativity, new ideas and intuitive songwriting.
Anytime I step away (even for just a few days), I always come back with ideas pouring out. Taking songwriting breaks makes me more intuitive, more creative and more inspired.
So if you’re really running your head against the wall or in a creative rut, simply step away. It’s time for a break. Do something else for a few days and then come back with fresh energy.
We can’t operate at 100%, 100% of the time.
6. Play to My Strengths
Intuitive songwriting requires agility in whatever instrument you’re using. Because it’s hard to get lost in flow-based writing on a guitar if you can only play three chords (for example).
BUT! Big but…
You can still write intuitively. For example, you can hum the melodies into a voice memos app and then slowly learn how to play the song on your instrument.
In general though, the more I lean into my strengths (for me, that’s guitar and writing melodies), the easier it is to write intuitively, which makes a lot of sense.
So what are your musical strengths?
Explore more:
➤ Find Your Musical Strengths (SWOT yourself)
7. Add Pressure
Nothing makes me more productive than the last minute.
With songwriting, sometimes a little bit of external pressure forces intuitive creativity out of me. Not always, but often enough for me to add it to this list.
So here are some ways I like to add pressure to my songwriting (in hopes of sparking more musical intuition):
Do songwriting challenges (e.g., write a song everyday for a month)
Use a timer (e.g., give yourself 10 minutes to write a melody)
Create deadlines and share them publicly (you know, accountability…)
Try more impromptu songwriting (just start playing — see what happens)
Hit record on your phone (you don’t need to share it)
8. Prime My Mind + Body
When my body or mind feels drained, so does my songwriting.
So the more I prioritize my mental, physical and emotional health, the more intuitively I write music. Or as David Lynch puts it:
“Anger and depression and sorrow are beautiful things in a story, but they are like poison to the artist. You must have clarity to create.”
I’m no expert and this is NOT health advice — obviously, lol — but this makes sense to me and has proven itself true more than enough times.
So here’s what I do to prime my mind and body for creativity:
Meditate (daily)
Remove stressors (one at a time)
Finish easy low-hanging tasks (which usually weigh heavy on my mind)
Prioritize good sleep (7-8 hours, at least)
Balance (take breaks, recognize burnout, socialize, etc.)
Practice gratitude and celebrate all of the little wins
Later ✌️
My best stuff usually comes out of sudden creative moments that are unplanned and intuitive. This style of songwriting is a cornerstone in my music-making processes.
Some of my favorite ways to practice this are by looping sections of songs and “discovering” a melody, stepping away and doing detoxes, optimizing my life (for health, for flow) and playing to my strengths.
But just remember, there are no rules here.
So do whatever feels right and don’t worry about sounding different or “wrong”. Intuition is a skill. It’s best balanced with technical learnings, but you can start practicing it at any time in your songwriting journey.
Now go make some epic stuff!
