Songwriting Sessions: Retooling

Definition of retool (courtesy of Merriam Webster Dictionary)

transitive verb
1: to reequip with tools
2: reorganize
3: revise, modify

intransitive verb
to make especially minor changes or improvements

Sometimes, all you need to write a song is to take an idea that already exists in some form or another, and to retool it.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

- take a chord progression from a well-known song and change the key, tempo, etc
- take an instrument normally played in one style of music (say, banjo in bluegrass music), and use it in another style of song (pop)
- take a certain concept from a song (the ways lyrics are sung or spoken) and use it in a completely different context

Here's a real-world of example of the last idea:

Original song

New song based on original song

There's always inspiration around the corner (or in the next song you listen to) if you open your ears and your mind to it. Happy writing!