Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 58

PHOTO: MEGAN MCISAAC
WRITING
Ben Kunder is a singer-songwriter who has released two full-length, studio albums to date: his debut, Golden, and the
newly-released and critically-acclaimed, Better Human. For more information on Ben, you can check out his website at
www.benkunder.com and follow him on all major social media platforms.
By Ben Kunder
B
The Inspiration
in Collaboration
eing a songwriter can be lonely. We
feel that as artists, we must do every-
thing on our own. And as our writing
progresses or our music is received
by audiences in different capacities,
we can feel the demand to write more, to write
faster, or to write “better” songs. That can create a
lot of pressure and anxiety when the process of
songwriting should be freeing and come from an
open place without our inner dialogue hindering
us from writing anything down. This has been an
issue for me and my writing in the past and has
been a major factor in the periods of time when
I’ve dealt with writer’s block. I have found that
collaborating with other songwriters has lifted
me out of these writing funks and brought my
songwriting back to life.
By co-writing, performing in songwriter cir-
cles, participating in workshops, touring with
other songwriters, and even having songwriters’
breakfasts or potlucks where we’ve gotten togeth-
er and spoken openly about process, inspiration,
and struggles, my world has been opened to the
reality that there isn’t one way to write a song.
My anxiety dwindles and I experience writing
with a fresh gaze. Creation inspires creation and
connecting with other artists feeds that hunger.
The meeting of creative minds. The co-write.
There isn’t just one way to write a song. There
are many numbers of processes that one song-
writer might use before getting to a finished,
fully formed song. I’ve found that by exploring
the world of co-writing, you can expand your
vocabulary in writing.
Solo vs. Collaborative
When writing on my own, I may wake up some
mornings and have a melody and song pour onto
the paper in a matter of moments, though I tend
to write in stages. I’ll hum a melody while walking
down the street and come up with a line that I
may record or write down and save for later. (I
record or write every idea down.) A week later, I
might sit with that line and try and unfold a verse
or two and a chorus and I’ll stop if I feel like the
58 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
song is being forced and come back to it later. I
also may have a melody or chord progression that
I’ve had for a while and see if it fits. If it doesn’t,
I’ll build the melody and progression from the
inspiration of the lyric. One should inspire the
other if it doesn’t happen naturally.
As for a co-write, the first single on my newest
album, “Fight for Time,” was a co-write with Maia
Davies (MAIA, Ladies of the Canyon). We have
performed together in the past and appreciated
each other’s writing and artistry so it seemed like
a great opportunity to try and write a great song.
We got together in the studio, sat with a coffee,
and Maia started asking me questions about
my day, about my life, and my relationships. We
would write down anything that seemed in-
teresting or that sounded like a lyric or phrase.
From there, we looked for a common theme in
the writing. We focused on a few key notes we’d
written from the conversation and tried to turn
them into a melody on the guitar. We followed
the structure of theme along with the structure
of melody that we had created to keep our focus
clear and the intention of the song consistent. It
was a ferocious and exciting way to write. I’d nev-
er had the experience of being able to bounce
ideas off of someone right in the moment, asking
questions and encouraging the process togeth-
er. There was no space for doubt in the song
because we were pushing each other forward.
We were pushing through the over-analyzation
and natural self-doubt that may occur when left
on your own to deal with the inner-dialogue that
acts as another voice holding you back from a
natural flow of expression. Within three hours, we
had a fully formed song that we were proud of
and had a beautiful experience exploring each
other’s psyches and creative processes.
Sometimes co-writing doesn’t work like
magic, though I think it’s still important to get
together with other artists and try to create. Even
if no song comes out of the interaction, it may
inspire you to try something new or go back
to something you were working on and dig a
little deeper.
Beyond Writing
There are many ways to collaborate that don’t
include the actual songwriting process: touring,
co-headlining, and songwriters’ circles;
I’ve had some incredible opportunities to
tour and share stages with some of my favourite
songwriters. The two that stick out to me are Sarah
MacDougall and Suzie Ungerleider (Oh Susanna).
Sarah and I toured across Eastern Canada
and Europe as a co-headline tour. We shared the
stage and went song for song, like in a songwrit-
ers’ circle, sharing stories and occasionally col-
laborating in our performance. By sharing space
with Sarah’s powerful presence and hearing her
stories and watching her convey the messages
of her music every night, I learned more about
myself as an artist. I could see, hear, and feel what
connects with the listener. It reminded me that
the song isn’t just about what’s put down with
pen and paper; it’s also about how you connect
with your listener’s five senses. That’s important
to think about when writing, because in the end,
the song is to be heard and experienced.
With Suzie, I supported her on an Eastern Ca-
nadian tour and we would sit on days off sharing
half-written songs, trying to encourage their com-
pletion while fostering new ideas. Her breadth of
experience as a songwriter was an inspiration in
itself. The approach Suzie took was refreshing and
inviting. Any idea was worth exploring and she
taught me to look back and remember that every
moment you experience in life is worth taking
note of. That every story is worth telling.
I write songs to connect with others. I find that
collaborating with songwriters can harness my
craft and create space to explore different ave-
nues in songwriting. Whether I’m on tour with
another artist, in a co-writing session, singing in
the round, or getting together with my monthly
songwriter’s breakfast club to talk shop, I know
that I benefit greatly from the experiences and
knowledge of other creative minds. I’m looking
forward to finding new inspiration in future
collaborations.