Vince Gill Shares His Secret to Good Songwriting—Here’s a Hint: Think Smaller

Over his decades-long career, Vince Gill has amassed an impressive number of writing credits on songs he’s recorded and solely co-written. These credits add to his equally expansive resumé of instrumental and vocal contributions since he started out in the late 1970s. Really, when you think about it, Gill’s track record makes sense—who wouldn’t want to work with the “Nicest Guy in Nashville”?

Still, even an affable musician like that can give off an intimidating energy to fellow songwriters. How does he stay so prolific? Does he never run out of ideas? How does he manage to work with so many different people so successfully? Those of us on the outside looking in might be quick to attribute Gill’s talents to some otherworldly blessing that no amount of practice will ever recreate in ourselves.

But if you were to ask Gill directly, as American Songwriter did in Episode 20 of Off The Record podcast’s second season, the answer is much simpler. Think snippets, not sonnets. That is, stop trying to write the next big thing and try to come up with several tiny, pretty good things instead.

Vince Gill’s Secret to Songwriting Is to Think Small

To be fair, Vince Gill’s talent as a guitarist and vocalist is hard to overstate. There is, of course, the unavoidable reality that Gill is so great at songwriting because he’s just that good of a musician. However, his approach to songwriting offers a fascinating insight into how the minds of greats work. Gill doesn’t go to writing sessions with an entire song in mind. He comes equipped with small melodic ideas he can bring to the writing table to expand and flesh out.

“I’ll have a little verse, some words, and melodies come pretty easy to me because I’m musical and can play, and there’s no one way,” Gill told American Songwriter. “Some songs come from a groove. ‘Liza Jane’ came from me kind of playing a lick like ‘Lay Down Sally’, and the way it went into that and all kinds of songs take you different places. I’ve got little snippets of a line or two here and there, and I’ll finally find my way to them and see what makes sense.”

Gill said that when he co-writes with other musicians, “I would always have an idea or two in my back pocket.” The “When I Call Your Name” singer says doing so helps avoid stagnant periods where no one has any ideas to offer to the group. Another expert songwriting tip? Research your co-writer beforehand. Use them as inspiration.

“I’d always do a little bit of homework on what that person wrote and what that person sang like and what that person was like musically,” Gill explained. “I would try to take something that was familiar to them and go like that, and it worked out pretty well.”

Photo by American Songwriter

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