Inside the Spark: Pondering the Creative Process of Fast Songwriting

Ross Mclennan and Ross McLennan Part of CW18

Songwriting is typically an art form which results in three or four minutes of sonic, structured, poetic time. However, songs typically take hours, days or even years to compose. But some of the greatest songs have been written fast. They seem to have spontaneously appeared from the ether in a state of relative completeness. This self-study explores the creation of such a song – composed in just five minutes – evaluating fast, compared to slow-form creations: the nature of the modern muse; the use of everyday technology to capture the spark of creativity; and the perceived benefit of a long-form honing process thereafter.