What the band taught me

Playing with a band changes the way I write, even when the song was meant to be played alone. Once you have heard four other people listening to your verse, you cannot go back to writing as if no one is in the room.

The band has taught me to leave gaps for the drummer to land in, to give the bass a note to chase, to trust other people to fill the air I used to crowd. They have also taught me when to wave them off and just hold a single chord.

More than anything, they have taught me that a song belongs to the people playing it on the night, not just the person who wrote it. That has made me more generous with my own work, and a much better collaborator.