Writing Partners?

[DJDM]

I'm listening to the radio here and on comes a Joseph Arthur cover of "There is a light that never goes out" and it got me thinking. I just picked up a collection of Elton John's greatest hits CD before Christmas and have been driving my GF crazy listening to his 70s material over this past week. Also got me thinking.

Some of the best material out there was written by musical partners:

 

George and Ira

Lennon and McCartney

John and Taupin

Morrissey and Marr

 

Etc.

 

I'm sure that there are lots of writing partnerships out there that are far more subtle and take on all kinds of levels. Most bands over the years tend to develop some sort of synergy this way.

 

Do you have a partner in crime? Someone that you can freely exchange ideas with and with whom you can develop some sort of musical momentum?

[Lee Knight]

I do. He's an old friend/bandmate form the 80's. What's great is having that common reference. "It needs something like the cowbell from Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well." "I see, yeah, good idea. Let's not forget that Denny Lane/Wings rhythm guiatr part too." I've received lots of bland stares from other attempts to collaborate. We get more done together than apart.

[Lee Knight]

double post

[Lee Flier]

Yes my partner in crime is our bass player/vocalist, who is also my best friend. Funny thing is we don't necessarily write together. That is, most of our songs end up being credited to one or the other of us individually. But, we always bounce song ideas off each other and solicit ideas for where an unfinished song could go. It might be a chord progression or lyrical concept, or arrangement idea. I think being able to hash out a song idea with someone else and play through it with them, someone who has the same musical vocabulary like the other Lee said, kind of helps give a song substance. I feel more inspired to finish a song and feel like it's been somewhat "legitimized" once I've run it by Lyle and we've worked on it a bit, and he does the same with me. Sometimes we do that with our drummer there too.

 

Let's face it, songs are kind of ethereal things when they're just floating around in your head. I find that another person or people is the best way to make them become more tangible.

[Tedster]

I really don't at this time, but it's always good to have a reality check. I'm reading a Christmas present right now, the history of the Lennon/McCartney writing process...and realizing that perhaps the greatest gift those guys gave each other was the sounding board/buffer thing.

[Anifa]

DJDM,

 

My strength is in crafting lyrics and melody, whereas I'm weaker on music composition. I write songs in their entirety, but I feel more confident with composers that are well versed in theory where the music is actually arranged instead of played using synthesizers and presets as what I do solo. I was very proud of the results on the SOMA team for the Fantasy League/Internotes project where the songs were a team effort and each member contributed their own talents.

 

I have another writing partner that is in Ohio, but with the distance and both of us having busy lifestyles, we do not write nearly as often together as what we would like to.

[boosh]

We're schizophrenic,...does that count?

[DJDM]

Originally posted by boosh:

We're schizophrenic,...does that count?

Arguments over what key to play a song in must be very entertaining there boosh!

[Michelle ggurl]

Sure do. I'm the Pollace and he's the Zarate and we're the Zarate Pollace Project. He's on guitar, I'm on keyboard.

 

I used to fancy myself more a "go it solo" kind of composer -- and I have no problem writing my own tunes in various styles -- but once in a while I'll hook up with a writing partner and it just clicks. Usually it's guitarists (I'm mainly a keyboardist though I've been a bassist in some bands).

 

The way we complement each other is kinda like completing each other's sentences. This is purely metaphorical since we write instrumental music. It's refreshing to find someone you can have this kind of synergy with ... I find it enriches my solo composing as well; it just expands my musical vocabulary.

[DC]

Oh man, I've searched for a songwriting partner all my life. Met some amazing songwriters in my day and been in bands with them, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, they never worked out. Maybe we did one or two tunes together.

 

Then around 9 & 1/2 years ago I met this woman through her and this keyboard player joining up with me (guitar, vocals) and my drummer. We had this old fashioned Jimmy Stewart/Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; old movie kinda love/hate tension right from the get go.

 

Turned out we ended up fierce lovers and also turned out she's the first person I can write songs with. She doesn't play an instrument, but I play most um so she sends me in directions. I write my own stuff, but lots of 'musical beds' I can't come up with anything to go with and hand it to her and she makes a brilliant song out of it with way better lyrics than I can imagine and very cool melodies. She has tons of emotion in her singing and a magical way with harmonies.

 

It's not what I thought would happen, always thought I'd end up with a male tenor singing bass player and we'd crank out tunes, but in many ways it's way better than what I thought would be.

 

We've done 3 CDs worth of material, and the last one is mixed really well and I'm not worried about letting anyone listen to it. Just me doing all the instruments, and her and me singing and writing and an old drummer bud doing his bit on a few songs that are beyond my drumming capabilities, but it's good. And I listened to it a bunch of times and I think it's translating well and it's done.

 

Anyway, you always need help. I feel like I can't see the forest for the trees a lot with the mixing and my version of mastering (sequencing the songs and making sure the volume is cool song to song).

 

Thank God for my songwriting partner and partner in most all things.

[Phait]

My partner? Coffee.

 

My current project is something more personal so I don't really want a partner. Although, it might make things easier in the beginning. With my next project I'm going to be open to collaborations and maybe a fulltime partner.

[Philip OKeefe]

I've got two - both of whom post here on occasion - Songrytr and Toxic Potatoe. They're great guys, and I consider myself fortunate to have kindred spirits to write and work with.

[Bunny Knutson]

Lance, have you ever worked with a songwriting partner? Amazing things can happen when you double the mindpower. Maybe you and I should give it a try sometime.

[DJDM]

Originally posted by Bunny.:

Lance, have you ever worked with a songwriting partner? Amazing things can happen when you double the mindpower.

I have. In various projects I've written with partners and or band cohorts. Some very good material came from some of those sessions. But on the whole I've tended to be more prodigious in my output so I've simply learned to do for myself. In my last band before DJDM became a reality I was the vocalist/frontman, main songwriter and I played keys. I was also the booking agent, band contact as well as recording engineer, producer, manager. Despite all of that we actually did pretty well.

 

Originally posted by Bunny.:

Maybe you and I should give it a try sometime.

Perhaps we should John... perhaps we should...

 

[Sylver]

I had one years ago that I used to write with all the time, but we just don't seem to produce much anymore when we get together.

 

I've had a fair amount of one-offs with a few different people.

 

Flyscots and I have written a couple cool things, and a few more that we never really finished. Unfortunately, he and I seem to have this annoying habit of actually needing to be in the same room to get things done.