Share your thoughts on songwriting

[Anifa]

Yep Dak, the recorder is old faithful. I used to carry a recorder in the car, til the Sun got to it Just never bought another one. Since I paid quite a bit more money on this little guy, I'm a WHOLE lot more attentive as to it's whereabouts. On the voice recognition, you don't get to capture the melody line... just the words, BUT, you don't have to type them into the puter afterwards... just dump em'.

[Dak Lander]

Well Ani'Fa, I feel dumber than a post. The last of those electronic recorders I looked at wouldn't download unless it cost a fortune, & I guess I missed that part of your previous post & your's being fairly reasonable for that feature. The ability to dump oral info to the computer in text format is a great feature but only at a very reasonable cost, unless you're really prolific in your creativity. I know you are, much more so than many others. In my circumstance, the mini-cassette would work. Heck, I even use that old thing they used to call an pen & something they called a pad. I developed an ability to write without looking at the pad or paper. It's not the neatest but it is legible. It started with writing serial & model numbers off of equipment manufacturers tags & went on from there so I can now write on a pad on the seat beside me while I drive.

I know, Whoop de LaLay!

[Anifa]

Actually Dak, you're the smart one cause you haven't dumped a pretty penny on STUFF that you never take the time to use. If you notice a clip from my post above....

 

Hey Whitefang and all others faced with this problem; I had a friend turn me on to something that, when I use it, is a lifesaver for us wordy ones.

 

Keywords being, when I use it Doesn't make a whole lost of sense to buy this fancy stuff when I never dust it off and pull it out of the cover. Every since I got beamed with that virus that took me down for a while, I had to reformat my hard drive and lost all of the voice training. I had back up copies of my website, most of my songs and other good stuff like that; but I wasn't even thinking about backing up the Adventures of Willy Wonka... and all the other boring crap I had to read out loud. I just haven't forced myself to undergo that torture again, so I too, use a pen and pad.

[whitefang]

Anifa;

 

That device you mention might come in handy when lyrics come to me in the car, but as far as any MUSIC is concerned, it's a lost cause on me. I would have to rely on being able to hum or "scat"

in the key the tune would be in. And if you heard me sing, you'd recognize that I natually sing in the key of J-flat!

 

Whitefang

[Splatt]

Great thread.

I`ve only been writing for about 12 months, after a 10 year break from music, but I`ll have a stab at it anyway...

 

How do you write songs?

Occasionally the music is in my head allready and I just have to let it out, but most of the time I just start with a beat, play something along with it (guitar/keyboards/bass) and see what happens. When it works, one thing makes another happen and I have to backtrack to change what started the process to fit the new idea (if that makes sense).

A sort of stream of consciousness thing, although sometimes I struggle as my musicianship isn`t that good

 

On the average how long does it take you to write a song?

 

As DCJim said, the best ones just happen all at once, I try and limit myself to 2 weeks which in time spent in my `studio` probably equates to around 20 hours. If it isn`t ready or hasn`t made me shiver by then, it goes into the WIP file.

 

How do you get Ideas for songs?

 

Time to come clean! My lyrics are terrible, I listen to my record collection and think `they`ve got away with writing nothing and it sounds like a good song` but I just can`t seem to write a line that is almost invisible, many lyrics wash over you without anything other than melody getting your attention. When I listen to my lyrics I cringe. Neither can I use words like `love`, `baby` or any of the other chestnuts.

One of my recent songs `You never call my name`, I actually wrote about Christ returning and being mighty pissed off. But it sounds like a love song so I`m happy with that.

 

What do you get out of writing songs?

 

Unlike nteleky, I`m doing this for purely selfish reasons. I love music, and writing something that YOU want to hear has got to be the best buzz in the world. If someone else likes it, even better. But I don`t mind if they edge away from me with a puzzled expression.

 

What is the most typical song structure you like to write?

 

I too do the VCVC-M8-CC thing, but if I can I like to blur the edges or put something completely different in there. I find it gives the illusion of being `fresh` .

I think Beck does that a lot, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn`t.

 

Who do you respect as songwriters?

 

Captain Beefheart, Radiohead, The wedding present, NIN, The kinks, Led Zep, ooo loads really.

 

Just a bit extra while I`m in full on ramble mode,

aaron.p`s post was interesting, I believe Salvador Dali used to go to sleep holding something over a tin tray, as he fell asleep he dropped said object on the tray, waking himself up to paint what he saw.

I know there`s loads of stuff buried down there that I can`t access because of everything `normal` in life that covers it over. At the moment the only way I can take a peep inside is to drink or something, blow away the detrius.

 

aaron, if you ever find a way to it, consider me in the queue for a map

 

Just one last thing,

is it considered OK here to post links to tunes so they can be criticised by other forum members?

 

Ta

 

Splatt

[Anifa]

Splatt,

 

is it considered OK here to post links to tunes so they can be criticised by other forum members?

 

Several of us have been doing it, no one seems to mind.

 

NOW FOR THE BIG QUESTION: HOW DO YOU WRITE A SONG?"

 

Personally, I write from emotions. Normally a heartache, a fury, or a frustration motivates me to write.

 

I'm not one that can speak my mind profoundly at the instant of a given situation, and often times, I should verbalize but instead I bite my tongue and hold it in. In holding things in like I do, too much of the time, when things do come out; they come out explosive or I write the crucifying Dear John letter that is irrevocable, when I didn't mean it... it just came out all wrong. I try too hard to get along and usually get walked on a lot. My writing comes after the fact when I've said too much or said too little.

 

I've written many a beautiful lyrics in the form of song or poetry; but all it takes is one bad day to destroy a relationship in it's entirety. Some of my best love songs have been written while I was on the bottom of the world. I tend to try writing songs that are uplifting, so not to drag others down. I like writing songs about life, songs of instruction with a philosophical edge. I try to incorporate good solid advice and offer words of healing; psychological nurturing for those who are too proud to seek counseling or to those who are not in a position to seek it.

 

My writing serves as an outlet to speak the things that "I could've said, should've said, would've said, and didn't say." ( I have those words right there written in a song. )

 

I have a tendency to like to play on old cliche's; the one's that you don't hear often. Also, I tap into catchy phrases that stick in my mind. I'm always being a smart alec, just my nature, so I'm always tossing out ornery remarks in teasing my pals. Sometimes, it's one of my friends making a sarcastic remark that triggers an idea; I've just learned to grab a thought when it's there and I hang on to it until it works its' way into a song. I like to write mind stimulating lyrics that really make you step up and say... "Gee, I never thought of it like that!" I call em' curve-balls.