Members LeonardScaper Posted August 16, 2014 Members Share Posted August 16, 2014 My writing has been all over the place in recent months.....I'm trying to focus better on some of the strengths I picked up around here back when I was posting anything and everything. I know I have not been a good family member lately but I'd still appreciate it if some of you who know my stuff pretty well could listen to this and try to help me back onto a good path. You folks have always kept it real rather than just friendly. I have become even more into letting my songs shape themselves. I figure it is one of two things. I'm getting old and lazy (I am) and not seeing things clearly so my songs have become stale.......or I'm getting closer to that one good song that I know must be in there by just letting things flow. Chuckle.......I don't feel any closer. Anyway.....I'll post lyrics if you want. They're pretty simple. Follow Your Heart *wave* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LCK Posted August 16, 2014 Members Share Posted August 16, 2014 My writing has been all over the place in recent months.....I'm trying to focus better on some of the strengths I picked up around here back when I was posting anything and everything. I know I have not been a good family member lately but I'd still appreciate it if some of you who know my stuff pretty well could listen to this and try to help me back onto a good path. You folks have always kept it real rather than just friendly. I have become even more into letting my songs shape themselves. I figure it is one of two things. I'm getting old and lazy (I am) and not seeing things clearly so my songs have become stale.......or I'm getting closer to that one good song that I know must be in there by just letting things flow. Chuckle.......I don't feel any closer. Anyway.....I'll post lyrics if you want. They're pretty simple. Follow Your Heart *wave* It's great, classic Lenny. Cool guitar work. I love the internal rhymes, and the "false ending." The usual Lenny stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted August 17, 2014 Members Share Posted August 17, 2014 Lenny Baby (should be the title of my next song…..). - This is a good Lenny style song - in fact - I find it even more structured than some of your other songs. Some of your songs can be super-rambly with a lot of improvised instrumental work both syncopated and in counterpoint with each other. This is the Lenny 'style'. What I like about this song is that the arrangement has a structure with a good balance of improvised counterpoint. In other words, the chord patterns are familiar, and the changes come at expected times, but with the right amount of laid-back Lenny glueing it all together. I'm both in favour of letting songs shape themselves as well as songs that fall within a tried and tested template. I recently went back to basics on a song and wrote it AABA in 32 bars with the B being an exact Middle 8 - it was a discipline, but fun. I don't think your songs are becoming stale, but I understand that as songwriters we often tread the same familiar boards. There are ways of forcing oneself out of the comfort zone however. Anyway - nice to hear you back in this lounge ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted August 17, 2014 Members Share Posted August 17, 2014 I like this - the little pauses are cool and unusual. I'd like to hear one verse that's not from the point of view of giving advice to someone, but a first person verse. Something that says "I've been there" or "I didn't and I paid the price" that sort of message. Just to make it more personal. I like the bass tone - reminds me of the old Grateful Dead bass tone. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 17, 2014 Members Share Posted August 17, 2014 Please post lyrics - like this a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted August 17, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2014 I love the internal rhymes, and the "false ending." The usual Lenny stuff. Thanks Lee. I'm good with the usual Lenny stuff....we are who we are, right? You know how I feel about hearing the usual Lee Charles Kelley stuff. I find it even more structured than some of your other songs. Ah....this is something that I had hoped would come out. I spent a bit nore time making sure things flowed better. I'd like to hear one verse that's not from the point of view of giving advice to someone, but a first person verse. Something that says "I've been there" or "I didn't and I paid the price" that sort of message. Just to make it more personal. Hmmmmmm....yes, this is definitely what I sometimes call "a lesson song" as opposed to "a story song". I seem to avoid the first person perspective in them, it seems. I think I am trying to actually be "the impersonal sage". See what kind of grandiose places we go to when we get into our 60's? *chuckle* Thanks for that about the bass tone......that bass was actually made in 1969.....Gibson EB3. I know Garcia used an SG sometimes back then, not sure about Lesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted August 17, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2014 Please post lyrics - like this a lot. Excellent! Lyrics: You got to stand tall To stay free But that's not all 'Cause you still have to follow your heart Follow your heart What falls Will be It's your call But you still have to follow your heart Follow your heart Changes come through Strange ones too So follow your heart Follow your heart Don't stall You'll see All I'm sayin' Is to get down to it And follow your heart 'Cause its the last call For stone free There's a glass wall But you can crash right through it and be What you can be. 'Cause changes come through Strange ones too So follow your heart Stand tall It's all you gotta do Stand tall And follow your heart Changes come through Strange ones too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stickboymusic Posted August 18, 2014 Members Share Posted August 18, 2014 Love it Lenny - wish you'd spend more time round these parts. It's all about your voice Remember when we did this cover of Bee's song - Still listen to this a lot http://picosong.com/ctPL/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted August 18, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 18, 2014 Just...wow.....I had forgotten that tune, Stick. What a great song, Bee! That can't be me singing. I'll be around more now. I have been...wandering down different emotional paths and they seem to have brought my music to a more introspective place for a bit. I have made it through all that. My music has always been my anchor, but sometimes in a storm the anchor can get dragged a bit, right? *smile* I appreciate you all letting me just pop back in like this. I have been putting together a compilation to save as wav files on a few thumb drives and I came to "Cliff's Edge". I could never have done that alone. That album was a collaboration with all of you. *wave* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 18, 2014 Members Share Posted August 18, 2014 Love the scrappy vibe and delivery - very cool. This is the kind of intricate rhyme scheme I love - it makes writing easier, at least for me, and is very impressive when pulled off. This is very good. If I had one suggestion, my challenge with this song is that almost all of the intricate rhymes are using very generic words: stand tall, stay free, what falls will be. I get that you're going for broad universal proclamations, but in the context of the title, which is also super generic, I'm left at the end not really remembering anything. You have so few words in the verses here - I would consider making them count in a way that tells a story more, or gives more meat to "follow your heart." Currently it's all very slogan-y, and that's very hard to pull off. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted August 18, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 18, 2014 Interesting that you picked up on this aspect. As the song was taking shape......acoustic guitar in place and vibe developing......the first verse came as a whole. Stand tall..stay free...follow your heart. That's the very first thing I sang when I sat down to scratch in some lyrical concept and right away I thought...no way! Way too contrite and generic. *chuckle* But I could not shake that verse off. So....I decided that if it was going to be that way I may as well just let it. I mean......"All I'm sayin' is to get down to it"? *shaking head at self* I hoped to distract you from all that with a bit of attitude in the delivery. I did try to get the listener thinking with the chorus....... Thanks for seeing that perspective. I think I tend to be either too generic or way too obtuse with my lyrics. *wave* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbfrancis Posted August 19, 2014 Members Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hmmm...well, just because a verse comes to you whole doesn't mean it's right (could be, could not be), and just because the first verse is general and slogan-y and works doesn't mean the other verses have to be the same. Maybe have the following verses flesh it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted August 19, 2014 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2014 True....but I am such a sucker for the ones that come like that. It's like songwriting is supposed to be some cosmically correct experience rather than a craft involving hard work and honed skills, right? Right? I am so guilty of being a path of least resistance songwriter. Must be time for a good story song next. I need to see if I remember how to actually write lyrics. Thanks for this gentle nudge. *wave* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.