Songwriting help & advice needed

[DC Ross]

Hi all,

 

I have hours upon hours of musical ideas, probably totalling in the thousands. The problem is they are just that: ideas - a single melody line, rhythm, or whatever. I rarely ever get past this point, and it's quite frustrating and really leaves me feeling unfulfilled. After 20 years or so, I only have a handful of completed songs to show for it.

 

I need to expound on these ideas, but I don't know where to go with them. Everything I try comes out sounding unnatural and forced.

 

I wonder if anyone else has this problem, and if you do, how do you overcome it?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks!

-DC Ross

[LiveMusic]

What about working with a lyricist? If lyric ideas do not come to you, perhaps it's not your cup of tea and you're gifted in the music area.

[60hurts]

I'm in the same boat DC, but with one difference, I also have a LOT of finished songs.

Sometimes I write a song that comprises several of those thousands of ideas and riffs I have. Even those little bits and pieces that you would not expect to work together...do!

I do this with lyrics, too.

Try it!

[Ernest Buckley]

You`re being too critical of yourself and your ideas. I had this problem for a long time and then I stopped worrying about every word and note. Just let yourself write and then go back and edit.

 

Try brain storming for one. Also, try writing a very simple and easy song about something. Even if its dumb, force yourself to write something in 20 minutes. These are techniques I have used to get out of writers block as well as writing new material for an old idea. STOP JUDGING.

 

Peace,

Ernest

[Lee Flier]

Yeah I agree with Ernest, the self judgement thing is hell. For me, it really helps to be able to bounce stuff off somebody else that I trust. I had a lot of writer's block before my band got together because well... sitting by myself trying to write a song that ultimately needed to be played by several people, kind of sucked. Now, if I get even a slight bit of an idea I can play it for my bandmates and we'll do something with it... and just fleshing out the one part will often give me an idea where it should go next, or one of the guys will do something that makes it obvious where to go. So, I dunno, maybe a collaborator would help you. The trick is to relax and get yourself into a frame of mind where you're not consciously thinking about it too much.

 

I'd also bet that out of all those song fragments you have, you could stick some of them together and make more complete songs. Maybe even fragments that you hadn't thought of putting together... if you change up the rhythm or tempo of one to match another, you never know. That's happened to me quite a few times.

[seahorse]

Originally posted by 60hurts I'm in the same boat DC, but with one difference, I also have a LOT of finished songs. Sometimes I write a song that comprises several of those thousands of ideas and riffs I have. Even those little bits and pieces that you would not expect to work together...do! I do this with lyrics, too. Try it!

You can even do this with bits written in different keys. It's fun to hook them all together. Old Beatle trick.

[WonkaNoize]

I always take David Bowie's advice to Reeves Gabrels...when you are stuck on a song idea take one of two approaches...#1) Do something that is totally unpredictable and you'd think would never work...or #2) play something that is totally cliched...one of the two is almost guaranteed to work...