What to do after you've realised you're terrible?

[DLDude]

So. I've written alot of songs. Maybe 30-35 (ive only been doing it for a few years). Whenever I go back to reflect on my work, i realize how truely... bad I am at it. It's not just the lyrics, it's the entire package. The same old bland, slow, boring songs over and over. Is there a point where you say "welp, maybe this whole songwriting thing isnt for me"? I cant sing well, I dont play guitar that well, so there's nowhere else really to go.

 

How do you find inspiration?!

[tamoore]

 

Originally posted by DLDude So. I've written alot of songs. Maybe 30-35 (ive only been doing it for a few years). Whenever I go back to reflect on my work, i realize how truely... bad I am at it. It's not just the lyrics, it's the entire package. The same old bland, slow, boring songs over and over. Is there a point where you say "welp, maybe this whole songwriting thing isnt for me"? I cant sing well, I dont play guitar that well, so there's nowhere else really to go. How do you find inspiration?!

 

 

 

The best you can do is to write music that you'd like to listen too.... If you can't do that.... Yea... maybe you just can't?? I dunno......

[RTripp]

Don't ever completely give up writing, but take a break from the idea of becoming great at it. Keep listening to and studying music that inspires you. Seek out experiences that will change the way you're viewing and approaching your music. Have fun.

[SaltyDogg]

I've been thinking about this myself lately... I don't think I'm god-awful bad but uninspired and lacking confidence and skill... definitely:( However... if you suck and have realized this as a fact... that is a very GOOD thing because you aren't delusional.

 

How many times do you see bands/dudes that suck so bad but they think they are the next Metallica, Bowie, Prince, whatever?

 

I would recommend figuring out your motivation... if you want to write songs to get the ladies, to make money, etc... I would give it up peacefully.

 

But if you truly love music and love songs then why not stick it out? Relax the pressure a bit and take time to sharpen your skills... Don't be too tough on yourself. Buy a songbook and study the chords and lyrics... whatever you find might help.

 

As far as inspiration... I need that myself. But I am aware that a lot of rock songwriters get ideas from everywhere. Sometimes the bassline will build the song, sometimes drums, sometimes lyrics or a melody snippet. I guess it is being open to fresh influences and being able to build upon them enthusiastically.

 

The way I see it... if you realize songwriting isn't for you, you can at least turn your energy to focusing your technical abilities, so you can at least play respectably well and be knowledgable about music.

 

Of course... I have to work on all this myself.

[rsadasiv]

This is a pretty deep existential question...

 

The short answer is that the huge, huge majority of people (and I include myself in this number) ARE terrible.

 

So what can you do?

 

One thing to do is to work on other things in your life which will make you feel better. Adequate sleep, good nutrition, emotional support and financial independence are all things which will make you feel better in general. Personal and social responsibilities like marriage, parenting, housesholding and politics can suck up massive amounts of your time and energy, and can provide useful distractions as well as positive feedback and reinforcement that even though you are terrible in your chosen field you are not completely useless.

 

If you do all these things, and still find yourself pursuing something at which you are terrible, you can try and make yourself less terrible. You can say to yourself "Ok, I may not be great, but today I will be better than I was yesterday". Focus on concrete things which you can practice and improve in an incremental fashion.

 

If there is any possibility that you can live your life without Art, you should grab that possibility with both hands. If you cannot live without Art, you must resign yourself to a certain amount of (self-imposed) suffering, accept the fact that you are terrible and try not to bitch about it to others.

[Nick Steen]

Switch playing/writing styles, put yourself out of your element, play alot of cover songs from drastically different artists. These are all things that can help kick your "goodness" up a notch. You'll pick something up somehow and roll with it, if not... Well...

 

You could always try deprevation experiments of various kinds. They work sometimes. And when I say that I mean not touching an instrument for however long it takes to make you crave it and go mildly insane.

[DLDude]

Thanks for the advice guys! The thing about covering songs from different bands is a great idea. I listen to boring indie rock like Radiohead and Sigur Ros all day, so perhaps thats half the problem.

 

I know you guys hate critting songs, but if you could listen to this song i did this week. I want to think it's a decent song, but all ive got is friends saying "ye that sounds good". I'd honestly like a purely objective critique of it. Just if you have some time to kill and want to listen to some random kid's song

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=122020

 

it's called "New York".

 

This is how all my songs sound. Boring core, louder outro that is always too drawn out.

[6_ton_parachute]

Sometimes I write songs that I think are horrible but everybody else thinks are good. I think it's just the fact of writing your own songs that makes you prejudiced against them.

[jabney]

Hello DLDude,

 

You've been given some good suggestions. I've got a few suggestions as well.

 

Take those 30 to 35 songs and put them in chronological order. Look at the latest, then look at the earliest. That should encourage you.

 

Analyze the way your style has evolved. Maybe classify periods of your songwriting style. Think like a really pretentious teacher trying to be - oh, pretentious. You know, themes, symbolism, etc.

 

Prepare for dry spells and use them too. Research, take notes, listen to artists you never thought of listening to, say Fred Astaire, or Gene Autry, or King Sunny Ade, or Clem Snide.

 

Speed it up. I co-write, and my usual co-writer and I have never started to write a fast song. And yet when a bunch of our co-writes get their open-to-the-public debut this Tuesday, 11/14 at the Knitting Factory (OK the sub-basement of the Knitting Factory) almost all of them should move along at a decent clip. Hey, if you're in New York on the 14th, you're welcome to check out the songs. I don't play, but the band, The Codes, (thecodes.net) are playing at 7:00 or 8:00 PM.

 

If I can get my words performed in public, I bet you can too. Your forum postings are decent enough.

 

best,

 

john

[Comic_God]

Originally posted by RTripp Keep listening to and studying music that inspires you.

 

This is really good advice that I often say to people when asked about expanding their song writing...

 

Its a simple fact that you only know what you know because of the people that came before you. The creative twist you can put on this knowledge is what makes it yours

 

Also keep in mind that many experienced song writers and producers will tell you that many, if not most, of the most popular songs were re-wrote several times before you and I ever got a chance to hear them...

 

I have also come to believe that there is no measureable skill level for songs you write without commercial intentions.. Its only when these intentions are considered that often times a certain level of song writing/production values and experience really make a great song. At this point it is up to the song writer and producer(s) to make judgement calls based on pure "marketability" potential which definately does take skill.

[TheBCProjects]

Originally posted by DLDude Thanks for the advice guys! The thing about covering songs from different bands is a great idea. I listen to boring indie rock like Radiohead and Sigur Ros all day, so perhaps thats half the problem. I know you guys hate critting songs, but if you could listen to this song i did this week. I want to think it's a decent song, but all ive got is friends saying "ye that sounds good". I'd honestly like a purely objective critique of it. Just if you have some time to kill and want to listen to some random kid's song http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=122020 it's called "New York". This is how all my songs sound. Boring core, louder outro that is always too drawn out.

 

I liked it. I though it was well put together, the sounds all mesh well, and I didn't shut the window before the song finished, which is always good a sign. If this is your genre, then you're doing it well.

[VSpaceBoy]

What about it do you think is bad? Don't say everything. Take it one thing at a time.

 

Whats wrong with the lyrics?

Melody?

etc.

[bluesway]

but do you feel like you're more terrible than that other {censored} that's out there? i just spent my sunday morning watching videos on VH1 and i can't believe how completely terrible the majority of the stuff that's charting today is. f'ing fergie? gwen stefani? (quite possibly the whitest person on earth trying to do Pop/R&B) that stupid 'lips of an angel' tune that was written by 45 year olds trying to be 20 in a total time span of 15 minutes? really, how can you possibly feel bad about your own work when {censored} is all the industry asks for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

(okay....that was my cynicism/jealousy/rage speaking.) i totally understand you. i can only listen to a very limited amount of my material without feeling totally worthless as a songwriter. constantly trying to reinvent your style is a good thing, if you want my advice. you should try and write something from a completely different perspective. that's what i do. it will have an effect in the long run.

 

 

 

 

ps - most of the people who we consider to be great were terrible in their origins according to someone.

[ChordGirl]

Originally posted by DLDude Thanks for the advice guys! The thing about covering songs from different bands is a great idea. I listen to boring indie rock like Radiohead and Sigur Ros all day, so perhaps thats half the problem. I know you guys hate critting songs, but if you could listen to this song i did this week. I want to think it's a decent song, but all ive got is friends saying "ye that sounds good". I'd honestly like a purely objective critique of it. Just if you have some time to kill and want to listen to some random kid's song http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=122020 it's called "New York". This is how all my songs sound. Boring core, louder outro that is always too drawn out.

 

 

 

I like this song a lot. But, you need to listen to yourself a bit more. You already said your songs are too slow with similar endings. Write a song that's faster where all the punch is in the middle and instruments fall out at the end. Imagine these songs are on an album. How far would you get into the album before you shut the thing off. I also think you're not giving yourself enough credit. If you've only been doing this a couple of years, you've got some decent stuff. You just have to make the songs stand out from one another. (And, please, kick the vocal mix up just a bit in your recordings.) Write a song where harmonies play a major part in the structure. Write a song starting from a different beginning point, as someone already suggested here. I.e., if you normally start with chords, start with lyrics. Or, a bassline, a chorus melody, a verse melody, anything to get your songs not to sound all alike. Put some leads in the intro, more than just your accoustic and vocals. Start in a different key. Vary your rhythms within the song, start in a different key, hell, you can even change the key in the middle of the song etc. A song does not always have to crescendo from beginning to end.

 

You can just re-work the 30 that you have, if you like. Tweeking like this will make a huge difference. You have a great starting point, already.

 

...my 4 cents.

[DLDude]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I really liek the idea of just taking some of the songs i have, and mixig them up. I do way to much of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-outro. Im going to try to switch that up. I think im also going to bust out my strat and pump up the gain. It's kind of hard to write boring songs with a nasty crunch to it.

[budubum]

hi.

 

dude i really cant see anything bad bout ur music...

 

really..honestly... it sounded great...

 

tho..maybe if u still not sure what is going on... could u atleast think about WHAT style u are up to? like what do you want more from that song then just tinker with that style u know what i mean??

[PikPik]

It doesnt really matter how badly you think you suck, if you like writing songs and playing the guitar then do it!

[emdub123]

I really liked your song "New York", that riff reminds me of "Waitin' on a friend" (stones) and the melody reminds me of Luna and the Shins. Definitely good company, I'd say.

[bassplayer106]

I kinda have the same problem as you. Except I tend to

second- guess myself alot. Like I'd write a song then my friends are like "ya it's pretty good. Keep it up." But then later I'd come back to it and be all "what was i thinkin when writing this?" then i'd change it up more and more to where i'd show it to my friends again and all they'd say was "this is the same song?" So mabey hearing the same song over and over just kinda makes it dull in my mind but not to others, so.... i dunno. All the advice I can give you is not to go back and change the song up. You probably knew what you where doing then, and not realize it now. If that makes any sense.

[TheLuxLife]

Originally posted by DLDude Thanks for the advice guys! The thing about covering songs from different bands is a great idea. I listen to boring indie rock like Radiohead and Sigur Ros all day, so perhaps thats half the problem. I know you guys hate critting songs, but if you could listen to this song i did this week. I want to think it's a decent song, but all ive got is friends saying "ye that sounds good". I'd honestly like a purely objective critique of it. Just if you have some time to kill and want to listen to some random kid's song http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=122020 it's called "New York". This is how all my songs sound. Boring core, louder outro that is always too drawn out.

 

 

Being completely honest:

 

Out of all of the things I've heard today...that was the best. Compared to the formulated things you hear on the radio/tv, that was excellent even if it's just because I know it's coming from pure desire to be better. I happen to like that you kicked the song up at the end! Ever heard Ben Kweller? You somewhat reminded me of him, and his style. I'd suggest you make sure you don't write a lyric "just because it sounds good". If it's not coming from a genuine place, don't do it, and things will come together more nicely.

 

I'm a 22 year old solo artist who knows just how tough writing can be. It's a very emotional thing sometimes. Especially when I walk on stage in front of a hugh crowd. At that moment you're sharing your heart with a bunch of strangers.

 

Anyway, after listening to 3 of your songs I'd say you should really think about why you're telling the story, and who you're relating it to. Maybe add a little more "color" in your vocals because it has a tendency to sound "sleepy". Please do post more of your work.

 

 

 

-Jason

[Tyler Goyak]

Everyone is capable of achieving GREAT things. The main thing is to not give up. Keep writing. Through focused hard work, you can improve your songwriting. There are many resources which can help you become a better songwriter too.