Members drewl Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 I had way too happy a life to write anything good until I got older and people started dying and women dumped me etc. Then I wrote really great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 http://photosmackdown.blogspot.com She's got some cool photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rlm297 Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 Here's a trick that I picked up when I was part of my university's newspaper. It's a writing trick that someone like Peter Elbow came up with. All writing is, is like telling a lie. Pushing yourself to stretch the details. Which is why whenever you lie to someone, they're usually like, "oh, you're telling stories." Here's how it works. Your day could have been, "I went to work, worked, came home, and went to bed. The usual." But you can ALWAYS spin it, "I stole a guy's Porsche, skipped work, and won a raffle at a scubadiving convention for tickets to an underground street fight at a date not yet determined." Put that in the context of writing a song. Write some lame, general words and concepts on purpose and then exaggerate the hell out of it. Do you honestly believe that Jon Bon Jovi is a "cowboy" who rides a "steel horse" with a "six-string on his back" and that he's "wanted"? In reality, he probably has never been in any trouble with the authorities.. and I highly doubt anyone would drive a motorcycle with a guitar on their back. That reeks of over-sensationalized Hollywood bull{censored} stereotyping. Only Uncle Jesse from Full House would actually do that. Hell, only ONE of the Beach Boys even surfed. All five of them sang about "Little Surfer Girl," "Surfin' Safari," and "Surfin' USA".. but only ONE of the Beach Boys ever actually surfed. Great Songwriting = Lyrical Lying Set to Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Chappell Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 My biggest fear is that because I can't seem to write anything, it means my feelings don't actually exist. ^ ^ ^ ^Love this! With great insights like this, I think you'll be fine once you "break through the block." Any writing is a balance of the mechanical (taking the details and crafting them together into the structure that serves the song) and the inspiration (having the idea for a good story to begin with, coming up with the winning riff, the hook, etc.). Sometimes we can't control the inspiration part, but most pros can polish and burnish the mechanical bits while waiting around to be struck by lightning. I like rlm297's advice: it's a good pragmatic approach to the mechanical (and funny too!). And sometimes you can "see the wires" separating the mechanical and the inspired. Take the Beatles' "Do You Want to Know a Secret?": Great concept, hook, harmonies. Then they had to write a bridge. And it's possibly the worst bridge ever written ("I've known the secret for a week or two ..."). So even the best sometimes have to grind it out. But you just keep pushing, and eventually the good stuff will out, as the poets say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 My biggest fear is that because I can't seem to write anything, it means my feelings don't actually exist. Balderdash! Poppycock! uhhhh... Piffle! Writing is a craft. It's blue collar work. You learn the mechanics (have you done that?) and then you just do it. All else is bunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 Balderdash! Poppycock! uhhhh... Piffle! Writing is a craft. It's blue collar work. You learn the mechanics (have you done that?) and then you just do it. All else is bunk. Horsefeathers! Malarkey! Uhhhhh... Bulldrivel! You just wait for the muse to strike! It's all about serendipity!! You're not in control of ANYTHING!!! You're at the whims of the universe!!! You are passive! Oh, no, it's not about songcraft!! You wait - wait, I say! - for something to happen between you and a woman!! And it must be about a woman, you know, because there's NOTHING else that's inspiring, nothing else that's profound, nothing else that's worth writing about in song!!!!! Forget this bit about learning songcraft, kids. Why oh why would you actually want to put in the work and sweat? You can write a great song without learning the mechanics!!!!!! Wait for a woman to dump you or at least fart in your general direction, and then, no doubt, your muse will sense your oh-so-tormented soul and visit you then and only then. THAT'S the way you write a song, dadgummit!!! Don't listen to that cat!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 Do you honestly believe that Jon Bon Jovi is a "cowboy" who rides a "steel horse" with a "six-string on his back" and that he's "wanted"? So......none of that is true? He didn't wait until he was trying to escape the authorities on his "steel horse" and, wait, wait, wait for the muse to strike his tormented soul and put it into song, all while continuing to elude people trying to kill him and bring him to justice?BTW, I hear he's "seen a million faces" and he's "rocked them all". Now that's quite a lyrical phrase!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 BTW, I hear he's "seen a million faces" and he's "rocked them all". Now that's quite a lyrical phrase!!! How do you rock a face, exactly? And is it something people should be singing about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 How do you rock a face, exactly? And is it something people should be singing about? Seeing as this is a family forum, open to people under 18, I won't go into lengthy descriptions. Bon Jovi's seen a million faces, rocked 'em all, and wrote about it in song. And he's probably a little tired now, between that and evading the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 "Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung." -Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Taylor Davis Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 My biggest fear is that because I can't seem to write anything, it means my feelings don't actually exist. yes you have no bananas.. :lol: OR it's because you have'nt tried to learn anything NEW lately and your well has run DRY. Your well of useable info has been exhausted and you need to study your craft. This cannot be related enough because most folkes are unable to understand the correlation between study and experience. You don't have enough experience in your craft to be able to distinguish what works and what WON'T work. So I say AGAIN, Learn twenty songs in different genres and then learn twenty more and keep on learning. Never stop. Write lyrics out in longhand and study rhyme schemes and stuff like alliteration and how syllables are used as meter. The more you know the easier it is to write anytime, anywhere, about anything, in any genre. AS I always say: IT's EASY if you know how. SO how do you LEARN HOW? By STUDY, STUDY AND MORE STUDY. you don't learn from taking breaks or walks or by being in a crisis or from haveing a broken heart: you learn by applying yourself and getting down to the nitty gritty. How does one get to Carnigie Hall?:idea: Thanks for lettin' Me share. T. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members halfnote Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 Originally Posted by halfnote Jeff had some thoughts worth considering above but I suggest that waiting for inspiration is likely to let many fine opportunities pass. Halfnote makes a great point there. I was only talking about MY writing style, and I'm fortunate that The Muse (or whatever the hell you want to call it) visits me pretty often. Other people are really good at sitting down and writing something good on demand. Just not me. New thought: We all have our favored methods; some things work better for each of us. This comment isn't intended as arm-twisting or wrangling to convince but in thinking about this, it's occurred to me that practice is the main key here. Just as one gets better or accustomed to things by doing them, so one becomes better at reaching creative states, perhaps, by engaging them. Consider: an idea may seem more striking when one encounters its type less often. Greater familiarity might engender greater facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beck Posted August 20, 2009 Members Share Posted August 20, 2009 How do you rock a face, exactly? Must I 'splain evrthin'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rlm297 Posted August 21, 2009 Members Share Posted August 21, 2009 How do you rock a face, exactly? And is it something people should be singing about? Ah yes, the line "seeing a million faces" and "rocking them all." You pick up a rock or stone and throw it at the part of the human head where their most distinguishable features are found. If it is a bungled execution of a "bean," it can then be called "chin music." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phait Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Been thinking recently with Autumn coming up, it used to be my favorite season. Then it just became bleh. But, I was thinking how I love the smell of the turning leaves and just the general season feeling sometimes, and how nice it'd bee for us to walk in that. So, I think I will take the things I/we've wanted to do, and put them to lyrics. That should get the gears turning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members elsongs Posted August 30, 2009 Members Share Posted August 30, 2009 Write about things other than girls.Yeah, like squirrels Wait...did someone say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted August 30, 2009 Members Share Posted August 30, 2009 If I was tempted, on this hot Sunday morning, to create a parody thread title thread, I would create one with this title: I can't usually write when I'm gay -- so what? [Full disclosure: last time I checked, I was straight.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phait Posted November 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 28, 2009 Came up with a melody on the acoustic today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phait Posted December 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2009 I've been working on the song and it's coming along nicely instrument wise. I have yet to title it or write substantial lyrics but yeah it's taken me this long to really find something worth working with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudolf von Hagenwil Posted December 28, 2009 Members Share Posted December 28, 2009 i usually compose when I have an idea, and surely always when the client wants his music next morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted December 28, 2009 Members Share Posted December 28, 2009 I've been working on the song and it's coming along nicely instrument wise. I have yet to title it or write substantial lyrics but yeah it's taken me this long to really find something worth working with 4 months isn't that long to come up with a melody man...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudolf von Hagenwil Posted December 28, 2009 Members Share Posted December 28, 2009 4 months isn't that long to come up with a melody man...... no, not really when you work 2 seconds on it every day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted December 28, 2009 Members Share Posted December 28, 2009 Hmm...interesting. I'm the opposite. I can't write when I'm not happy or calm. Lately, I've been stressed out about a lot of things, and I don't feel at all like picking up a paper and pen. Haven't written a song in months. I guess it's because I don't write songs to express my feelings. I write songs to write songs. Inevitably, my own thoughts and feelings make their way into the songs, but I don't necessarily set out to express them. It just happens. If I do purposely try to draw from a difficult life situation, enough time needs to pass before I can adequately express it in song. I have no problem pouring out my unfiltered thoughts into my journal, but in order to fashion them into a song, I need enough time to be removed from the situation, so I can have a clear enough mind to reflect on it. When I'm upset about something, the last thing I want to think about is, "How can I make this rhyme? Is the meter right? Is this a good metaphor?" So yeah, I'd say I have to be reasonably clear-headed and calm to be creative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted December 28, 2009 Moderators Share Posted December 28, 2009 I'm in agreement with Rudolf and halfnote. Phait, you're glamorizing the craft. I'm sure you wrote stuff you love when you were unhappy. So you mistake that fact for a trait of yours. And that appeals to your sense of how you see artists and yourself. But it is only true because the following statement is true. "I can only write when I'm unhappy because I haven't spent enough time learning the craft and I erroneously believe I have to wait to be inspired." But the fact is, as halfnote (and even Taylor Davis taking a breather from his persona) so eloquently said. You've got to work you ass off to know what you're doing. When you start knowing what you're doing, you know what to do to get what you want. Kinda simple. Not very glamorous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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