Why does it seem like?

So many people are so comfortable commenting on the theoretical aspects of song writing as opposed to the practical application? i.e., real words, with a real recording? It seems to be pretty common on this site, and it just strikes me as odd. Can anyone say why that's the case here 90/10? I doubt anyone can answer, but;

Thanks.

ok, i have no {censored}ing clue what you just said

but it sounds interesting

Same, I guess.

Maybe try the Gear Slutz forums?

HC is a thousand miles wide and an inch deep.

I'd kill to find a forum with a lot of theory nerds as well as people who are excited about a wider variety of music, but it most certainly isn't here or TGP. That's for sure.

Well you're still a likeable bunch of b@$+@rD$ anyway I guess.

Are you asking why more people talk about process and practice than typically critique a given song?

I'd say one factor is simply time -- it takes at least five or ten minutes to do a perfunctory job and more likely probably something like 15 minutes to do a thorough job. Sometimes one just doesn't have the time to do much.

And then there's the effort. Easy enough to listen (or listen to part ) and throw off a couple of quick comments like, "Sounds good," but does that do much of anything? Not much. People are helped by detailed critique (of both what's wrong and right).

And then there's mood... sometimes some folks just know when it's not a good day to handle other artists' delicate sensibilities... not all of us are always Pollyanna-like, in constant good cheer.

That's it, you've just killed my mood. I'll be found next week by friends and family hanging in the closet after an autoerotic binge. I wish I could remember David Caridine for Kung Fu...

Plenty of technical talk over there. Over here I get to ponder the metaphysical realm of songwriting.

That's it, the final coup de ville. Where's my belt?

+

++ Either

I'm takin a few of you with me. We're going to need a bigger closet.

I'll concede that there has been an influx of people here who want to be songwriters lately, who aren't really writing much yet but still want to talk shop. When I joined, most people (including me) were putting up songs every few weeks, and nowadays, I'm lucky if I get one in for the challenge every month.

When I post a song, though, I usually have a theoretical question that goes along with it--"Does it work when this song goes directly from the bridge to the chorus?", "Does this key change help or hurt the song", etc.

I feel similar to Leonard. It all has to come from the creator. Applying criteria from the outside, whether it's 'rules', trends, tradition, opinion, or whatever, detracts from the individual uniqueness. Even if it's eccentric, flawed, less than current, or underwhelming from some other perspective. Our 'weaknesses' may be strengths we're too strong-headed or hard-hearted to grasp. Talking about the creative process is more interesting and fruitful.

I think there's much to be gained from both workshopping songs and discussing general topics of craft and technique or even broader songwriting/career issues.

For one thing, while a few lucky folks (hard work, without doubt, being a big part of that 'luck') seem to be able to pump out song after song, others of us seem to struggle from time to time -- and maybe often -- with productivity issues.

I've mentioned before here that I once took a community college creative writing-novel class and, first day, the teacher (who had just won a National Book Award for a volume of poetry) said, look, this is not a class about technique. That's important, for sure, but let me throw out a question -- how many of you in this class sometimes or often have problems with inspiration, motivation, discipline, productivity? Pause. About half shoot up their hands. Over the next 5 or 6 seconds, another 1/3 slowly raise their hands as they consider it... and then, slowly but surely, almost every hand in the room in the room goes up over the course of maybe 15 or 20 seconds.

Yes... you can end up spending so much time talking about writing that you don't write -- but in my experience, talking about writing is still more likely to lead you to creative activity than a lot of other passtimes.

Let me keep it real.

The reason why I don't offer my critique to an individual song very often anymore is because I just don't have the patience to sit through it. It can be fun sometimes, but you really gotta be in the mood for it.

Indeed, and while I'm sure you are an honorable individual personally? However, there are some here who seem to benefit from others while at the same time, they refuse to reciprocate? So while you're not personally an "insert invective here"? And I'm not saying they are either? I'm leaving it to the reader to draw their own concludsions :-)

I don't review people's songs as much anymore...apparently you need to be selling products (nike shoes, video conversion software) when posting a review these days.

Also because you're a friggin' spammer.

Why do people spam anyway? I never seems to work...

Everybody thinks the same thing about TV commercials, but here I am eating a Fruit Roll-up.

But it sure is good on a hard roll with Velveeta.