About songwriting- A dilema..

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

Many people do it out of love and they don't seem to mind if they're good or bad, and that's cool, but does anyone ever feel their best songs may have allready been written and lose enthuisiasm for newer material..

Reason I say this is I'm getting 2 new songs ready for a session later this month and my heart just isn't in to them. One is a remake of "More Than Beautiful" with all the instruments and the other I've been going over 4-5 old ones never recorded and the thing that stuck me about at least a few of them is how strong I believe the lyrics are (I could be wrong about that..) and I compare that to what I've written recently and the new stuff just doesn't measure up..

At this point I just don't want to record average songs.., if that's all that's left maybe it's time to leave this or at least that's how I feel at the moment..

Does anyone else ever feel the same way??

Ralphy The Dragon · Joined: 23 Oct 2003 Posts: 13

Everything goes in cycles, I dont think you can force music, it just has to happen when your in the mood to make it

People who are into music 24 hours a day are wierdos

Sometimes you gotta put the guitar away for a couple months, and pick it up again when you feel like it

just my opinion

good luck with it

Leader of the Banned

bbchris

Gregg, if you feel like leaving it for now, then leave it for now. Sometimes one needs to take a break from certain songs. If I'm not happy with a song I leave it (anywhere from 6 months to many years) and then retry the lyrics with different music. Collaborating with others can also bring a fresh angle to your songs. I guess it's every songwriters fear that they've written all their best songs and now can only write average ones but it's not true - that's just fear talking "fear emerging as reality"

The truth is we get more experienced, more demanding of ourselves. Plus collaborating is a great concept but you need the right partner.

Don't ever stop writing and creating music.

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

The "More Than Beautiful" song has really got me down at the moment. It needs to be finished and it must be ok, that the one played on VH1 for a few years but when I think of collaboration I think of vocalists and there's a slow version to that song where the melody and arrangement is completely different and very few voices could pull it of.., I once had that voice who several times insisted that "I AM YOUR ONLY SINGER!!!" (hehe.., yeah...) but the madness that seems to seep through every pore of this business put and end to that..., the Royal Acadamy & it's strange fruit does have standards I guess.., and very mediorcre if you ask me..., but out of ballad-type material.., that would have been the best one and now it'll probably never be done now.

And the truthis,, I really only write these songs for a handful of people and the approval was so overwhelming for "Mia-Leah" (That's actually written for someone else of a different name, I do like the ring to the title though..) that I'm not sure I can top that.., that one is special to me though the lyrics are a bit sloppy in places, that song does hit home about somone still very deeply loved and now I'm not sure others written about the same subject should ever be recorded...

I wish I had more time for this... What a priviledge it would be to be able to spend all your waking hours at it with no other concerns.., it's really hard to squeeze them in with my kind of work schedule..

bbchris

I hear you Gregg. I guess time is something we all wish we had more of, whether to do music or spend time with loved ones etc.

You only write music for a handful of people? Well I hope I can be included in that handful for the reason of "I want to hear what you do" reason.

And yes sometimes our lyrics can 'appear' sloppy but really when we are baring our souls in a song, is there really a 'sloppyness' about it? SHould we be so judgemental about how lyrics should be?

And should you record more than one love song for this person you truly love? That's up to you. You may feel in the mood in the future. Never say never. Perhaps you could ask the person in question?

And yeah big ballads are all-the-rage with stuffy people... :banana

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

It's like nearly every one of them.., and there's plenty more to do.. a lotta different stuff too though..

The new one coming is called "She Don't Know" and it's so damn Beatlish and I get critised so much for those but I was going over the arrangement in my head today and it's gonna sound good.. A cool intro that will also be much of the solo part..., it's gonna have a real swing to it.., and Dwight loves it.., that's always a good sign..

Who cares if it sounds dated..., the average listener love them.., and I got alot of them like that...., Hmnn..., watch it get slammed if I make it live..., maybe that's a good sign too..