I definitely know it (Secret Handshake prefight)

[Lunkhead]

Secret Handshake
Due: Monday, 12/09/19 9:59am PST
optional challenge: Two chords at the same time
yourbandname_sh.mp3 sent to fightmaster@songfight.org
Subject: Secret Handshake
Body: (your band name)

http://songfight.org/faq.html#how_to_enter

I have to go out of town around deadline time so this deadline may be enforced more strictly than usual, just to put y'all on notice. Also there have been a record number of mix updates sent in lately. It creates a teeny tiny bit more work for me per updated mix, and it's now happening for so many of the entries that the extra work has started to add up. I may be a bit more strict about limiting folks to just sending in the one version for a bit.

[crumpart]

I may have accidentally done two chords at the same time on Skeleton Key...

[Pigfarmer Jr]

this deadline may be enforced more strictly than usual, just to put y'all on notice. Also there have been a record number of mix updates sent in lately.

I've done it twice, both in recent fights. Firstly, I apologize and secondly, I think a more strict deadline will fix this more than anything. I know the vibe is to have a random new fight postings but a deadline on Monday is usually a good thing for me (most people?) as it gives us the weekend to finish up a project.

All that to say, both moves seem to be a good thing in my opinion. Especially if it makes it easier to manage songfight.... I love the double digit entries of late but I can only imagine that can make for more work.

[AJOwens]

this deadline may be enforced more strictly than usual, just to put y'all on notice. Also there have been a record number of mix updates sent in lately.

I've done it twice, both in recent fights. Firstly, I apologize and secondly, I think a more strict deadline will fix this more than anything. I know the vibe is to have a random new fight postings but a deadline on Monday is usually a good thing for me (most people?) as it gives us the weekend to finish up a project.

All that to say, both moves seem to be a good thing in my opinion. Especially if it makes it easier to manage songfight.... I love the double digit entries of late but I can only imagine that can make for more work.

It's weird, but I came close to submitting an update for this fight. I didn't. Otherwise I would have been part of some eerie synchronistic trend. But I tried to fix too many things, made a mess, had too many other commitments, and gave up. Also, honestly, I didn't want to be a nuisance to the Fightmaster. So, sorry about the vocals in the first verse.

As one who at least tries to honour the deadline, I would be OK with strict enforcement. How many fights did I enter as a newbie before I twigged that others were taking whole days to improve their entries?

A fixed date sounds like a good idea, but would probably put too much pressure on the Fightmaster when they should be watching Ed Sullivan with the kids (or whatever modern families do on Sunday night).

Should the time to prepare an entry should be adjusted to allow for the fact that some people apparently need extra?

[AJOwens]

Is this title too meta? Is it about inside jokes at Song Fight? That would make it meta-meta.

Sometimes I feel like the title for one fight is an echo of an entry in the previous fight. Specifically, my entry. That's paranoid, isn't it? This started long ago, when I submitted an entry that some people compared to Frank Zappa, and in the discussion I mentioned I was going away for a couple of weeks. When I got back the title was "Welcome Back, Frank."

"Try Me" came up after I mentioned in a private conversation that something was beginning to bother me.

"Right Town, Wrong Address" followed my song about living in a place where everything I remembered seemed to be gone.

I could continue, but at this point I'd better not. Am I the only one who imagines connections between their entry and the oracles of Deep Throat?

[Æpplês&vØdkã]

I'm a perennial update sender (okay I'll stop) and a strict deadline respecter...so if that rule changes and updates become verboten then I guess I'll just quit being so trigger happy on the email sending and wait until the actual deadline.

Wish there was a "scheduled email template" I could use with Google docs so I can make it send the most recently uploaded version right at the deadline.

Or something else with that feature...

And James, I haven't noticed too strong of synchronicity but lately the "skeletal" idea in my head tends to match up with the titles moodwise. This week included.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

a strict deadline respecter...

I was that at one time. Then I noticed how many people sent in songs late and that slowly lead me to be a habitual late sender inner. (Submitter, I guess.) To be fair, in the past that would mean not sending in songs. I have a handful (or more) of songs to songfight titles that were never recorded properly because I knew I wouldn't get them in on time or more recently abandoned because the fights were posted before I was done. And another bunch that were submitted very last minute. I try not to mention how much time I spend on songs now as it rubs some people the wrong way (which is more understandable than it sounds re: humble brag comments etc.,) but this past week is a perfect example of how I should have had more time (I was on vacation all but Friday) but ended up having less time (I helped repair fences/houses/traveled out of town twice etc., etc.,) and squeaked a song in just before they were posted.

All that to say that strict (or more strict) deadline would not be unwelcome. But I understand that part of the Songfight charm is that no-one really knows when the real deadline (songs get posted) is; Kind of an encouraged gamble on getting songs sent in.

[Lunkhead]

No need for anybody to apologize about sending updates (not yet anyway ). No one person was going overboard about it that I noticed, it was just the aggregate effect of more and more people doing it started to add up.

The amount of work I have to do per song is pretty small at this point so having larger fights doesn't add a ton to my work load.

[owl]

Fessing up, I'm also guilty of sending in a new mix this time (sorry!) even though there are still various things in the current mix that need fixing too (I'm sure someone who knows what they're doing is going to be thinking "wait a minute, this is her 'after' version of the mix?!")

I sent it in in a rush, before I was really ready, because we had to leave town for Thanksgiving, and I thought there was a better than average chance of the fight being posted on time because of possible extra Fightmaster free time during the long weekend... but when I got back and saw that it was still not posted yet, I took the opportunity to adjust a few small things that had been bugging me as I listened to the mix while we were gone. I debated with myself for a while about whether to just sit on my hands since I'd already submitted and I didn't want to make a lot of extra work for Lunkhead, but I had already made the changes to the file so I just re-sent it anyway.

I appreciate the warning about a strict deadline this time around!

[thirdcatmusic]

I sent my first ever update for "Skeleton Key" so I feel guilty that I was the straw that broke the camel's back. I have been late a couple of times but otherwise always in on time. If I get one in for this one it'll be on time. But I may take a fight off. Maybe burning out.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Should the time to prepare an entry should be adjusted to allow for the fact that some people apparently need extra?

No. Human nature being what it is, I doubt it matters much how long we have.

[ujnhunter]

If I send in something late, it's not because I took "extra" time to work on it... It's usually either because I saw the title a couple days before the deadline or even possibly after the deadline had already passed, and I had an idea that I felt was worth working on even with the risk of the fight being posted in the meantime. That just adds further pressure to finish something even though it's possibly late. The "strict" deadline is actually a motivator to get something done... don't assume you have "more time" just set deadlines for yourself or nothing will ever get finished. Heck there are even weeks when I've seen a title as soon as it went up and I didn't like it or have any ideas at all and then 1 day before the deadline, all of a sudden inspiration strikes! Go, go, go! Record something as fast as you can! Ahhhh!

Also even if there are some people that are "taking extra time" polishing mixes and sending in multiple revisions after the deadline... that's not going to lose votes for you... in fact... you have more of a chance to lose a fight because of friend flooding than someone taking a week longer than you did polishing their mix. Have fun, don't worry about other people, finish a song with the time that you have and submit!

[gizo]

I think I have written a song that I like. And unlike a usual gizo song, this one has more to it than Verse-Chorus-Verse-Out (!)

Now to see if I can record it in time!

[Æpplês&vØdkã]

I've got a song that I'm not at all sure is a good song. But it's a simple song.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

I wrote a simple song that I like a couple of days ago. Immediately got a cold that makes it near impossible to sing. Amanda and I have an idea for another song. If we flesh it out I hope she doesn't want me to sing or at the very least, I hope my voice is back by Saturday at the latest.

[Jim of Seattle]

I was actually inspired to write something this week. I used a technique I've employed a few times before in fights, when I want to write an instrumental but want to ensure people it did actually come from the title - I turn on the mic, and speak the title exactly one time without any prep. I'm only allowed one take. Then the challenge is to take that spoken bit and make a piece of music out of it. It's fun to see where my imagination will take me when given just four spoken syllables.

[Adnama17]

I wrote a simple song that I like a couple of days ago. Immediately got a cold that makes it near impossible to sing. Amanda and I have an idea for another song. If we flesh it out I hope she doesn't want me to sing or at the very least, I hope my voice is back by Saturday at the latest.

Well... damn.

[gizo]

I am bouncing down right now. I have fiddled with the mix all day and I'm going to stop now before I make it any worse.

[crumpart]

I am bouncing down right now. I have fiddled with the mix all day and I'm going to stop now before I make it any worse.

I just read your lyrics and shut up I’m not crying this room is just dusty ok I’m not very good at cleaning.

[gizo]

I am bouncing down right now. I have fiddled with the mix all day and I'm going to stop now before I make it any worse.

I just read your lyrics and shut up I’m not crying this room is just dusty ok I’m not very good at cleaning.

Imagine being a Big Wet like me and trying to sing them...

[thirdcatmusic]

got late inspiration and wrote most of a song yesterday, finishing it & recording it today and tomorrow and will be in on time I do believe. it's nice when you feel like there's no ideas left and then finally something comes (right about when I was giving up.)

[Æpplês&vØdkã]

Keeping some of my lyrics but likely modifying them quite a bit...totally redid the entire structure and beat. It'll be a rush, but maybe I could hack it!