songwriting

[Koushirou]

Whenever I come up with a melodic or lyrical idea that I think could lead to a good song, I write it down/save it in a txt file. The bad thing is that I just kind of leave these things laying around and don't get around to realizing them into actual songs. When I try to do so, I end up discouraged because I have so much stuff to look through. But I'm really obsessive-compulsive about throwing things out, so I'm very reluctant to just get rid of these ideas. Am I just being ridiculous and counterproductive; should I just say sayonara and write songs from whatever pops into my head when I'm in a songwriting mood? Or should I keep on trekkin', and try to dig through the mess in hopes of ending up with some possibly great songs? Mostly I guess I'd just like insight into what your songwriting processes are like...

[Hoblit]

keep those ideas if you still think they are worth it. However, don't rely on those ideas for your songs in the future. Just write new ones. Don't stop at writing an idea down, follow through with it at the time it pops into your head. Right there and then.

[supernipple]

i know what you mean, i'm the same way. I'm kind of scatterbrained to begin with but pretty creative, so i'll get a part or a lyric i like but then never follow up on it. So i have about 15 notebooks full of random unfinished lyrics, a bunch of text files on the computer, a full harddrive of audio, and almost a full cd flip book full of backed up project files that i had to get off the audio drive (they're 24bit and 32bit-float files though with many alternate takes and random jams so its not like i've recorded 30 cd's). I like a lot of random things, but its kind of daunting to decide where to start since they're all random styles, and ideas, etc. What i do lately is keep it all, but i don't obesess over it. I just start new things and try to be more direct and stick with something. but when i get writers block, or need an idea, or even when i'm just bored, I'll go back and read/listen to things. It gives you a good perspective that way too to look back at something from 6 months ago or years ago. You can really decide if you like it then once you've forgotten about it.

[erik]

Mostly I guess I'd just like insight into what your songwriting processes are like...

I don't write lyrics that are disembodied from a melody, that is, I don't come up with a good turn of phrase, and then file it away. All the words I come up with are for melodies that I have currently written.

But I do have a journal where I write lyrics in. I have lots of unfinished songs in there, in the sense that some of them have incomplete lyrics, or some of them I haven't written a decent bridge for, or an outro or whatever. Whenever I have something that I'm working on, I try to write it in this journal, so that everytime write something, everything that I'm currently on at the time is in front of me. Some songs don't get written in a sitting, not for me. I have some songs that I've been sitting on for years; I just recently got a good line for the second verse of "Death Plunge" that I never finished because I got stuck, and now I think I can unstick myself.

[LMNOP]

...some of them I haven't written a decent bridge for...

Story of my life. I went through a period of time where it was pretty much IV I IV V or the highway. In other words, I struggled to write a creative bridge. In the last couple of years, I've added/changed bridges to songs I wrote probably 15 years ago and they went from being so-so to being pretty good.

That's why you keep the incomplete stuff. When you get old, you do a little tweak and get credit for a whole song.

P.S. Not that there's anything wrong with IV I IV V...

[deshead]

should I just say sayonara and write songs from whatever pops into my head when I'm in a songwriting mood? Or should I keep on trekkin', and try to dig through the mess in hopes of ending up with some possibly great songs?

Have you ever successfully taken an old idea and worked it into a new song? If you have, then that probably answers your question. Personally, I haven't, though I imagine the answer's different for everyone.

My archive of "ideas" stretches back over a decade, and I've never once gone into it, found an old idea I like, and turned it into a completed song. Rather, I write the way Hoblit and erikb suggest: the songs come mostly whole-formed in a single session, or they don't come at all. The unfinished stuff that ends up in The Idea Archive, I view that as practice, and I hold onto it because it's fun to track my progress. (Hmm, and maybe a little bit because, like all artists, I'm deep-down afraid that the well might someday run dry ... <cough>Paul McCartney</cough>.)

[Mostess]

...I just kind of leave these things laying around and don't get around to realizing them into actual songs. When I try to do so, I end up discouraged because I have so much stuff to look through. But I'm really obsessive-compulsive about throwing things out, so I'm very reluctant to just get rid of these ideas. Am I just being ridiculous and counterproductive

Yes. If the piece doesn't motivate you to write more, it's not worth it. Go ahead and write them down for later, but make sure you chuck weak ones.

Oprah has a saying: Remember what 'yes' feels like.

It works for me. If I'm going "yeah, I should probably finish this song at some point because I started it and who knows maybe it will be okay but I'm kind of too tired to do it now and there's something on TV I kind of wanted to watch...", that's not what 'yes' feels like. Screw it. Life's too short to spend writing songs you're not into.

And in my experience, people always like the songs I wrote fast because I loved it and lost track of time because it was so engrossing and fun. And they usually don't care for the ones I re-drafted and forgot about and then kind of finished because I thought I should. It's not worth it.

I used to think it was just that I was bad at re-drafting and finishing songs. But now I think it's the other way around: the songs I don't finish right away just aren't good ones. Some part of me knows when I'm heading toward a dead end and it just gives up. I've cultivated an ear for that part of me, that intuition that saves me from wasting my time.

That said, SongFight is a great motivator to ignore that voice, because you often don't have time to start over. I made a pledge to myself a while back that I wouldn't start recording for SongFight unless I promised myself I'd submit it. I admit I've broken that promise a couple times, but for the same reason---the thing I started just wasn't worth finishing.

Chuck it. You don't value it. It's not good enough. Your oevre deserves better than half-assed, guilt-driven, self-imposed homework assignments. Respect yourself, damnit.

[Dan-O from Five-O]

(Hmm, and maybe a little bit because, like all artists, I'm deep-down afraid that the well might someday run dry ... <cough>Paul McCartney</cough>.)

I'm sure we both wish we were tapping a well that deep, dry or not.

Oprah has a saying: Remember what 'yes' feels like.

Dude, you quoted Oprah. OPRAH! Please don't do that anymore. I agree with what you said after that, but man, Oprah? OPRAH?

Dan-o has a saying. Remember what this feels like.

[Mostess]

I agree with what you said after that, but man, Oprah? OPRAH?

You got a problem with that? Yeah, I'm talking to you, funny-face. You want to take this outside?

Take wisdom where you find it, and give credit where it's due.

[Dan-O from Five-O]

I agree with what you said after that, but man, Oprah? OPRAH?

You got a problem with that? Yeah, I'm talking to you, funny-face. You want to take this outside?

Take wisdom where you find it, and give credit where it's due.

Agreed, I'm just playing with you man.

[WeaselSlayer]

Come up with at least one solid musical and lyrical idea, then press record and write as you go along. That's what I say you should do!