September 18, 2007

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Alrighty then...

I've got the rest of the year planned out for two major projects--I may be submitting songs a little more sparsely through December. I decided that the only way I'll ever record an album is if I regiment out a strict schedule and stay to it firmly. I've gotten every day between now and December 18th planned out to make sure I: 1) Get my 7-track Acoustic EP together, 2) Have plenty of time between songs so that the quality can be good (something I have a hard time with--see my SongFight submissions), and 3) Be able to submit a story to NaNoWriMo this year.

This is the most organized I've ever been.... eeevvveeerrr...

Question of the Day: If you regiment out time to do a song (say, for SongFight), how do you usually break it up?

For Instance, on each of my songs, I have certain days allotted for:
- Rough Copy (First Draft of the song Recording)
- Creative Writing (Playing with it to see how it can be garnished nicely)
- Practicing
- Recording (Second and Final Drafts)
- Mixing

I have each set aside with a date next to it (Sept. 19, Sept. 21, etc...) as benchmarks. Does anyone else go to this effort ever?

[HeuristicsInc]

I almost never make a schedule for anything.
-bill

[jimtyrrell]

Working, and then going to a friend's house for a songwriting session.

QotD: Although the sentence above might indicate otherwise, I generally don't plan out a songwriting schedule (or strategy). Mostly, I get an idea for a musical or lyrical turn of phrase, and I build it up as quickly as possible in the time available, shoehorning it in around the other stuff I've got to do.

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Mostly, I get an idea for a musical or lyrical turn of phrase, and I build it up as quickly as possible in the time available, shoehorning it in around the other stuff I've got to do.

That's how I used to do it, too--but then when crunch time came, I'd have about 30 minutes to mix it all together and it oftentimes comes out crap, like my last few projects... The only way to put something quality for me is to structure a schedule, it would seem.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

QOTD: Holy crap, dude! That's just... wow. The timeline below is my more-often-than-not usual process, and assuming a 7 day-fight:

Day 1: Get title. Stare at it. Wait for connection to occur.
Day 2: Wait for connection to occur.
Day 3: Still waiting. Might have a flash of lyrical inspiration. Or a rhythm line pop into my brain. Or an idea of which instruments I want to use. Write down promptly.
Day 4: Inspiration has expanded, accreting other elements in my head. Feeling gung-ho to get home and start playing with getting the sounds out of my head and onto paper. Job is especially crappy, soul-siphoning, draining. Get home. Nothing sounds "right".
Day 5: Come at song again from the other side, addressing the elements that haven't been worked on/conceived/imagined/visualized.
Day 6: Say "fuck it". Work on other things.
Day 7: Record, produce, ship. Swear to do it differently next time.

[Hoblit]

Rabid has it right.

In my experience I find that you can't plan inspiration and even if you could, you'd still have too many variables in this thing we call 'life' to necessarily lock down a schedule.

If say our full time JOB was to create music... then things may be different.

I see a title... I muse.. I forget...but when I have some time..I look again.. play around. Lately I've been paying more attention and hope to get back into it. In the Hoblit 'good ole days' , that playing around part would determine my interest and flow for the rest of the song creation which also determined my priorities for the inevitable variables that would ensue shortly after.

[Billy's Little Trip]

QOTD:
Day 1. Stare at the title until my eyes do this >>
Day 7. Snap out of my zombie like state and look like this >>
Day 8. Sacrifice a goat to the Gods, that look like this >>

So ya, pretty much like everyone else here.

[king_arthur]

I've tried stuff like that before, and it never pans out. I definitely have a usual "sequence" I construct songs in - an approach to the title, a first draft lyric, play with the music until something clicks, start recording, continue to evolve the lyric as I'm recording it, build up the rest of the instruments until it sounds like a song, mix, let it soak and remix. I usually follow a process like that, but in terms of schedule, it is totally driven by when I (a) have "home alone" time and (b) whatever other commitments I have that take priority. Some songs come together in a day, others can take much longer than a week to finally finish. I have a desk drawer full of old unused lyrics from ten or more years ago, and sometimes, if I'm in a mood to do some recording but I don't have any fresh ideas, I'll pull out an old lyric and work with that.

Charles

[fodroy]

I usually did all of my SF songs within a few hours.

Pft. Amateurs.

[Billy's Little Trip]

One thing I've noticed about myself since I've joined SF, is that my song writing has lost depth. Then when I do get a rare depth flowing, the song goes misunderstood. Example, Thank God For Memphis is a song that is my true writing style. But I didn't bring it enough to the surface for the general listener to comfortably understand. I used to be really good at writing in a way that was easily understood. I hate writing a shallow song that I try to make deep. I'd much rather write a deep song that I bring to the surface. If I feel myself trying too hard to make lyrics sound more important than they really are, I scrap it, or just go ahead and keep it shallow and fun.

What the hell am I talking about?

[sausage boy]

A bunch of wank

No, actually, I think i get what your saying. I can apply the same theory to sausage boy stuff. Anything that is written with an intent is hated, while everyone seems to love the stuff that is just random shit.

Toronto Star!? I still get people telling me thats a cool song. It is about nothing! Its just a bunch of words I stuck together until it sounded like something, and just made sure there was a theme that ran through it, so it sounded like it was actually going somewhere.

[Ross]

Here.

My process grows out of the muse - sometimes words come first, sometimes a musical idea, sometimes a phrase, sometimes the choruse sometimes the verse. Depending how that goes, I may record a scratch version, maybe not. I might make sure the whole thing is written before I start recording so that I know the whole structure. I might record basic tracks with just one verse and chorus written and tie myself into structure before all the words are done, I might do drums first, maybe last. It's all quite organic. I generally work late in the week, because my mind likes to toss concepts around before a song spits out.

[Lord of Oats]

Here.

My process grows out of the muse - sometimes words come first, sometimes a musical idea, sometimes a phrase, sometimes the chorus, sometimes the verse. Depending how that goes, I may record a scratch version, maybe not. I might make sure the whole thing is written before I start recording so that I know the whole structure. I might record basic tracks with just one verse and chorus written and tie myself into structure before all the words are done, I might do drums first, maybe last. It's all quite organic. I generally work late in the week, because my mind likes to toss concepts around before a song spits out.

I almost wrote out my method earlier today. I'm glad I waited, because you typed it all out for me. That's pretty much my process, in a nutshell.

[Billy's Little Trip]

That's a cool pic in your avatar, Ross. But I cracked up at the Simpson Ross. It totally looked look you. I tried doing a Simpson pic of me, but it looked like Valerie Bertinelli, whom is very pretty, but I chose not to keep it.

[Ross]

That's a cool pic in your avatar, Ross. But I cracked up at the Simpson Ross. It totally looked look you. I tried doing a Simpson pic of me, but it looked like Valerie Bertinelli, whom is very pretty, but I chose not to keep it.

you look like Valerie Bertinelli? We gotta hook up!

oh, and I thought my Simpson looked like Ringo Starr.

[Billy's Little Trip]

That's a cool pic in your avatar, Ross. But I cracked up at the Simpson Ross. It totally looked look you. I tried doing a Simpson pic of me, but it looked like Valerie Bertinelli, whom is very pretty, but I chose not to keep it.

you look like Valerie Bertinelli? We gotta hook up!

oh, and I thought my Simpson looked like Ringo Starr.

So do you.

[sausage boy]

So, what did my other half do today?

She decided to try and drive our car under a ute.



It looks like it was attacked by Wolverine. Nice.

[Paco Del Stinko]

That's one nasty slice. Hope she's OK. Now, all "My Cousin Vinny" jokes aside, what's a ute? A utility truck? And is that on the hood or the bonnet?

[sausage boy]

a ute, yeah, its a utility (i guess). Its tray sliced up the left side of the car. It is worth noting, those of you who live in countries where you are all insane and drive sitting in the left had side, us normal people drive from the right hand side.

The damage is exclusively cosmetic, the engine has not been touched. The ute, also, doesn't have a scratch or a dent on it. Figures, when you buy a car made from old soft drink cans.

[jimtyrrell]

The windshield needs fixing, but the rest might be an advantage in traffic. If I saw that car coming up on me, I would do everything I could to get out of its way.

Glad everyone's okay.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Day 4: Inspiration has expanded, accreting other elements in my head. Feeling gung-ho to get home and start playing with getting the sounds out of my head and onto paper. Job is especially crappy, soul-siphoning, draining. Get home. Nothing sounds "right".

Yup, right on schedule. Or is the act of writing the "schedule" down creating a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Looks like I might be in this fight, if I can get something recorded in time to ship it to Albatross for some low-end lovin'. Otherwise it's another boop-de-doop bassline monstrosity from me, heh.

Hey, I just turned 1000. Cool.

[Caravan Ray]

what's a ute?

What's a ute?!?! My god - these people are savages - what do you people use for doing circle work if you don't have utes?