The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Hello. I am an enigma. I haven't submitted anything yet, but I may soon. I just don't want to give too much away.

Welcome to songfight, get in the ring.

And it had better sound a little like you know how to sing.

(I can't believe that nobody beat me to that one in almost three weeks - what's the world coming to?)

I only do instrumentals.

Do you have a sister?

Yes, but they are both married and neither one sings particularly well.

If you are going to do songs with no lyrics, you had better be a master musician.

Why? I don't think it takes a "master" musician to convey emotion, mood, or the "sense" of a title in an instrumental. It might be a bit more challenging, as you don't have the obvious channels to use to validate your point, such as lyrics incorporating an actual title for instance, but I think Jim of Seattle this week did a fine job proving that it can be done without lyrics or vocals.

In fact, I voted for his song for that very reason.

I'll agree that JoS's instrumental is voteworthy. I'll also say that it's the first, at least in my opinion.

I love instrumental music. But we're writing songs using (or inspired by) song titles here. And with an instrumental piece, it's much more difficult to discern whether the piece was indeed written for this particular circumstance, or if it's a recycled piece of work.

Now one could say that all music is recycled work, and in a sense, it's true. And one can easily argue that a song with lyrics can also be comprised of pre-written elements. To this I say that there are indeed no guarantees, but lyrics bear the most direct relation to the title, and are therefore the best guarantee.

There are many opinions on this subject, of course. And unless I'm mistaken, a few of them will probably make themselves heard here. That's a good thing. I should add that I look forward to hearing your stuff, even if the odds of getting my vote are stacked against you. Hell, if vote-getting potential were my own barometer, I'd hardly submit at all.

Welcome aboard!

Yay, new musicians! Uhm, yay instrumentals!

And remember, almost nobody wins!

Do what you want.


But it better rock and have vocals and a guitar solo that is rockin, but not wanky. NO I IV V'S!!!!! Weezer just had a hit with Louie loi..err I mean Beverly Hills so forget about it... one weezer is plenty no matter how good they are. Everyone hates an boy/accoustic tune, and they hate good ones EVEN MORE.
Also, don't sound TOO good, or use too many ideas... soundscapes are wrong. NEVER reference a songfighter unless you are "in the know" (Iirc). Always spell properly. NEVER take liberties with your lyrics... there are those that watch out for THAT. Treat every review as if it is the absolute word of God on whatever particular perspective is thrown your way..for the love of Ali G DO NOT use all two/three/four titles in teh same song AND FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE BACK THE FUCK OFF THE REVERB!!!!!!



otherwise, do what you want.



** opinions expressed here are apparently retarded. Digest at your own risk.

jimtyrrell wrote: I love instrumental music. But we're writing songs using (or inspired by) song titles here. And with an instrumental piece, it's much more difficult to discern whether the piece was indeed written for this particular circumstance, or if it's a recycled piece of work.

I think you make a valid point. But I'd also make the argument that there is music that gets submitted to Songfight that is not truly original, at least in the sense that the idea, arrangement, maybe even most of the lyrics, had been written in advance of the titles being announced. Maybe it was slightly modified to use the title. Maybe it uses a common arrangement (like 1-4-5). I'm not saying everyone does this. I'm very impressed with the originality of this site, and the creative ways people integrate the title. I'm also impressed with the overall diversity of the music on this site, and I would think that a site so inclusive might embrace instrumental musicians, but I also understand why that might not be the case.

I'm just saying that it's possible that maybe an instrumental will someday win a songfight, or at least be accepted with the open arms I'd expect from such a diverse community of artists. And if that possibility exists, then I have hope.

Usually, enigmas don't reveal so much. It goes without saying.

I sense JB looking for a bat.

Duck.

Hard to stop yawning long enough to swing it.

I guess you guys aren't big on classical music. They have titles without words. Or maybe that bores you too.

I think JB is huge on it...just a guess based on his ...cello experience. (I think it's cello..I dunno..the converstation was a while ago).

Imnenigma wrote:I guess you guys aren't big on classical music. They have titles without words. Or maybe that bores you too.

C'mon, don't be like that. It's not that I don't like it. Honestly. And I'll agree, there's easily as much potential for any or all of my Welcome To entry this week to have been pre-fabricated, even though it has lyrics. There is no absolute proof. That said, in this land of uncertainty that is SongFight, having no lyrics in your piece is going to make it that much more... uncertain, I guess.

It can be done. It can be done in the context of SongFight, and it can be done well. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing it.

jimtyrrell wrote: That said, in this land of uncertainty that is SongFight, having no lyrics in your piece is going to make it that much more... uncertain, I guess.

It can be done. It can be done in the context of SongFight, and it can be done well. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing it.

I guess you could say I'm all about uncertainty.

Thanks for the words of encouragement Jim Tyrrell and Leaf.

Imnenigma wrote:I guess you guys aren't big on classical music. They have titles without words. Or maybe that bores you too.

I have a degree in music theory and performance, and JB's one hell of a cello player, and Jim-O-S, and so on and so on, and his friend, and that other one...

But we're talking about Songfight here. Think about it. It has nothing to do with tastes or anything (I love Debussy, Stravinsky, Ligeti, bla bla bla). IT'S ABOUT RULES! Without rules this place would be chaotic. Out of control. FLUTE SOLOs for god's sake! And not that the world can't use another Density 21.5. It's just that that ain't a song.

When you're done thinking about it, submit whatever.

Thanks Roymond. If the rules say I can't submit an instrumental, then I won't. I wouldn't want to break any rules or ruffle any feathers now.

Maybe I'll just do reviews for now. Seems like lots of people are asking for them, and there aren't so many rules.

Ok so I got caught up in this same argument with father bingo a while back. I got called to task - and well - got my ass kicked in an Ellis Island quasi-sidefight. I've spent some time thinking about it and here is my worthless, but much considered opinion :

Instrumentals are about patterns and algorithms. They are kin to geometry and math and architecture. when you add lyrics to a piece you are adding a whole new dimension.

The story telling and word play of poetry is probably tickling completely different parts of the brain. It touches the shared consciousness of a campfire story teller, or a that old guy at the neiborhood bar. Where Music without lyrics is more of an appeal to the pattern matching functions of the brain.

A song serves these 2 different sources on entertainment. Basically if you dont write words then you're only doing half the fucking work.

and Im mainly posting to see If I can get that annoying "A New Player" moniker off of my Avatar so never mind.

pegor wrote: Basically if you dont write words then you're only doing half the fucking work.

Yeah? Tell that to Mozart. Wait, he's dead. Ok, tell that to Phillip Glass.