The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Has the pressure of Songfight (and its sidefights) helped you make some of your best tunes or do you find your best tunes are the ones you make outside of SF?

My songfight catalogue is on average 1/5th what my outside catalogue is.

Or C) Both. Outside of Songfight is a small volume of work these years. Prior to Songfight I wrote lots of songs I really feel good about. Hold On was one and it's done OK on the Somesongs chart. I used to suffer for months over songs, but the ones that survived I love. On the other hand Songfight has brought out different aspects and I love that. Plus learning to finish ideas and "produce" as part of the songwriting process is a big gain for me (I know many can't put those two things in the same room or state of mind).

I don't really have a non-SongFight! (or related) catalog. I'm not often inspired enough to write lyrics for a whole song that are any good. I'm very lucky to be able to work with Ken and particularly Erin. They have so much inspiration to write lyrics, it really amazes me. I think that's the aspect of all the SongFight! related stuff that I really like that impresses me most, that folks can consistently write really great lyrics in such a short period of time.

I think I wrote about 6 songs in the 20 years prior to me finding Songfight! Since then I have written 65 songs under various names for Songfights of associated sidefights (not counting collaborations). My problem was always getting started. Now someone gives me a title - it's really quite easy!

I have only written 2 songs outside of Songfight in that time - as birthday presents for friends.

NB. Natrually - most of the 6 songs I wrote before Songfight have since been recycled, rewritten and regurgitated as Songfight entries. (see - Thanks for Coming, Frannie, In The Ditch, Oversleeping, Moonshine) Now I don't have any old stock left to cheat with

Probably my favourite song I have written is still one of the very first ones, back when I was a teenager - Save Me - performed here at my 40th birthday party. One day I'll have to get around to recording it properly (Fightmaster - can we have "Save Me" as next weeks title please?)

Otherwise - my best songs have been written for Nur Ein! (eg. Pencil Me In, Sleeper, No One Else, The Thing Most Easily Forgotten). It must be the pressure of competition.

I think (personally) that the stuff I did for FAWM and a couple of other tracks are much better than anything I've done for songfight, but although I can't really compare myself to many others, I think being involved in songfight has really helped me, prior to my first joining SF! i'd created nearly 200 songs (in the loosest possible term) in a little over a year, though nothing I did then could even touch my clouds were touching the ground track, so although i reckon my better stuff has been created outside of SF! it's SF! that's pushed me to that level (and hopefully beyond... someday!?! )


Another more pertinent question is... Who are all you people, and why do you keep writing on my computer screen???.... (I feel the urge to add a lol here, don't know why though, I just do....!)


lol

My best music is outside of Song Fight and that's only because of the time factor for the writing and detail refining process. My voice comes together after I've sung a song many times and gain a natural feel and comfort. I can't think of the word, but when your vocals have all the ahhs and yeahs and grunts just right. That's something that can only be achieved after singing a song numerous times, for me that is.

BUT, and this is a big but.....like Kirstie Alley big. Song Fight has pushed me to become much more efficient and has improved my recording and mixing techniques immensely.
Nur Ein has forced me to try new techniques and think differently about my music. In fact, I learned several new things during Nur Ein II that I will always use in the recording process in my future music.

So all in all, Song Fight will always hold a special place in my heart no matter what I do or where I go in the future.

SF has definitely pushed me to improve all around. My vocals, such as they are, have improved in the year plus of entering here. Production skills such as EQ'ing are always improving. Similar to the roll call QOTD of yesterday, I'd say that my best stuff lies outside of here, but I'll call it best due to the sheer volume of it. I may be a goofball, but I love it here.

SF is the reason I can make good music outside of it. I've written some pretty good songs lately, but not for SF.

jolly roger wrote:SF is the reason I can make good music outside of it. I've written some pretty good songs lately, but not for SF.

This is exactly how I've always felt about my own work. Except for the lately part. I haven't done anything lately.

This is s a toughie actually... I haven't had much feel for a solo SF thing in quite some time... gert is busy working on it's triumphant mockery of all things generic but otherwise I've been pretty focused on practicing...


I listen to my old SF stuff, and I"m just not that pleased with it to be honest. I want to reach a point where I feel like I have something to say worthwhile... and that may never happen... heh.

so I haven't really done much outside of SF either that I can bear to listen too as a solo work.


Actually, I really don't spend a lot of time LISTENING to what I've done anyway.. so ...

I suspect my best stuff is due in a year or two...depending on real life ventures. Will it be on SF? Will it be elsewhere? I have no freakin idea. I've started about five things for SF in the past four months and I just end up... thinking it's shit. So I don't bother finishing it. Im not really answering the question am I...