Songwriter's General Discussion

[Scott.]

27 minutes ago, Since88 said:

Yeah I totally get that. I feel that there are more and more that choose to use the accent nowadays though, Bastille being a great example, that "But if you close your eyes" wouldn't be half as catchy with an american accent in my opinion. It all boils down to taste in the end of course

Have you listened to Twin Atlantic? Can hear his strong Scottish accent. Sounds cool and their first two records are fantastic imo

[twentytwenty]

16 hours ago, Scott. said:

Have you listened to Twin Atlantic? Can hear his strong Scottish accent. Sounds cool and their first two records are fantastic imo

No, I haven't, gonna have to check them out, thanks!

[whales]

Figured I'd hop in this thread because I just released a new song and I need to talk songwriting with other people more haha.

I took piano lessons from 8-18 and always listened to music obsessively, but it wasn't until I started playing guitar about 14 that I actually wrote anything. Blink was actually one of the first bands I took inspiration from because their music is so easy to process and I felt like I could do the same. My other main inspirations are Yellowcard, AVA, Goo Goo Dolls, and anything by Adam Young (Owl City and his many other side projects). I found guitar to be a lot easier to learn on my own than piano, so I was able to learn a lot faster and found it easier to be write on it.

I make a lot of art in different mediums, but making music is one thing I can never get away from. No matter how long I spend away from it, I always come back.

Recorded this song in my basement with the help of two friends as producers and engineers, as I'm not great at either of those things yet. I wrote it about 4 years ago, so it's fun to have it come together in a bigger way.
 

 

[twentytwenty]

On 5/14/2019 at 4:40 PM, Whales said:

Figured I'd hop in this thread because I just released a new song and I need to talk songwriting with other people more haha.

I took piano lessons from 8-18 and always listened to music obsessively, but it wasn't until I started playing guitar about 14 that I actually wrote anything. Blink was actually one of the first bands I took inspiration from because their music is so easy to process and I felt like I could do the same. My other main inspirations are Yellowcard, AVA, Goo Goo Dolls, and anything by Adam Young (Owl City and his many other side projects). I found guitar to be a lot easier to learn on my own than piano, so I was able to learn a lot faster and found it easier to be write on it.

I make a lot of art in different mediums, but making music is one thing I can never get away from. No matter how long I spend away from it, I always come back.

Recorded this song in my basement with the help of two friends as producers and engineers, as I'm not great at either of those things yet. I wrote it about 4 years ago, so it's fun to have it come together in a bigger way.
 

 

Sounds great, I like the sound

[thongrider]

New discovery: making 10+ minute long mini rock operas is a pain in the ass. 

[Speedo]

Hey @thongrider

I've been going over old demos and ideas and I found this little gem lol, I thought we could play a game with it ...

Can you guess what songs of Pappy's I ripped off in this?

 

[thongrider]

My Friends are Getting Anus! 

[Speedo]

I've been toying with the idea of getting back in the horse. The conversation with @Diddy Faplord the other day made me go back and appreciate the old songs we had and in doing so I kind of gained a new perspective. I've been stuck in a rut for a while where I had it in my head I had to really SAY something with music and it all stopped being fun. I kind of realized that I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said a million times before so why bother? Why not just have some laughs, a little fun and write some fast and shitty pop punk songs?

I even thought about documenting this whole process ... the writing, the demoing, the practicing, recording and production. Would anyone be interested in anything like that?

[Bucks Erasers - Pacers]

30 minutes ago, WimpyDrivesThroughHarlem said:

I've been toying with the idea of getting back in the horse. The conversation with @Diddy Faplord the other day made me go back and appreciate the old songs we had and in doing so I kind of gained a new perspective. I've been stuck in a rut for a while where I had it in my head I had to really SAY something with music and it all stopped being fun. I kind of realized that I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said a million times before so why bother? Why not just have some laughs, a little fun and write some fast and shitty pop punk songs?

I even thought about documenting this whole process ... the writing, the demoing, the practicing, recording and production. Would anyone be interested in anything like that?

I'll be your #1 fan! 

[Speedo]

4 minutes ago, Diddy Faplord said:

I'll be your #1 fan! 

Guess who's on the guest list!?

[Bucks Erasers - Pacers]

11 minutes ago, WimpyDrivesThroughHarlem said:

Guess who's on the guest list!?

Aww man!! 

[Kay]

1 hour ago, WimpyDrivesThroughHarlem said:

I've been toying with the idea of getting back in the horse. The conversation with @Diddy Faplord the other day made me go back and appreciate the old songs we had and in doing so I kind of gained a new perspective. I've been stuck in a rut for a while where I had it in my head I had to really SAY something with music and it all stopped being fun. I kind of realized that I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said a million times before so why bother? Why not just have some laughs, a little fun and write some fast and shitty pop punk songs?

I even thought about documenting this whole process ... the writing, the demoing, the practicing, recording and production. Would anyone be interested in anything like that?

yeah you can't force it when it comes to what a song is 'about' so I'm not shocked you are blocked. I don't think anything I have to say is worthwhile, I just write what comes to mind at the time. sometimes it's deep. a lot of the time it isn't. it is what it is.

I'd say have a go at it but don't bite off more than you can chew documentation wise, make sure it's easy and fun to do and it doesn't become a chore that takes away from the music itself. but go nuts! 

[thongrider]

Sometimes I just push "random article" on Wikipedia and write a song about what shows up. It usually doesn't come out very good though.

[Bucks Erasers - Pacers]

8 minutes ago, thongrider said:

Sometimes I just push "random article" on Wikipedia and write a song about what shows up. It usually doesn't come out very good though.

Will you please write a song about the good ol' days and adventures of Jizzmo? 

[thongrider]

5 minutes ago, Diddy Faplord said:

Will you please write a song about the good ol' days and adventures of Jizzmo? 

Of course, why not`?

[Resident Zoomer]

Long post, it’s impossible for me to not ramble endlessly on music-related stuff. I have a TL;DR below.

Most of you guys here are older than me and therefore more experienced with the whole music thing. I was wondering if you guys had any basic advice.

I’m 19 (basically an infant here, I know) and started recording music around 2015, basically revising every song until it was original (I had a bad case of ripping off songs but I’ve eliminated it) and the best possible take I could get with my own materials at the time. I went from recording on GarageBand from my iPhone/iPad to now using Logic Pro X on my MacBook Pro. Does anybody else feel (or felt) like they’re putting all this work into creating, writing, and recording music with no endpoint? Don’t get me wrong - I love music - but it just feels discouraging that I’m not truly finished with a project. For the time being, I can get some songs done and use them as demos or “blueprints” until I can form a band together and/or get better at my craft. I write lyrics and all but I can’t sing for shit right now, so all I’ve just been releasing finished instrumentals. Having creative control is cool and all until you realize you need influencers and outside voices to drive the songs. I want to play in a band with these songs I’ve made and expand from there, hoping they become even better by collaborating with other musicians and having them actually produced by someone professional. I’m going to university soon as a sophomore (transferred to there from community college taking generals) under the Music Industry major and hoping to use that knowledge to get better at producing so I can fix my own work. 

I play in a metal/punk/whatever the fuck band with my friends that has so far been more successful and active, due to three other people being involved. We’ve played two shows so far and actually got a song completed - vocals and all. I’m happy and excited for the future of the band, but I worry that it’s going to overshadow everything I’m doing or will do. I don’t have much going on right now for my own music (still got to finish mixing a song), so this band is currently in the spotlight. To the few people that actually have listened to my stuff, it’s opposite to what I usually do. Sure, I add some of my influences in and what not, but it’s not exactly my style and what I feel represents me entirely, if you guys know what I mean. I’m definitely sounding like Tommy D. right now, so I’m starting to understand more on his reasons for leaving blink. Almost did the same thing a couple months ago lmao.

TL;DR: I’ve been kind of depressed recently thinking about what I’m even doing with my music and it’s overall purpose. I don’t want it to be a lost cause, since many have said it has potential. I’ve put too much passion into it to just throw it all away. I know the answer is to just keep going and have fun with it, but it can sometimes be discouraging when comparing it to other people’s work (and even your other band’s work). There’s still a lot of things I need to still go back and improve on, like overall mixing, mastering, and just having a solid-sounding track. I might need to be patient and focus on university to use what I’ll learn and become better at this. 

Basic question, but has anybody else been in a similar situation? How did you overcome it?

[JarJarBlinks]

@jlx9 you've got to get yourself scaled to your current level man.  You aren't selling out venues, or booking multiple tours.  You are also super young, you have a long road ahead of you.  

Don't stress about things as if you are a popular band with thousands of fans.  I don't say that to be a dick, let that free your mind up about it.  I was in the exact same mindset and when things ended it crushed me with massive depression.  No one cares about your influences, or your favorite records, or what you want your next song to sound like.  You are free to do whatever you want man!

Just keep being passionate about your art whether it's your own songs, or your bands, or maybe a new band.  Don't close yourself off to opportunities, and hopefully something will "click" for you.   

[Kay]

10 hours ago, JarJarBlinks said:

@jlx9 you've got to get yourself scaled to your current level man.  You aren't selling out venues, or booking multiple tours.  You are also super young, you have a long road ahead of you.  

Don't stress about things as if you are a popular band with thousands of fans.  I don't say that to be a dick, let that free your mind up about it.  I was in the exact same mindset and when things ended it crushed me with massive depression.  No one cares about your influences, or your favorite records, or what you want your next song to sound like.  You are free to do whatever you want man!

Just keep being passionate about your art whether it's your own songs, or your bands, or maybe a new band.  Don't close yourself off to opportunities, and hopefully something will "click" for you.   

This 100%, don't over think it, just have fun with it and don't heap loads of pressure on everything. 

[Speedo]

With work and stress ramping up it kind of feels like a good time to take a new stab at some music and find a way to make it the cathartic outlet it used to be instead of a source of frustration. I'm gonna go into this without any preconceived notions on what it should be, try and meld old ideas with new and make a record worth listening to, I'm not even giving it a name. I'll figure out names and other details later on, maybe even after it's recorded. 

[Pancho Poncho]

Yesterday I put up a quasi song on the general blink-182 thread. I am a sucker for dark lyrics, as well as an aspiring writer.

 

The Fake Artist

 

This piercing night coerces my will to confess about my sins

Such a beautiful distress, all painted in black

The stars are blinking and I ask for a sign

But I haven't seen a shooting one in a long time

 

Call me when the canvas is dry and I'll pay you back

A hollow man in search of fortune and the light

But all I got is an artist on the side

And my name on a portrait, not mine

Not mine

 

Strange memories haunt my pretty little mind and my skin

Is not wearing off the scent of being a mark

On someone else's stairway route to shine

Hush the secrets now and keep playing for the sights

 

Call me when the canvas is dry and I'll pay you back

A hollow man in search of fortune and the light

But all I got is an artist on the side

And my name on a portrait, not mine

Not mine

 

Is this big house an open letter to a fraud? 

There are times my body shivers

Not tonight, for I'm counting my gold

My Gold