Songwriting
Songwriting is easy, and very hard all at the same time.
The process is so different for each song you do. Years ago, when I first penned Just A Little it was in an introductory math course in college. I was bored, not interested in class, and highly displeased with something in my life at the time (I don't remember what, must not have mattered that much). So instead of playing with equations and square roots on a crisp piece of paper I almost subconsciously played out a story on the paper about a kid and his abusive family. "Run away young man" was what the kid was being told in his head. Before long I had chords and a melody in my head and once class was over I ran home to my dorm to start gluing it all together. The song remains today in an alternate form with alternate lyrics. One or two people have heard my demo for the latest version but the feeling and melody is the same. A song created in no time can still be quite good.
On the other hand, there are songs that can take an unforseen length of time to gestate. On the Bock's Car album, Bleached by the Sun was one of the fan favorites. A somber little break up song (out of 90% other break up songs on that CD, I didn't write the lyrics to those by the way) that in some ways can be considered my former band's Stairway to Heaven (though clearly not acheiving that level of greatness). I had two chords in mind for months, maybe years. The melody, groove, and subsequent verse chords eventually came to me, and it wasn't until we were playing this song as a band did the final outro finally come to place.
Clearly, I'd rather it take a few hours than a few years for a song to come to fruition. But there is little choice. My inspirations dissapate as quickly as they come. I can be itching to pick up a guitar all day at work and play out this riff, but as soon as I come home I may just want to crawl in bed for a nap or just veg out and watch tv. The feeling is gone, the itch scratched by something else, perhaps negatively by stress. I wish I could live in a studio, not have to work, and shell out song after song as it comes to me.
The last few weeks I've begun to get a bit more inspired, perhaps it's because I've been paying closer attention to my musical heroes, and listening to other stuff that interests me. Ive let my ears do the experimenting for my brain, and then my brain digests and every now and then spits out a coherent melody.
Three weeks ago I wrote a complete song, short with dirty little powerchords and a simple verse. In my head I want it to sound like one of the more up tempo radiohead tunes off In Rainbows or Hail to the Thief, we'll see though. But at least I have lyrics and the song down.
Two weeks ago I had three chords come up as I was playing stuff on my acoustic. I have lyrics to these three chords, it sounds good. But it may just be a little too much "Tribal Connection" by Gogol Bordello...maybe...but after some switching up lets see.
Lastly, Saturday I was inspired by the poppiness of Pearl Jam's new record, and wanted to come up with something short and sweet. Within an hour I had a rather infective intro, a cool start-stop rythm to the verse chords, and some driving chorus chords. What took a little bit was figuring out a breakdown of sorts after the verses and chorus, what resulted was a decent key change and some minor difference between guitar 1 and guitar two which I kinda dig. The outro wrote itself out, three chords blasting away until it rings out to end. I think i'm most proud of this one, and will probably finish it first. I just need good lyrics for this one!
The process I go through is very frustrating, as it consumes a bit of time and unfortunately most of my time is involved with work and then recovering from work (I don't deny that there is useless pleasures that need to be indulged as well: video games, booze, tv). At least, I am still writing. Since the band's demise I swore I would never stop. True musicians never die. The ones that quit were never musicians in the first place. If anything being out of the uncomfortable environment of the band in its twilight has inspired me to challenge myself more and produce something much more interesting to myself than what has come before
The process is so different for each song you do. Years ago, when I first penned Just A Little it was in an introductory math course in college. I was bored, not interested in class, and highly displeased with something in my life at the time (I don't remember what, must not have mattered that much). So instead of playing with equations and square roots on a crisp piece of paper I almost subconsciously played out a story on the paper about a kid and his abusive family. "Run away young man" was what the kid was being told in his head. Before long I had chords and a melody in my head and once class was over I ran home to my dorm to start gluing it all together. The song remains today in an alternate form with alternate lyrics. One or two people have heard my demo for the latest version but the feeling and melody is the same. A song created in no time can still be quite good.
On the other hand, there are songs that can take an unforseen length of time to gestate. On the Bock's Car album, Bleached by the Sun was one of the fan favorites. A somber little break up song (out of 90% other break up songs on that CD, I didn't write the lyrics to those by the way) that in some ways can be considered my former band's Stairway to Heaven (though clearly not acheiving that level of greatness). I had two chords in mind for months, maybe years. The melody, groove, and subsequent verse chords eventually came to me, and it wasn't until we were playing this song as a band did the final outro finally come to place.
Clearly, I'd rather it take a few hours than a few years for a song to come to fruition. But there is little choice. My inspirations dissapate as quickly as they come. I can be itching to pick up a guitar all day at work and play out this riff, but as soon as I come home I may just want to crawl in bed for a nap or just veg out and watch tv. The feeling is gone, the itch scratched by something else, perhaps negatively by stress. I wish I could live in a studio, not have to work, and shell out song after song as it comes to me.
The last few weeks I've begun to get a bit more inspired, perhaps it's because I've been paying closer attention to my musical heroes, and listening to other stuff that interests me. Ive let my ears do the experimenting for my brain, and then my brain digests and every now and then spits out a coherent melody.
Three weeks ago I wrote a complete song, short with dirty little powerchords and a simple verse. In my head I want it to sound like one of the more up tempo radiohead tunes off In Rainbows or Hail to the Thief, we'll see though. But at least I have lyrics and the song down.
Two weeks ago I had three chords come up as I was playing stuff on my acoustic. I have lyrics to these three chords, it sounds good. But it may just be a little too much "Tribal Connection" by Gogol Bordello...maybe...but after some switching up lets see.
Lastly, Saturday I was inspired by the poppiness of Pearl Jam's new record, and wanted to come up with something short and sweet. Within an hour I had a rather infective intro, a cool start-stop rythm to the verse chords, and some driving chorus chords. What took a little bit was figuring out a breakdown of sorts after the verses and chorus, what resulted was a decent key change and some minor difference between guitar 1 and guitar two which I kinda dig. The outro wrote itself out, three chords blasting away until it rings out to end. I think i'm most proud of this one, and will probably finish it first. I just need good lyrics for this one!
The process I go through is very frustrating, as it consumes a bit of time and unfortunately most of my time is involved with work and then recovering from work (I don't deny that there is useless pleasures that need to be indulged as well: video games, booze, tv). At least, I am still writing. Since the band's demise I swore I would never stop. True musicians never die. The ones that quit were never musicians in the first place. If anything being out of the uncomfortable environment of the band in its twilight has inspired me to challenge myself more and produce something much more interesting to myself than what has come before