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BawmKackio · 09-10-2009, 03:19 PM

Just Let It Happen
I think sometimes when writing songs we get too wrapped up in ourselves. Sometimes we start with a cool guitar riff or a general concept in our heads and we get started, and it's GREAT, and then before you know it you're at that point where you start to realize that this is a lot harder than you wanted it to be... and your AMAZING idea is starting to sound like a who's the boss re-run, everything's so scripted and it just feels dirty.

I think that sometimes for those of us who really enjoy the storytelling capabilities of songs, or the atmosphere they can create, we can get too emmersed in FORCING the lyrics to go the way we wanted them to. Suddenly we're working our guitars / pianos / slide whistles AROUND the lyrics, or trying to make them sound too cool for school, afraid of sounding vulnerable or something at certain times. Once you start trying to force a song to go somewhere it starts feeling un-natural and I guarantee that it will be obvious both to you and the people who hear it.

My favorite songs that I've written have always been the ones that started with a guitar riff or a general idea. Sometimes it's something I thought of earlier in the day and sometimes it's something that just comes to me after messin around for a bit. (ahem with the guitar that is) ...From there I start piecing together the chords and usually just start singing something that comes to mind. Not always words, sometimes just humming or mumbling in a new language I created for that exact moment.

Before I let myself begin filtering my thoughts, I grab my audio recorder and just go from there in sections. I'll stick to the verse for half an hour sometimes, just playing it over and over and singing some random stuff over it. Then I'll move to the chorus and do the same. Then maybe a bridge, an outro, a pre-chorus, a mind altering acoustic guitar solo with invisible wah wah... etc etc et-friggin-cetera.

Once I've run out of steam and I'm starving, I'll go grab a beer and a bag of chocolate almonds, then I'll sit down, munch on some choclatey almondy' goodness, sip my Stella and listen to my recording and write down the lyrics I sang, sometimes they're difficult to make-out so I'll write down what I THINK I was saying.

Next step is organizing them into a solid structure and using the parts that make sense to me.

I've always found that I get the most satisfaction out of those songs. Both while they were new babies and also whenever I play them.. I feel like I connect with those songs the most because there wasn't any filtering done to them. They're honest and they're straight from my soul. You can't **** with that kids.

09-10-2009, 03:19 PM	#111 (permalink)
BawmKackio Groupie Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 6	Just Let It Happen I think sometimes when writing songs we get too wrapped up in ourselves. Sometimes we start with a cool guitar riff or a general concept in our heads and we get started, and it's GREAT, and then before you know it you're at that point where you start to realize that this is a lot harder than you wanted it to be... and your AMAZING idea is starting to sound like a who's the boss re-run, everything's so scripted and it just feels dirty. I think that sometimes for those of us who really enjoy the storytelling capabilities of songs, or the atmosphere they can create, we can get too emmersed in FORCING the lyrics to go the way we wanted them to. Suddenly we're working our guitars / pianos / slide whistles AROUND the lyrics, or trying to make them sound too cool for school, afraid of sounding vulnerable or something at certain times. Once you start trying to force a song to go somewhere it starts feeling un-natural and I guarantee that it will be obvious both to you and the people who hear it. My favorite songs that I've written have always been the ones that started with a guitar riff or a general idea. Sometimes it's something I thought of earlier in the day and sometimes it's something that just comes to me after messin around for a bit. (ahem with the guitar that is) ...From there I start piecing together the chords and usually just start singing something that comes to mind. Not always words, sometimes just humming or mumbling in a new language I created for that exact moment. Before I let myself begin filtering my thoughts, I grab my audio recorder and just go from there in sections. I'll stick to the verse for half an hour sometimes, just playing it over and over and singing some random stuff over it. Then I'll move to the chorus and do the same. Then maybe a bridge, an outro, a pre-chorus, a mind altering acoustic guitar solo with invisible wah wah... etc etc et-friggin-cetera. Once I've run out of steam and I'm starving, I'll go grab a beer and a bag of chocolate almonds, then I'll sit down, munch on some choclatey almondy' goodness, sip my Stella and listen to my recording and write down the lyrics I sang, sometimes they're difficult to make-out so I'll write down what I THINK I was saying. Next step is organizing them into a solid structure and using the parts that make sense to me. I've always found that I get the most satisfaction out of those songs. Both while they were new babies and also whenever I play them.. I feel like I connect with those songs the most because there wasn't any filtering done to them. They're honest and they're straight from my soul. You can't **** with that kids.