[Sea]

What genre do you place your songwriting in ?..im curious again. 

I'm trying to figure out what genre l favor for myself as l work on my first set of lyric's.

My music taste is so wide..... l like every genre in music..l guess if l had a favorite it would be pop rock/alternative rock.

At moment lm learning each process of a song structure.

lv got my title, the story..now the hard part, to put into proper lyric structure.

l think l'll worry about the genre later.

[Oldbutyet]

Well first of all written communication has been a long history in the written world, does that help.

[CaliaMoko]

I never know how to answer when people ask me what genre I write. I can tell obvious genres like country and blues and [sixties style] rock & roll, but all the folk and pop and whatever...I don't know. I tend to think of my stuff as easy listening. Though sometimes a song might turn out kinda bluesy. Or slightly country-but-really-folky... ??

I, too, like many styles of music--sometimes even country, though that is probably pretty far down on my list.

[Paulski]

I'd say write a damn good song.
It will tell you what it wants to sound like.
Then someone else will tell you what genre it's in 

[Jenna]

My genre of writing? That would be elementary, my dear Watson. Beginner genre. I like many genres. There are too many genres these days.

For playing guitar, I've always enjoyed country and classical for the fingerstyle. That's my kind of ear candy for listening. And it's challenging yet fun to play at the same time. This is what originally opened me up to those two genres as a youngster, plus a lot of the country crossed over to the pop on the radio, and classical was often heard in movies and tv programs, especially Saturday morning cartoons.

I'd like to learn to play rock, have learned a little blues and very much enjoy playing that as well. I even toyed around with open D tuning and a slide for a bit on the acoustic.

For writing, I've been focusing on country for two reasons:

1) The style of writing is more direct and involves everyday life events rather than something filled with abstract ideas and mysterious lyrics in need of deep thought and interpretation. Boiled down, it's a very direct, simple style. It's a great place to start. The chord progressions are as simple and common as the lyrics and very beginner friendly. The trick is making it all sound new and fresh. That involves watching trends. Since I don't mind listening to country, in fact, grew up listening to it unknowingly, it seems a natural place from which to grow.

2) There are more opportunities in the country genre for an unknown writer to have their music heard and catch a break. Writing for big label pop artists involves connections that just aren't available to a simple girl with a computer keyboard, guitar, recording software, and microphone.

I guess a third reason would be you can have fun writing silly songs with humor, jaw-dropping shockers or wailing heartbreakers just as easily without breaking any style rules. All genres pretty much fit under the label of country music these days save classical (although I'd argue a lot of the fingerstyle techniques crossover between the two), including hip-hop. They call it hick hop, and it's the new thing for the younger country fans.

[lillypilly]

If you are immediately trying to find a genre for the song you are writing, your freedom with words has already stuttered
Just write it and funnily enough it can sort itself out

[Sea]

Interesting comments...thanks all who responded

l agree..let the song find its own genre. That's what l love about it all..its such an adventure, we never know where the songwriting path will lead us

[Skub]

I'd say write a damn good song.
It will tell you what it wants to sound like.
Then someone else will tell you what genre it's in 

What Paul said.

Let what's in you come out,unless you are specifically targeting commercial success,you don't need to worry about genre,just be the best you,that's what you do best.