The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => The Bar => Topic started by: CaliaMoko on January 18, 2017, 12:51:10 AM
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Anyone planning to torture themselves by taking part in FAWM this year? I tried it two or three years ago. I may have gotten a song written and I did come up with an album idea, including a cover design, album title, and a list of song titles. ;D I'd still like to write that album some day, but I think I'll pass on FAWM. Too much pressure.
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I once wrote the following (now I try to write songs instead, but I still pretty much agree that - like fight club - a song needs to take as long as it needs):
"these "get it out of the door" challenges generally promote derivativism, tediousness, cliches and rhyme crime. The opposite of what (I) stand for..."
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adam you mustve been in such a bad mood to be so dismissive!
I do FAWM every year & it works fabulously for me.. its the only time of year I write songs
(altho since coming back here ive written a few outside Feb)
the pressure ,the competition ,the hyper creative atmosphere all send me into song writing frenzy... but I know it doesnt suit everyone
what i write & record there are not the finished article.. theres not the time at FAWM for that.. but it gives me a years worth of good rough songs to polish afterwards
if you are going to do it theres a secret ...you have to get into the forums & make friends & do the challenges & skirmishes & collaborations otherwise you will stand outside & not get caught up in the thing & wonder why it didnt work for you :)
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Am I the only one who doesn't know what FAWM means?
Probably,I hear you all say. :(
I can make up rude things. :)
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"February is Album Writing Month". I think you have to write a new song every 2 days or so...
Apologies for the earlier rant. It just doesn't go with the way I usually do things... but maybe there's something to be said for trying something different...!
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adam is joking with you davy, its Female Arm Wrestlers Minibar
are you interested now? :)
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Ha! Ta Adam.
I plod along too slowly to be any use at that 'production line speed' stuff,Tina. I'd still be weighing up the relative merits of the best drum patch to use on the first track,while the rest are pushing an entire album over the line. :D
The ladies arm wrestling,I don't mind spectating,as long as I don't have to take them on. :-[
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Never heard of it before but it sounds like a nightmare!! Can't imagine being inspired, just stressed. Think I'm just too old, although I can't quite imagine enjoying it ever!
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youve got it all wrong
what if I told you I felt like that when I first heard about it...I was struggling to write 5 songs a year then
the fact is the greatest pop /rock songs were mostly all written very quick ….
youre in the right company ,youre excited ,your bouncing ideas off a like minded person , inspiration hits you & suddenly theres the song
im not saying it arrives fully formed & embellished & perfectly recorded ….im saying the gem of the idea is there & you capture it
you can rewrite & reshape & hone it later in the year at your leisure ...its all about getting in the right frame of mind to be inventive & coming up with the ideas.....isnt that the hardest bit of writing a song...waiting for inspiration to strike?
thats what FAWM is :)
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This sounds interesting - only today I was sorting out the 'demos & ideas' folder on my Computer and I counted over 25 Part Finished songs in there :o
Just been on the facebook page but still dont get it?
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the facebook page is where some FAWM people congregate for the rest of the year bcos the FAWM site is only open for songs in the month of Feb ..the site is down at the moment & is supposed to be opening anew on Jan 23
if you go here: http://fawm.org/
later this month you will get more of a idea :)
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the FAWM site is now open & i will be there for the next month ...so i wont be here...
have fun while im gone & keep the place tidy!... & i will probably be back in March unless I am kidnapped by some other songwriters forum :)
i hope to leave FAWM with a whole album of 14 songs in a new style so i am excited... :)
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The whole concept of FAWM has always intrigued me. I'm not sure I understand it entirely though. Is the challenge to write/record 14 tracks completely from scratch and get them produced as a 'finished' track like would appear on an actual album or is the challenge to write 14 songs from scratch and get them in a rough recording e vocal and guitar/piano without all the polishing and bells and whistles)? Even the latter seems like a ferocious output in such a short time. I can see though how awesome it must be if collabing with others on this and the adrenaline rush of being up against the clock. As Tina has said, lots of famous Pop and rock songs were churned out very quickly and its clear that lots of people have completed the challenge before.
Best of luck to all undertaking this challenge this year - I look forward to hearing hat your frenzied genius produces:)
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Ah well...i've decided to give this a go...i mean, why not?
i'm really busy at the minute and i imagine it's going to be a bit frenetic and lord knows what will happen...but i'm going to give it a go...
even if i only pick up a few threads to work on later in the year...it'll be a giggle anyway
i'll maybe see you there, Tina :)
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Paul thats fabulous!! I will look out for you!
my advice is to try to tap into the excitement thats there ..I mean look at the forums the sites been open 24hours & the place is absolutely buzzing!....
introduce yourself & have a look at the forums..try the skirmishes & challenges & all the other things they put up (& if you see a lyric you like then ask to collaborate straight away)...its all optional of course but so many people say at the end 'I just didnt get it!' ,& thats becos they just sat outside :)
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The whole concept of FAWM has always intrigued me. I'm not sure I understand it entirely though. Is the challenge to write/record 14 tracks completely from scratch and get them produced as a 'finished' track like would appear on an actual album or is the challenge to write 14 songs from scratch and get them in a rough recording e vocal and guitar/piano without all the polishing and bells and whistles)?
Kevin, the whole FAWM idea is just to get into this environment & mindset where inspiration will come fast & furious & you are able to get the songs down in a rough form as theres only time to record something basic..(you have to complete a song every 2 days to get to the 14 & thats going some!)
The standard varies wildly from amazing stuff to incredibley basic ...there are some absolute geniuses there who I have no doubt genuinely produce studio quality demos of a new song in 48 hours & then there are people who can hardly play a instrument , but no one acts superior & people are very supportive ...after all its about the song idea most of all not how its presented
Some people are purists & insist on going there with nothing in their head,
others cheat terribly & will post a recording they obviously did in a studio 6 months ago & pass it off as something they whisked up last night! so its fun to expose them! ;D
Most people go with a head full of ideas & put it all together in the heady atmosphere ..
I know its easy to laugh at FAWM & I do sometimes aswell ...I find it a bit too american realy & cringe a bit but it just works for me so I carry on doing it :)
theres lots of lyricists there who look for musicians ..who are there looking for lyrics... but it all has to be done in Febrary
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I've never participated, don't think I ever will. With that said I have no problem at all seeing the benefits of it all. Getting in that creative mood is key, no matter how you do it, it has to be done in order to get songs written. I would love to get into something like this but there's just no time atm.
I'm up to something similar though but nothing even close to what FAWM seems to be. I made a deal with a friend that we'll write and record 10 songs between Jan-May, have a summer break and then do 10 more the last half of the year, 20 songs in total. Two songs a month is about all I can muster, even that will be hard, but giving yourself deadlines is a great way to get stuff done, it's not everyone's cup of tea I get that, but I still highly recommend it.
Looking forward to hear how you guys feel(?) and what you've accomplished after February!?! ;D ;D
Good luck and keep us posted.
Peter
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I think it's a great idea and from what you say Tina it seems that its open for those with all abilities and levels of talent and know how. I don't really see what people trying to pass off something they produced 6 months ago are trying to achieve so I'm glad you can call them out on it!
It sounds like a great place to get the creative juices flowing so frenetically, especially for those purists you mention that come at it with a completely blank canvass. I'm not sure I'd be able to embrace that as I find things a little 'forced' when I'm working in a time frame much less one as fine as 2 days!
I might actually check it out and see if there's anyone interested in lyrics. Might energise me into writing a little more too!
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S, I think you singled out the key (for me) point behind FAWM. It provides a deadline, requiring a person to get something done by a certain time.
Our forum provides deadlines for us, too. The song of the month. The periodic topical challenges. People can set their own deadlines--short ones and long ones. For instance, "I'll make a list of ten song titles that would be perfect to go together for an album" (short deadline--the actual songwriting would be separate deadlines). "I'll produce an EP in 90 days" (longer deadline).
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I have so much respect and admiration for those that take on FAWM and I love hearing about the updates from those who take on the challenge
It would not suit me at the moment but I wish everyone good luck with it
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thats very nice to hear Paul...i always felt most people here thought i was insane doing FAWM :)
anyway there seems to be three of us having a go: Me ,PaulAds & Igg
i think i might start a thread here in the bar to post a link to the songs we do ,if anyones interested in our progress
i do FAWM bcos i hate february so much ...im so busy at FAWM i dont even notice the month now
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i always felt most people here thought i was insane
Post edited for clarity. :D
Good luck y'all. A thread documenting progress would be very interesting. I can only stand in awe.
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thats very nice to hear Paul...i always felt most people here thought i was insane doing FAWM
I never said I didn't think you were insane for doing it! ;D ;) :P
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Good luck to all! I have a particular song that I am putting all my energy into right now and that suits me better than working on lots for a short time. It's horses for courses really. And my time may come. But will follow with interest!
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I couldn't' possibly find time for this but can see how it might yield one or two positive results/ideas - mainly sketches/outlines to be developed at a later date.
Good luck to all who take part.
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On the topic of mass production,my recent addition to the list of DAW users has yielded 15 finished songs in that period. What it seems to do for me,is force feed the original germ of an idea,allowing me to complete a project much faster than I did before. Also ideas don't become lost/forgotten quite as easily.
I'd still be a back marker at the FAWM game.
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Tina,
Well I can write a tune in two hours but lyrics take longer..
How does the matching work for collaborating?
Rgds
Neil
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Would be great to hear updates of how you guys are getting on during Feb. Good luck all :)
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Tina,
Well I can write a tune in two hours but lyrics take longer..
How does the matching work for collaborating?
Rgds
Neil
neil you just browse the lyrics as they are posted & ask the writers permission on their soundboard while you get to work on it ...nobody says no & by the time theyve replied youve got it done hopefully :)
thank you all for the good wishes & tonight i will start a thread for our FAWM progress
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Interestingly or not, going back to Skubs post about discovering a daw you can just Park an idea and then revisit it later whenever. I've just remixed some long forgotten tracks
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I've started wracking my brain for scraps of inspiration for this...14 songs is a tall order!
Surely lots of folks plan ahead or at least have bits of stuff ready to work with?
Anyway, I grabbed my guitar tonight for an hour or so and might have a handful of things I can work with...I have a bit of a plan for lyrics...starting with a title and some building blocks, then nailing down a tune and filling in the blanks. Not the way I usually do things, really...I'm going to have to be much less fussy over these songs, I reckon...or I'll get nothing done.
Got a load of subjects I want to tackle, lyric-wise anyway...
I'm guessing they're all going to be rough demos though...there's not much time to fiddle about...hopefully will have some stuff to work on through the rest of 2017.
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What's to stop someone 'cheating' by having the songs prepared before the start,Paul?
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No one checks up on you. Only you will know if you cheat, unless you tell people. NaNoWriMo is the same idea, by the way, for anyone here who is also an aspiring book writer. That takes place in November, during which--in order to win--you must write a book of at least 50,000 words during the month. Unfortunately, November is deer hunting season here. I tried NaNoWriMo one year (got up to around 33,000 words, if I remember correctly) and discovered hunting season and intensive writing do NOT mix. I suppose I could sort of cheat by writing during, say, the 30 days of September or any other 30 days, keeping each day's output in a separate file, and then post them in order during November. Never thought of that before....
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What's to stop someone 'cheating' by having the songs prepared before the start,Paul?
theres nothing to stop you doing that & some pathetic people do ...when FAWM starts I guarantee within 2 seconds someone will post a song! ...& some people post work theyve done a year ago in a studio & make out they wrote & recorded it last night!.. but then they forget that soundcloud records the date they originally did it & so they get exposed as cheats
but then you get others who you think are cheats bcos their songs sound so fabulous ..but then they do one of the hour long skirmishes where the title is only announced at the time it starts & they still come up with the goods!!..in one hour!!
but realy FAWM is what you make it & nothing beats the excitement & the fabulous rush of genuinely delivering 14 new songs out of nowhere ..i have cheated before ..one year I got to 12 & got stuck so I posted 2 old songs & afterwards I felt crap because id ruined all my sincere hard work at getting to 12,
so if you cheat you dont get anything out of FAWM & you totally miss what its about
the first time I did FAWM I had no idea what I was going to do & it was a absolute blast when I made it to 14 ...the next year I got worried whether I could do it again & I realised that what id had in my head the first year was not nothing but actually years of ideas id never used that id been able to draw on ...so after that I always went with a load of ideas for lyrics/ titles/ chord sequences etc etc & used it all to make it easier ( bcos make no mistake this is a huge challenge you have to give up sleep & a lot more to complete it) & also to make it worth my while bcos after 7 years of FAWM I do not want to write 14 pieces of crap... I want to use FAWM to produce 14 good rough songs that I can spend the rest of the year polishing
im glad to see youre preparing well for it Paul :)
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No point cheating - It sounds like a great challenge if you can't find the time. Deadlines are great for developing new ideas and getting things done you have continued success tina. Best Paul
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It sounds like one of those things where if you cheat,then you only cheat yourself.
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Yeah...it seems totally pointless to pass off stuff as "new" when you've had it kicking around for a while...you're only kidding yourself...
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No point cheating - It sounds like a great challenge if you can't find the time. Deadlines are great for developing new ideas and getting things done you have continued success tina. Best Paul
welcome home Paul!
we have at least 3 Pauls now :)
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Well my initial impression perhaps akin to a county kid going to the big city for the first time.
You don't know your way around and everyone appears to be very busy and rushing around.
It's a little bit scary at first. Then you panic and think perhaps I should turn around a go home.
But people seem very enthusiastic so I waded in said hi to Tina, Paul and Igg, commented on a couple of lyrics and started to get the lay of the land.
Posted a lyrics wanted thread coz that's my plan to co-write, got some responses and off and running.
:)
Neil