The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => The Bar => Topic started by: Wicked Deeds on February 19, 2017, 11:23:16 PM
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I think most of us would like to be able to play our chosen instrument better but are you happy with the level of songwriting that you have achieved?
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No I have much to improve upon compared to those I admire
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Yes , i am happy with my lyric writing, but if i could play guitar better than i do , sing better than i do and play piano , i could express my ideas to a much higher degree, but i've spent enough time writing to say i think i have that side of things covered. :)
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Hi,
Yep, I'd like to be a better guitarist... also I delete about 70/80 percent of my songs for all sorts of reasons but mainly because they don't survive my own 'red pen!' so "no!" I guess I'm not happy with my song writing!
Nevertheless, as much as sometimes I'd like to, I cannot seem to give up! Perhaps I'll 'get it right' one day?... Perhaps! :)
Phil
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I think there could be a difference between "happy" and "satisfied" when considering one's own songwriting. I am happy with my songwriting in general, though I am seldom 100% satisfied with how individual songs turn out. These days I like most of the songs I produce, and other people seem to like them, too, which is satisfying. So my final answer is "Yes!"
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A: I want to be more-productive.
B: I would love to be able to make my compositions more harmonically complex.
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"Increasingly" happy - what keeps me going is the idea that I am moving forward (from B to C is an achievement, never mind about getting to Z...)
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Never!!absoloutly..Never!!!
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Yes and no.
I'm happy with the dozen or so songs I've written since I started 3 years ago - currently remaking the older ones for a 'story so far' collection.
I'm also happy with the 4 or 5 that I'm working on now.
But I am also aware of the flaws and shortfalls - too long, not gripping enough etc etc
I like to think I'm quite self-critical. I don't just bash stuff out.
So, pleased, but always hoping for more.
How about you, Paul?
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NEVER: I can't imagine being either "happy with" or "satisfied with" my current level of songwriting.
Part of that is due to the fact that my current focus is taking old songs (of mine) and upgrading them to include new knowledge regarding musical theory (much of that new knowledge gained from this forum btw).
Part of it is that (even though I'm consciously trying NOT to write - again due to the priority being to improve old songs) my older lyrics are often better received than my newest ones. THAT is not what you aim at.
Part of it is that I'm not a musician, and until/unless I can somehow get the time to learn to play SOMETHING, I won't really be (and should not be) taken seriously as a songwriter.
Part of it is a long standing belief that "satisfaction" is the enemy of motivation.
But no, I am NEVER satisfied with where I am as a songwriter. I hope I never reach a stage where I am.
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Good question. I suppose the answer would be 'define happy' :p
Seriously though, there are some songs I'm quite pleased with, and others which - particularly as time passes - become hollow to me, and all I can see/ feel in them is how/ why/ where they don't work. Other songs I carry on liking for many years after writing, in spite of their imperfections.
So, in some ways, yes, I've got a few songs in my bag that I quite like, but I can still see much room for improvement and development. But isn't that the same for most people? I almost fear reaching a point where I feel I have songwriting 'nailed' because complacency is the enemy of progress and a critical aspect of the creative process: asking 'will it work better if I try it this way?'
I'd be interested to see how the answers to this thread would change if the question was 'are you unhappy with your songwriting'?
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I suppose I don't really think of it in those terms. I'll be reasonably satisfied with any individual song before I'll inflict it on any ears other than my own,until that time it's still progressing to where I want it.
There have been songs I've written and been pleased with the result,yet others were not much impressed.On the other hand,there are songs I've though were pretty average and nothing special and some folk really connected.
I'd say as a song writer,I'm much too close to the songs to be truly objective.
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ABSOLUTELY
Would I write another song if I wasn't?
My performance - guitar playing and singing - and my productions may be lousy, yet that has nothing much to do with the songwriting 'behind'. In spite of this I actually do like most of my recordings. But I'm biased, of course. And I seem to hear my own stuff as it is intended, not as it sounds for everybody else ;-) Keeps me happy that way.
Have fun,
Bernd
(check out Rock Bernd if you're interested in my stuff - you need not like it)
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I'd like to be more prolific, but yes, when I lay down the pencil for the last time, a lyric is the best it can possibly be and I am pleased with the effort.........otherwise the pencil is not relieved of duty.
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i could have misinterpreted the OP but i read it as "am i happy with my LEVEL of songwriting" which to me, means, the excellence of it... the quantifiable measure of goodness. so for me, the answer is still no way. got miles to go.
am i 'happy' about my songs ? sometimes yes, i am pleased with how some of them have turned out. and continuing to write does give me some joy, regardless of the level of quality or lack thereof that i have achieved.
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I'm reasonably content with the lyrics I write when I'm at my best, but I'm at my best too infrequently. No where near satisfied with my tunes though. Got a long, long way to go there, and as to my playing and production, I'm already too old to learn what I need to learn. But I enjoy it.
Mike
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I think that most of us are blessed as songwriters. When I was a younger man, the opportunity to realise potential re writig skills was largely unfulfilled. I'm harking back to a time when studio sessions were veryexpensive. My early recordings were rushed - often 3-4 songs recorded and mixed over 2 days. Today, music software is affordable to many. We can take as long as we want to produce elaborate demos and if our musiscianship allows, we have access to multiple software instruments via a keyboard that compliment our writing in a way that was dificult to dream of previously.
I think it is important for musicians to be happy with their ability at any given time and then patiently improve as they progress. However, I'm constantly impatient with myself, always wishing that I had greater ability.
It was always my intention to write songs from the very beginning. When I wrote my early songs, I was so excited about my achievements. I now look back and see how naive my lyrics were but that is youth. I could only write about my limited life experiences. I was always happy with my ability to write vocal melodies. Fast forward 35 years and I am so proud and delighted with my ability to write melodies and often lyrics. I am never really dissapointed. Having said that I listen to the writers that I admire most and realise that they are so advanced. In particular, I think of Roddy Frame. He is such a brilliant musician that his songwriting obviously benefits from this. I don't expect to ever be at that level. I don't expect to gather the same varied life experiences afforded by fame and money. This too, I think helps a songwriter mature.
I now look back on the body of work that I have created over the last 8-10 years and am so proud of my achevements. I am especially delghted with the melodies that I write and pleased with the lyrics too. I don't for one second think that I am the finished item but I believe that I have achieved a level that I am happy with. I would have to devote every waking hour to the craft of writing and playing an instrument to improve further. I'm a little bit lazy now. I promise to teach myself new approaches but I rarely do so. :-) . I know that a great band can make a huge difference to the final recordings, as can a great producer. Overall, I am happy with my songwriting achievements. I never seem to experience writers block. I also know that I'm never going to take on the world. My greatest motivation is knowing that I can leave audio recordings behind for my children, grand-children etc when I am no longer here. I'm delighted that they will hopefully be able to listen and maybe think 'my great granfather lived and had all of these emotions which, he communicatd through song. I suppose, in that context, I am very happy. :-)
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No, but I keep on trying! When I started writing I knew very little and whilst I still probably don't know much I can see a linear progression in my songs, from a writing but also technical in terms of arrangement and recording. My current song is usually my favourite, but through the prism of time I can see that it is recommended to review songs and performances! I still enjoy it so that's the main thing!I was in bands when I was young and because of life I didn't play much for a long time, but I have some time now to indulge myself in a way that I couldn't have dreamed of due to the availability of relatively cheap recording technology!
Cheers
Jamie
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Interesting thread.
Recently I've been working hard to write more lyrics but generally I'm satisfied that i've got my songwriting to a decent level but there is more to explore.
Singing, open mic and perhaps a proper LP are in my sights, after completing FAWM, although I think I should take break but i am compelled to write.
This forum and going on songwriting courses have been fabulous to help push me on, so thanks everyone.
:)
neil
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There are songs songs of which I guess I am prouder than others.
I do think that I am, generally, a pretty good lyricist. Although, I would like to become a better story-telling lyricist. That is something that I am working on -- being less abstract and more of a storyteller. I think that I have a couple of tunes that I am proud of in that way. But, I do tend to think too much, or so my wife tells me.
And I think that all that thinking does also slow me down as a writer and make me a whole lot less prolific than I could be.
So, in that way, I suppose I am not happy -- with my output, quantity-wise.
Also, I would love to be able to get a little more complex with my compositions, but my limited knowledge in the whole theory thing limits me there.
So... generally... happy with a lot of my songs. But I can definitely see room for improvement.
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There are definitely fascinating things in what I write but when I comes down to it I'm with Kev, never good enough, always trying to get better!
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One further thought is the heathy challenge and inspiration to get better comes from this forum.
I often think I wish i'd written that or what would - insert your favourite forumite here - do, then i knick the idea and ruin it , recycle it. appropriate it..
:)
Neil
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Normally I write something and think "hey that's pretty good" only to hate it in a year's time, so no I guess I'm not overall happy with my songwriting! I always compare my songs to other people's and right now I'm listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran, so my musical self esteem is pretty low. The guy can write a bloody good tune!
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No, it takes too long. ;)
I'm a sprinter musically, but a sloth lyrically. And as a songwriter you can't have one without the other, so my musical side patiently, between rushes, stroll along forward, waiting for the lyrical side of me to catch up. Occasionally looking back "You coming?"
Other than that, sure, it's moving in the right direction. Just hoping I never fully reach whatever destination I'm heading at.
While I'm trying to figure out how to pick up the pace, it is a gratifying walk.
Peter
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No, it takes too long. ;)
I'm a sprinter musically, but a sloth lyrically. And as a songwriter you can't have one without the other, so my musical side patiently, between rushes, stroll along forward, waiting for the lyrical side of me to catch up. Occasionally looking back "You coming?"
It's such a relief to know I'm not the only one! And considering I write for a living, you'd think lyrics would just pour out of me, but it's not the case. Writing for work actually makes it harder for me to sit down and write anything outside of work. I'm bloody sick of words ;) But musically, I can churn stuff out till morning to night.
Having read everyone's replies and given the original question more consideration, I think the best answer (for most here too) is: happy enough to carry on.
I tip my hat to every one of you talented folks :)