[adamfarr]

Hi All - one comment I used to get a lot was that I missed opportunities and some of my ideas would be better served by putting them into a recognisable genre. My response was usually "ha! My songs are what they are, and don't need to copy other styles."

Now I think this might be a bit presumptuous. Particularly as I'm no virtuoso on any instrument or vocal and my production skills have been, well, questionable.

So is that right, perhaps a bit of healthy imitation is the way to go before I can pretend to go and blaze trails and that's just the way life is, that ideas are much easier to accept if they fall into a known style?

[MartynRich]

I guess it depends what you want to achieve. If you want success as a songwriter composing for other artists then yes, you have to adapt your style to whomever you want to write for. However if it's just for you then I would just do what come naturally. The chances of success are so slim, just because of the numbers, that it isn't worth compromising in my opinion. You'll have more fun, your music will mean more to you and those who do listen will appreciate it more. I say stick to what you love.

[Boydie]

This is how I look at it...

If you think of painting/art you can draw some useful parallels

Trying to write without thinking of a genre is like painting an "abstract" painting - to some it will be a complete mess and to others (and probably the artist themselves) it will be a masterpiece

If the abstract painting "kind of looks like" an apple many people will think it is just a bad painting of an apple - and others will like it for "breaking boundaries"

If, however, you decide to draw/paint an apple then people looking at it will be able to make a direct judgement as to how "good" the painting is - i.e. How much does it look like an apple - but there is sooo much more - how good is the lighting, what medium was used (oil, charcoal, watercolour etc.), what is the composition like, is there anything else in the picture (a person, an animal, a landscape background)

I think this is why songwriters (especially those new to writing) get a bit nervous aiming for a particular genre - it will inevitably lead to direct comparisons and it is easy for a shot at "chart pop" to end up as "cheesey pop" - in the same way someone wanting to draw a perfect apple may get the perspective wrong

As in the example above, just because you have chosen a particular genre (i.e. to draw an apple) it doesn't mean that it is limiting in any way as there is plenty you can do to keep it interesting

However, if your art forms is a good representation of what you are aiming for - i.e. It is clearly within a genre (or the painting looks like an apple) it is more likely to be appreciated by the "man in the street"

[The S]

This is how I look at it...

This is how I will look at it too...from now on.

I've tried using the painting comparison myself from time to time because it's far easier at times trying to explain music visually instead of sonically, but I've only succeeded in doing it in a way more...abstract way! (?)  Excellent reply B.

Cheers,

S

[Paulski]

Ah.. genre's a funny thing.
When I was a kid (long time ago there were probably about 10 of them you could name.
Nowadays there a hundreds (it would interesting to see a thread that named them all - maybe I'll start one . So, extrapolating into the future, how many do you think there'll be?
Advice is a dangerous gift, but here's mine:

 Ignore that genre sh*t and just serve the song with what sounds right in it.

Maybe you'll invent a new genre. If not, your song will go into the "quirky" bucket - not a bad place to be either 
Paul

[GuyBarry]

I think some of the most interesting performers have been the ones whose songs don't fit into an obvious genre.  In what genre would you place Squeeze, for instance?  Madness?  Elvis Costello?  They almost defy classification.

[Paulski]

I think some of the most interesting performers have been the ones whose songs don't fit into an obvious genre.  In what genre would you place Squeeze, for instance?  Madness?  Elvis Costello?  They almost defy classification.

Neil Young had that problem too - but somehow survived..

[GuyBarry]

Actually I've just remembered what they were known as - "new wave", a sort of catch-all term for music of that era that didn't really fit into any other category.  One more for your "name all genres" thread!

[Skub]

I think some of the most interesting performers have been the ones whose songs don't fit into an obvious genre.  In what genre would you place Squeeze, for instance?  Madness?  Elvis Costello?  They almost defy classification.

Squeeze = Pop (of the era)

Madness = Pop/Ska

Elvis Costello = Singer songwriter.

[GuyBarry]

Elvis Costello = Singer songwriter.

Is that a genre?  It could include anyone from Kate Bush to Richard Stilgoe.

[pompeyjazz]

Ignore that genre sh*t and just serve the song with what sounds right in it.

Top Advice Paul 

[Radio]

Personally I don't like to put music in genre boxes. I understand the need to commercially, but when your writing just for your own enjoyment (I do), I find with fixing yourself to a particular genre, theres a danger of restricting yourself musically. I look forward to learing new musical styles and writing songs with what I've learnt.

The is why I'm so glad Clapton didn't fix himself to one in particular.

[adamfarr]

Quite interesting to come back to this now - as I am by nature "quirky" (and not much of a technical player) my attempt at Ska turned out to be very much "ska-inspired" and didn't necessarily resemble the real thing. Which is totally fine and actually I think a bit of a result... It's not where you take it from, it's where you take it to, right?!

[TimCurtis]

I guess that's the whole point of songwriting for me is to take some existing ideas and combine/change them into my own, new thing.  I take from so many different genres, it's hard to pin a particular one on a song, so I've started just making it up.  Me and Gaby are probably not as far away from one or two genres as we like to think we are.  But at the end of the day, to me the genre doesn't matter - if it's a good, song, then that's what's important.  I certainly wouldn't not listen to a song just because of the genre (although I guess there are people that would).

[mikek]

I'm not skilled enough as a musician to have the luxury to target my craft at a different genre on a per song basis. I can only do as I do and let the listeners (a very small number of folks) decide and catagorize. Some of my songs come out sounding like country, others rock, and most, a mystery. Some liked, most ignored....I will soldier onward, regardless