[Darren1664]

EDIT: Started this thread to track my writing process. It's moved into also my recording process(that needs major work but I am learning...) anyway here is the latest very rough version. Lyrics, arrangement etc etc not settled. So a long long way off but starting to take some kind of form (sorry for the messy recording)

https://www.audiomack.com/song/darren1664/rediscovering-julie-3

Hello

So I had an idea. I want to explore how I approach song writing and lay down the process step by step so I can have a long hard look at it. Find room for improvement or maybe help others. Who knows...

The idea of this thread is that I am going to write a song and I am going to be quite (what's the word??) step by stepish? That don't make sense...basically as I have a thought or develop the song I am going to try and log that change. I even want to capture those horrible lyrics I quickly scrap...because that's my mind searching. I will also try to compliment this with sound clips. It might end up being a lot of work by I will give it a go. I won't be able to post as I go because some times I will snatching at chances to record or write something down but periodically I will update this thread with the step by steps.

It's going to be very useful for me but thought I could share it too

One for feedback and comments, always helpful!

and two so others can see how I work

I hope this threads pans out how I intent it.

Thanks Darren

The first tiny smidgens of the song. I have a little guitar part and one simple vocal line

"Please take this time to be free"

I'll try and record it and get it up asap!

Done https://soundcloud.com/user-41129754/song-writing-log

[Darren1664]

OK some immediate developments...an extra line

Please take this time to be free
Don't put your life on hold for me

[Oldbutyet]

Hey Darren, would help if we could find the track "This track was not found. Maybe it has been removed"   

[Darren1664]

Hey Darren, would help if we could find the track "This track was not found. Maybe it has been removed"  

Ahh sorry pal! I moved it to private because they're aren't clips I wanted to publicly share but am happy to share on this forum...I've changed to public though! I might look at another platform for sharing future clips...more developments taking place but will post up when I have some more time in the week

Anyway yes, should work now!

PS I am trying to make sure all guitar sessions on this are recorded on voice recorded and all lyric writing sessions on tracked word documents it'll be a lot of work and some cringey moments but should be fun.

[Oldbutyet]

Hey Darren, not to sure what you're looking for here but i like it, sounds interesting, are you talking studio environment where we create our own or whatever, in lyrics/songwriters.

If not then i guess the beer is not cool enough   

[Darren1664]

Hey Darren, not to sure what you're looking for here but i like it, sounds interesting, are you talking studio environment where we create our own or whatever, in lyrics/songwriters.

If not then i guess the beer is not cool enough   

Hey mate! Not really looking for anything really...this mainly for my benefit! I thought it'd be fun to capture all the moments of writing a song (for curiosity and improvement and to track how it develops) and thought it'd be nice to post my progress here for anyone interested! Thoughts and comments welcome but not expected....the majority of what I post will be of little to no use to anyone but myself be interesting (hopefully) to hear the difference between what little I have now to the finished song

Hope I'm making sense Darren

[PaulyX]

Like the sound of this Darren... always find it fascinating listening to those "Anthology" albums where you can hear very early demo versions of future classics.  Fascinating to see the turns a song took at different stages.  I'll be checking in to witness your future classic being born.

[Martinswede]

Hi Darren!

I'm reading this just after replying to another thread of yours:
http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=13297.0

I'm glad I found this introspective project when it has just begun.

By the facts at hand I have been given this impression that you write more in the impulsive and passionate way than in a more organized and orderly way. I might be wrong but I hope I'm not.

Martin

[Darren1664]

Like the sound of this Darren... always find it fascinating listening to those "Anthology" albums where you can hear very early demo versions of future classics.  Fascinating to see the turns a song took at different stages.  I'll be checking in to witness your future classic being born.

Hi PaulyX! Thanks for checking in...no classics here I'm afraid but I hope the finished song is reasonable it's been a challenge to write whilst tracking as I tend to just pick up my guitar at random moments and pencil in some thoughts or go on through the night...but I'm always thinking with this one...ooh best track best track. So yeah, I hope something useful comes out of all of this will post an update shortly

Thanks pal

[Darren1664]

Hi Darren!

I'm reading this just after replying to another thread of yours:
http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=13297.0

I'm glad I found this introspective project when it has just begun.

By the facts at hand I have been given this impression that you write more in the impulsive and passionate way than in a more organized and orderly way. I might be wrong but I hope I'm not.

Martin

Hey Martin...I will check out that other thread in a mosey

and nail on the head there mate...I do very much write impulsively and passionately as you will hear shortly when I post my updates. I've recorded some quite awkward tracks of me just noodling around searching for inspiration or melodies that take me. Slowly I seem to creep to something I am happy with. I'd like to add more organisation into my writing process and hopefully this can illuminate where. Thanks for checking in....right...time to sort out me update

Darren

[Darren1664]

Ok Ok...didn't anticipate the amount of work this would be (I'm probably making it more work than need be but oh well...)

So I have worked on this track and rather than post all the links to various clips I have set an audiomack profile up specifically for this project. All my noodles and what not can be heard here https://www.audiomack.com/artist/darren1664 but a big WARNING: it literally is me just noodling around. Stumbling on a chord pattern, or little melody line. In between I have been updating a word document with the lyrics which I will share below. So yeah, what you hear here will be a waste of your time...30 seconds should be enough for you to hear how I work

So the lyrics so far:

Please take some time to be free
Go see things you want to see
Be the person you dreamed to be
Don’t live life regretfully

Pre-Chorus
You did your best by your three sons
You raised them up on your own
Now they’ve gone and flown the nest
It’s time for you to go and be yourself again (←-Need to change this…dun like it)

You had your first when you were young
Next day a stay at home mum
Shelved your dreams, side lined fun
Then he left you a single mum

(Thought: Mum is repeated but I am happy with that at the moment. Story took a sour slight sour turn but I like that for depth and honesty. Bah re thought...don't like the mum lines, don't sound write in song...)

Pre-Chorus
You did your best by your three sons
You raised them up on your own
Now they’ve gone and flown the nest
It’s time for you to go and be yourself again (←-Need to change this…dun like it)


and how I arrived here is tracked in this blog post: https://wordpress.com/post/gobbledygobbledygook.wordpress.com/58

I made a decision early on this could be about my mum who gave up her life for me and my brothers. I am thinking this is a little cheesy so I want to try and grit the story up a little and that will be my next steps as well as adding hopefully a nice catchy chorus and I had a little guitar riff that I haven't used and might sit nicely at the end of this so will try that too. Update will follow next week now I'd imagine. See how we go. Although I may get up a where I am at recording tomorrow using garageband...if I get time ..or maybe even tonight...we'll see.

Thanks

Darren

[Darren1664]

OK so I have been working on the lyrics tonight (and melody a bit) and have developed the song the lyrics below. Still have to iron out some melody kinks...and some sections might not read right but they fit the music so all is good If I have time tomorrow I will try to polish the lyrics some more and then lay down my first extremely rough demo. Oh and I have a title. The song is about my mum (and all mum's) who gave up her life to look after me and my brothers after she separated from my dad. She still puts all her energy into the family when she should focus more on herself.

Rediscovering Julie

Please take some time to be free
Go see things you want to see
Be the person you dreamed to be
Don’t live life regretfully

You had your first when you were young
Shelved your dreams, side lined your fun
Played the part of loving wife
When he left we became your life

Pre-Chorus
You did your best by your three sons
You raised them up on your own
Now they’ve gone and flown the nest
It’s time for you to go and be the

Chorus
Best you can be
At being selfish, being free
Stop work on the family tree
Start Rediscovering Julie

V3


Bridge

Pre-Chorus
You did your best by your three sons
You raised them up on your own
Now they’ve gone and flown the nest
It’s time for you to go and be

Chorus
Best you can be
At being selfish, being free
Stop work on the family tree
Start Rediscovering Julie


Outro

[PaulyX]

Hey Darren, not sure if we are supposed to be commenting since it might influence your writing process when this is supposed to be a record of how you naturally write, but I can't stop myself from saying that "Rediscovering Julie" is a brilliant title... unusual and enigmatic, draws you in straight away... and the whole set of lyrics are really strong.  Hope you keep at this one... and now I'll duck out and leave you to it!

[Darren1664]

Hey Darren, not sure if we are supposed to be commenting since it might influence your writing process when this is supposed to be a record of how you naturally write, but I can't stop myself from saying that "Rediscovering Julie" is a brilliant title... unusual and enigmatic, draws you in straight away... and the whole set of lyrics are really strong.  Hope you keep at this one... and now I'll duck out and leave you to it!

Hey PaulyX  

Comments more than welcome!! but thank you very much for the kind support. I have updated a very rough track up the top if you want to hear where this is headed. If you can offer any wisdom on how to produce this/move it forward then please feel free to share

Take care buddy! Darren

[Darren1664]

Well I have posted this is works in progress and I feel it'd be nice to have some comments at this stage.

This experiment was a little useful but a lot harder than I anticipated. Creativity is hard to keep constant track of and it did make is cumbersome to write this but I gave it my best shot. Maybe hoping for more from this but I have learned some lessons. Mainly around the recording process. It's amazing how much there is to learn and taking an idea all way through to a recorded song is such a lot of work load. I definitely need to work on my production skills but I also need to go easy on myself - I am very new to this.

Anyway thank to anyone whose taken an interest.