konalavadome

2 days or 2 years?

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montydog

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« on: July 01, 2014, 07:49:39 PM »
Hi Chaps,

Just a bit of idle chat really brought on by being on my own for a few days and getting some writing done. I wrote a song 2 years ago which I have never been happy with and I've been chipping away at it ever since and I've recently sort of finished it. It's never going to be the best thing I've ever done but there is enough there for me to not give up. At the same time, since yesterday I'e been writing a new song and I've got it finished in 2 days and it's 10 times better than the 2 year old one. This happens to me all the time and I wonder if it happens to anyone else?

So I'm thinking that if something doesn't work pretty quickly, is it a case of flogging a dead horse? Is it better to just chuck it away and start again or can keeping it boiling away on the back burner yield results? I'd love to hear your experiences.

M

tone

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« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2014, 07:56:27 PM »
Interesting topic Monty, and I empathise very much with you.

My own experience both confirm and contradict your suggestion that something that doesn't immediately work can never be your best work.

On the one hand, I wrote 'raised by wolves' in about 30 mins (posted recently on the forum) and I think it's one of my best songs. It was easy to write, and sort of just landed in my brain nearly fully formed.

But one of my favourite songs I've ever written took three months of nearly continuous writing, rewriting, fiddling and general messing with. I could hear the potential in it, but I was never sure if it would amount to anything.

Having said that, I have other songs I've spent weeks on that just never seem to cut the mustard with the big boys. I really want to like them, but for reasons I can't pin down they just fall a bit flat.

I'll be interested to hear how it is for other writers, but my hunch is that the writing process and experience is as unique to us as we are individual writers.
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stavcoby

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« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2014, 01:52:33 PM »
I’m the same.  I have songs that have been on my Dictaphone for over 10 years (no exaggeration).  One day ill be struggling for inspiration, have a nose through, hear it and finish it that day.  Other songs I can write in a day, sometimes whilst, I was writing a different one? Ever done that?

lors

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« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2014, 12:04:41 PM »
This happens to me all the time. I think it's got more to do with a kind of mismatch of where we are now vs where we were when we wrote the song (emotionally speaking).

I've got this song that I wrote when I was in a particularly dark place in my life and it's just a grind even to just play. It's just not a memory or feeling I like to return to.

So the song's been sitting there for the past 12 years or so. Hopefully, I won't go back to the place where it's easy to write for it.


Neil C

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« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2014, 07:58:52 AM »
Alan,
My two pennies worth is songs that come quickly are easy to write, it's more like capturing them down whilst you're inspired and the ideas are flowing - even walking up with lyrics or parts of tunes when I've been sleeping. Others I can leave and come back to it they're not complete or feel full formed. I can think of some songs I've honed over months and they have got better but I'm not sure as a writer you can be far enough away to tell how good they are, more whether you like them and the new, latest ones are always my favourite at that time.
 :)
Neil
songwriter of no repute..

stefano65

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« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2014, 10:11:12 AM »
Well, i am not call myself as a "songwriter" yet: i just put my hands into the raw clay, moving my fingers and see what's happen.
But...

...sometimes i have just a phrase that turn around in my brain (words and music) and some other times i write the whole song (at least the fisrt "glance") in 2-3 hours.
It happened with my last song i wrote: i lestened two girls (around 14-15 years old) talking, on a train. I couldn't not to don't listen, because they talked loud and i was near them. They talked about their lives and the boys. I smiled on myself, thinking about my teenage, and in my brain i heard a voice, singing: "You, young woman". When i went home, i wrote the phrase and half a song came into my mind. The other half, i wrote it in 2 hours, both words and music.

But usually the whole process costs me longer. Very long time.
« Last Edit: July 17, 2014, 10:36:29 AM by stefano65 »