Just wondering, I sometimes finish songs I am unsure of , they go either way

Sometimes people hate the songs I like and vice versa

I try and progress an idea just incase further down the line I can steal a verse or chorus or lyric

I have finished a few shit songs in my time! Ha ha

Some on here!

Occasionally I'll finish a song that I'm unsure about, but on the whole if I'm unsure, I find it really hard to write lyrics. So the song un-finishes itself! And for me, the whole point of songwriting is for my own enjoyment, so it's a bit self defeating to finish a second-rate song.

I dunno, when I write a song I write what I want to hear, so at first I think its great, but then sometime after when recording I usually doubt it and think they are complete shit. This can be because I hear my favourite bands and lose heart in the face of such great music, or simply because Ive heard my own shit so much when recording and writing I am bored of it. But then I start to like them again when I post them online and get either approval on forums or lots of plays/downloads and comments from fans. But then I start to get bored of them again...
So in that sense, every song I write im unsure of...but it comes in cycles

I know what you mean Tone, I never finish songlyrics if I dont get the song, I dont think I explained my question very well. There have been a number of songs that just haven't been working for me then one day it all falls into place. Heartbeats that I posted was like that, had the verse structure and programming for ages and was nearly ready to bin it but then I removed a few parts and the chorus and middle 8 practically wrote itself.
I am scared to give up on anything just in case.

Ramshackles - Jesus man thats exactly what I go through every time!

I think it is important to have high expectation for every song we write. Unless you try to write 10 songs a day and trash what you don't like, a good idea that you care for should ultimately give you a good song to brag about.

I can't remember who said this but, I quote "Art is never finished, only abandoned."

It seems to be the self critic in me that says that a song always just needs a little something else because it's not quite right yet. 
As I'm not a good technical player I do try to get the mood of the song over but there's always a niggle at the back of my mind.

Sometimes you just have to persevere but occasionally an idea just has to be abandoned...........for the time being. 

I never finish any songs !

This is me all over!

I also tend to abandon songs because it's difficult for me to finish anything so I tend to think that my energies will be better spent on something else (until I get bored of that!)

Yeah I sometimes have the case where I thought up some really good riffs and then just spent ages and ages trying to meld the rest together. I listen back to it thinking, yeah this is good, this is good then suddenly meh. I feel like I have this problem where the longer I spend on a song, the worse it sounds.

Hi, Yes this is the way of improvising and getting better I suppose. I've made alot of tunes I haven't finished and to be honest I'm never 100% happy with any track I make so I keep going !

http://sammydaddyx.com/

You just have to finish off the song and get it out of your system, especially in the early days.

That's true for me in some cases. Otherwise I end up getting desensitised and get fed up with it.

It's the opposite for me lol.
Most of mine remain unfinished even the ones I love.

I get sidetracked by a new idea. Every time. lol

I agree with a lot of the comments made by Ramshackles. When I am writing a song that I believe has potential I tend to work on it for long periods of time. I will write a verse and keep playing it until I come up with a bridge that works and then a chorus. Even then I will continue playing it over and over again to come up with harmonies etc. If you consider that any song you listen to over and over again will eventually lose it's shine, the actual writing process has the same effect and makes you question the quality of your song after a few weeks. One of the best ways to asses your songs is to walk away and listen to them a few weeks later. That way you almost get the same perspective as that of a first time listener.
In terms of finishing a song, I very rarely do. I will only write lyrics to a song if I were to record it in a studio. I have hundreds of songs finished in terms of melody and structure. Most will never see the light of day and are just a means to an end in terms of experience and improvement. Others will subconsciously form part of other songs in future. Most successful songwriters will admit that this patch work effect   It is not often a full song will be created in an instant but often the listener will think it has. Often a songwriter will keep up a pretence to maintain a sense of mistique to sell records.

I have a folder titled "Work in Progress" which contains about 70 or so incomplete songs that I delve into on a regular basis.

I write words and music simultaneously so my reasons for this are twofold. One is so that I don't forget the melody line of a song I have in progress as I have done this once or twice.

And secondly, of course, to see if I can complete one of them. I used to get annoyed and frustrated, when I first started writing, that I couldn't complete a particular song and would stick with it til it was done.

I usually ended up with a crap song that way because I'd forced myself to write it rather than waited til I'd actually come up with good ideas.

Now I'm happy to put them on one side and work on something esle. I recently completed a song called Cry Out Loud that I started writing in 1999 and never thought much about. Then one day I played about with it and bingo, the idea for the chorus came to me and it all fell into place!

I also find though that my idea of my best work is rarely anybody elses. I guess my own favourites tend to be the ones that say something personal. And some I've considered mundane and workmanlike have become favourites of other listeners.

Which is why a forum like this is important to give a writer an objective opinion of material posted here.