Do You Always Write Toward a Specific Target?

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:46 am

I usually always write for a specific target now-a-days but if something else comes to me I get it down too.And it ain't all black and white. I might sit down to write a new age meditation style piece... and have it end up perfect for suspense/sci fi/horror (like 'Eye of the Storm' did). There will be a home for that too. I just get the receivers up and follow my instincts and trust I'll get somewhere.

mojobone · Post by **mojobone** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 4:46 pm

I do it any way I can get it done. Most of my writing is really re-writing, I mostly do it for clients and I mostly throw it in with the other services I provide; I figure they pay for my ears and experience along with my time and gear. My name is on the product, whether I get a credit or not, I'm gonna do everything in my power to make it the best it can be. More rarely, I'll get a group of musicians together and we'll "jam it out", usually with no goal in mind, 'til we have something that we agree is, erm, something. I gotta admit, if somebody says, " It's in X genre, sung in G with a range of only an octave and a half in the melody by a boy to his sweetheart the night before he leaves for boot camp and there's a war on, and it MUST heavily feature the word 'serendipity', and make it exactly 2:17, and can I have it by Thursday?"....I don't wanna. I can write for a target, but I don't like writing to order. I want enough limitations to spark my creativity with enough freedom to pursue where it leads.I meet a lot of folks with attitudes toward genres that are similar to that of BC, above. I think that's a fine opinion for an artist to have. artists must often fight for their ideals, they should have strong opinions and know exactly what their vision is. But art for art's sake is an iffy proposition when it comes to payin' rent. It takes more than being an artist, even a great artist to be viable (ask Van Gogh) in a market. It takes craft.

milfus · Post by **milfus** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 8:10 pm

well too though, when you are just throwing down music, its nice to establish a concrete style before embarking, just because you might get a scatter shot listing or opportunity and have a song that is dead on for it. generally there isn't too many openings for "hard to pin down" music, where as even on an experimental album, you will find a few songs that are definitely "rock" songs or what not, just because those are what get in the door, and get people to the rest of the album.

squids · Post by **squids** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:07 am

Right. Even if you hafta make up a whole new genre ta fit your song into.

Mark Kaufman · Post by **Mark Kaufman** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:44 am

I've always written all over the map, genre-wise. Despite all the kudos from friends and family, it was actually something that hurt me as a performer.Now that I'm only interested in writing, recording and selling...it actually helps me when it comes to a venue like TAXI. Instead of wondering which Record Store bin I could possibly fit into, I can now find different homes for all my little orphans.

buildingcastles · Post by **buildingcastles** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:03 am

Jun 15, 2008, 9:29am, milfus wrote:thats great and all, but you do realize the listings ask for specific genres, and people listen to specific genres. I am not tryna get on your case, but I think that mentality is gonna end up hurting you in a commercial song atmosphere. Not that I have anything against artistic expression, but if they want a rock song, and you send in something thats not exactly rock, then you are going to get a return.I see genres as more of a challenge requiring different skill sets vs being stifling, its a lot harder to write with constraints, than to just throw notes, and I enjoy the difficulty. It is more about precision and hitting your target, you should try and do specific genres for awhile, I am almost positive it will raise your musicianship as a whole. Forces you to work other areas, when some are limited.Well, if you're in it to make money, then you do what you do. The rest of us rebels will make the future genre's that will dictate your artistic direction.

milfus · Post by **milfus** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:49 am

oh like crunk music? good job =0)expirementations a priviledge, not a right, you should master the other genres before going out and making a new one, you know, so you know what you are getting at.

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:26 am

I just posted this on another thread and I'm going to repeat myself here.I disagree that writing to the market is any less challenging, or has any less artistic integrity to it than 'writing for yourself'. In fact, I would say, very strongly, that the REAL challenge is to find your artistic "genuineness" in the music you write for the market. I speak totally as someone who believed that writing for the market was 'selling out' some artistry or creativity 4 or 5 years ago. But now I know that is BS. If the market wants mysterious suspense tracks, then you can bet the mysterious suspense tracks I create have Vikki Flawith written all over them (and that may well indeed create a new 'sub genre', ha ha). If the market wants tracks a la so-and-so, you can bet my so-in-so flavoured tracks have a good dose of Vikki Flawith in them. I don't "take myself out" of the equation when writing commercial music, because who I am, what I am, how I think, and what inspires me is just as much a part of 'commercial' music as it is for 'for myself' music. I now know I limited myself by thinking that I would be limited by writing what the market wants. Anything but. I'm inspired & challenged by the needs market, it makes me think outside the box.

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:29 am

Jun 16, 2008, 8:44am, lyle wrote:I've always written all over the map, genre-wise. Despite all the kudos from friends and family, it was actually something that hurt me as a performer.Now that I'm only interested in writing, recording and selling...it actually helps me when it comes to a venue like TAXI. Instead of wondering which Record Store bin I could possibly fit into, I can now find different homes for all my little orphans.great way to think of it!

vicky · Post by **vicky** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:58 am

hey there....I've always written for something......before Taxi, it would be for a specific group of players, where I'd have their playing in mind as I was writing.....I've always wondered about the saying.... "jack of all trades master of none" since I've had my hands in so many projects and genres for so long.....and I wish I was doing better at all of them ....luckily life is long vtbp

Do You Always Write Toward a Specific Target?

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