For the country writers:

[jchitty]

Nov 13, 2008, 12:01am, mojobone wrote:Traditional music is currently developing an entirely new audience that has little to do with Nashville. From Hank III to Southern Culture On The Skids to The Bottle Rockets and groups on the Chicago scene like the Henhouse Prowlers, there's lots of great traditionally oriented music to be found, for those that are looking.I just watched the CMAs earlier tonight and heard maybe four songs that I would describe as country; I'd say things are as bad as they should ever be allowed to get and the pendulum's due to swing the other way, but change generally comes to Nashville, not from it, to paraphrase Barack Obama. I think the kind of change that hit the rock biz with the rise of the Seattle sound and what was then called alternative rock will at some point smack Nashville upside the head, but in the meantime, I ain't holdin' my breath. I jes' keep pickin and grinnin'. I totally agree here, Mojo. Some of the best country/bluegrass/Americana acts are ones you don't hear on commercial radio much. My favorite group right now is The Old Crow Medicine Show. I saw them in concert, and people were dancing out in the isles, yelling, cheering, etc....the place was so packed, I thought they'd have to call the fire marshall in. It was the best concert I've seen in years....well, except for Keb 'Mo.I see this as a trend too....one that may revive country music as we know it if it ever goes commercial....although in the end, it will become watered down too.

[jchitty]

Nov 12, 2008, 9:46pm, ontariolightning wrote:I've been at this since 2003, everday, reading songs, listening to songs, listening to badly written songs and then listening to better written songs, learned to stay away from cliche lines, which was hard, pretty much have been at it everyday for almost 5 years, the thing is I've maybe written one or two songs about my life, It's hard for me to do that so i make most of it upbut I believe through hard and dedicated work you can do anythingThey say it's hard to get a cut in Nashville only to discourage youIf you believe that honestly you don't have itJust my opinion, but it all starts with one songI like your thoughts about hard work and dedication. I think that's what it all boils down to....getting up every day and writing a line or two if you can. Pretty soon, you'll have another finished song. It also boils down to some luck too as far as getting a cut, being at the right place at the right time...the stars do have to line up. But in the meantime, hard work and perseverance will pay off when the time comes. And believing in yourself is key as you say...no matter how warm and fuzzy that may sound. And of course, it's about having some talent...but talent's like clay...it's raw and can be molded into something substantial as long as you continue to hone your craft.

[jwebbinspired]

This has been the most educational thread I've read since joining TAXI. This has been great! A wealth of experience and musical prophecy is oozing out of my monitor screen.-Andy

[jchitty]

When I first started posting back in 2006, there weren't many country songwriters here...I kinda felt lonesome. It's so cool that this forum is now home to such talented country songwriters who share a wealth of information. I'm in hog heaven!

[tedsingingfox]

[quote author=claire board=songwriters thread=10458 post=99853 time=1226461521]Hope this isn't too confusing and hope it touches on some of what Chits posted also... Now that was one amazing post, there, Claire. Thank you so much for taking the time to offer such details. And I think you were right on.bottom line... believe in yourself and the music in your heart. Don't stop trying, don't stop learning, don't stop growing...As our own Hummingbird says..."Persistence is not futile".

[cameron]

Nov 14, 2008, 5:46am, jchitty wrote: I think that's what it all boils down to....getting up every day and writing a line or two if you can. Pretty soon, you'll have another finished song. Taxi has definitely helped me improve the quality of my songs, but it's also stifling my creativity. The problem I'm having right now is I find myself screening all my songs a bit too critically. This "following the rules" BS can be a pain in the ass. I have about six songs underway right now, most of which I'm losing interest in because I think they're not good enough.

[squids]

((((((((((((Cam))))))))))))))))))))) Big hugs, sweepea. Been there too. Betta days ahead honey. PMd ya.

[sgs4u]

Nov 14, 2008, 8:03pm, cameron wrote:Taxi has definitely helped me improve the quality of my songs, but it's also stifling my creativity. The problem I'm having right now is I find myself screening all my songs a bit too critically. This "following the rules" BS can be a pain in the ass. I have about six songs underway right now, most of which I'm losing interest in because I think they're not good enough. Hey Cam. There are a lot of people who have lived thru the feelings you're talking about here, including me. It sucks, the whole second guessing yourself thing. OTOH, how can anyone learn what they don't know until they realize there's more to learn? It's much faster learning like that, than assuming we know everything we need to know, and then hitting that wall. You're already past that stage. Whew! Once the ego is thoroughly smashed, rewrites are easier & faster and the songs end up being better. You're doing fine man, it's just part of the process. At least I sure hope it is... I'm almost positive... I think.

[djdale]

I have about six songs underway right now, most of which I'm losing interest in because I think they're not good enough. Cam! Write what ever the hell flows. Let it sit for 7 days then come back to it. Rewrite it if you need to. Let it set for three more days. Post it here. Take some suggestions and plug them in if you want to. It doesn't matter good, bad, ugly. Your song is your song.The main thing is you finished the song you started with. Only a hand few are going to be winners, so it's a numbers thing. I find that subconscious thinking flows inspiration and creativity.Subconscious thinking occures when you are doing repetitious activity, like brisk walking, painting a room, driving to work.Works for me (sometimes). Suggestion: "Just Write It" (TM) - DjDale

[jchitty]

I'll agree with DJ here. I average about 50 songs a year. It keeps the songwriting muscle in shape. Even if I think a song isn't that great, I'll lay the framework out for it anyway. The hardest part of writing is getting the WHOLE song out on paper, computer, whatever you use. You can always go back and rewrite parts of it again when you're in a more positive frame of mind. I've had some stinkers turn into pretty good songs. Ever heard of the saying, "A great writer is only as good as his editor is?" Well, that's true in songwriting too, a great songwriter is only as good as his rewrites are. (No, I am NOT calling myself a great songwriter, I just like that saying, hehe)I had one particular song that I struggled on for months....it boiled down to one line. That line made the song, and without it, it wouldn't work. I was pretty self critical at the time thinking, "I can't write this line...nothing sounds right to me."Then lo and behold, one morning, I found that perfect line, but it tooks months as I say.I'm guessing you're like me too, Cam. You write down every snippet of lyric or idea....you record every snippet of a melody too. You never know when all that stuff will come together and create a good song. I don't use Masterwriter or anything (think that's the name of the software)...I like all the clutter on my table...little snips of paper everywhere...it inspires me to write. It says, 'get the hell off your duff today and finish writing me.' At some point also, we all have to just let go of that internal critic and let the song flow from us...I believe in many ways, 'the song writes itself' and comes deep from within our subconcious mind...we just have to let it break out, not worrying about the critics.You can always refine it for the critics later.