How Many Songs Do You Write Per Week/Month?

[burpo]

I know that this is a broad question. I'm sure that the responses should prove diverse and interesting.

Thanks!!

[T&V Marino]

Hi Burpo,

When we first joined TAXI and started writing for the listings, it took us about 3-4 weeks to complete an INSTRUMENTAL track! Sometimes, we'd BARELY make the deadline. After a year, we realized we needed to write faster (yes, we're a little slow sometimes... ) Mentor John Braheny said to "stop being so precious with your music. Write it and move on!" So we did.

Over the years, we got to the point of writing 2-3 instrumental tracks per week, which we thought was pretty fast.

But it was at the 2010 TAXI Rally when we talked to the Songwriting Machine, Dean Krippaehne, who inspired us to write -- and produce -- a "track a day." We actually had a big project to complete last summer that required us to write and produce 24 tracks in fewer than two weeks. We wrote 2 -- even 3 -- tracks in ONE DAY! It's amazing what you can do when you're on a deadline!

Keep writing,

~ Tracey & Vance Marino

[burpo]

Great response! Thank you and good luck to you in the New Year!!

[shoodBworkin]

Wow. Our notebook currently sports fifteen or sixteen lyric sketches . . . but none of 'em are yet songs. Four cuts on our last album came out all in a big squirt. So that week it was like, four songs/week. Other weeks a song half-written 30 years ago will show up with a cool bridge . . . hey, happy new year! have a good one!

[burpo]

Thanks, ShoodBworkin!!

I seem to give birth in litters, m'self.


b

[Ellwood]

I write for artists pitching mostly, so most of my writing is not really on a dead line. My output is usually one completed song per month or a bit longer.

[burpo]

Right on! Thanks Ellwood!

[kclements]

I try to write and finish one track per week ( I don't always make it). I do all instrumental stuff.

Lately, I have been focusing on Orchestral pieces which seem to take a lot of time getting it to sound right (still learning how to get them to sound authentic!). I am hopeing to increase my output, but right now, 1 a week is pretty good for me. My goal for 2012 is to get to 2-3 finished tracks per week. It also depends on if I am writing for a listing/deadline or writing for fun or to try something new. I find I am more productive with a deadline, probably a common experience among us.

Cheers -
kc

[burpo]

Noted! Thanks for anteing up! This is getting fun!

[llama]

Well as the old saying goes "nothing gets you motivated more then a looming deadline". I write mostly instrumentals for film/TV. I started off doing maybe one instrumental per week if I was lucky. But as time has progressed my writing became faster. My record is 4 pieces in one day. OK it was a 12 hour day, but that's my record. Of course it depends on what the piece is. I find I can do 1-2 TV cues per day comfortably but if it's something more involved like a movie trailer piece then that can be up to 4-5 days to get done. For me the trick is to write everyday and set deadlines. HTH.

Derek.