My fresh ears theory of songwriting

[charlie2]

When I write a new song I try not to listen to it too much. I need to put it down and listen again after I forget how it sounds. (later on or the next day or week) That would give me fresh ears to use. I do this because I need to know objectively how it sounds.

I believe any music can sound good to you if you listen to it enough. Therefore listening to my new song over and over will make it sound better than it really is and this is not what I want. I need to know how it sounds to others who hear it for the first time.

After hearing my song objectively, I can rewrite or edit objectively

I saw a similar theory. anyone do this?

[hummingbird]

yep, I think it's good to put a song away for a few days.

I also do this with mixing. I'll get a mix to a certain point and just leave it til the next day. My fresh ears will pick up nuances.

[Bad Monkey]

Hi Charlie,
There is something to be said for fresh ears and putting a song away for awhile.I try to do this from time to time (I have to admit that usually its because I'm just too busy).Unfortunantley for me however, I'm a music junkie, when I listen I 'm thinking what would so and so think about this ? I find that at times I tend to pick my preformance to death, PITCH...ugh!!! I end up breathing the music and the more I listen the more stuff that bugs me pops out at me. If I hear it a thousand times and I still love it and nothings popping out at me then it can rest.I guess either philosophy works if the song is strong. Good Luck to you!

[DesireeBowen]

I totally know what you mean. I've been working on this song to death, and last week I didn't even know WHAT sounded good anymore! It was so bad that I was even dreaming about the song constantly. So the last two days I didn't work on it. Last night I picked it back up and I was able to hear what needed to be worked on, etc, and be a TON more productive. Can't wait to start posting some songs on here for some feedback from everyone!

[charlie2]

I also do this with mixing. I'll get a mix to a certain point and just leave it til the next day. My fresh ears will pick up nuances.


Good advice here. I only did it with songwriting up to now.

[Noah Silver]

I have a style similar to Bad Monkey's. Immediately after I finish a song (and also on rough drafts), I'll listen to it as many times as possible before I'm back in the studio, and as I listen to it more and more, I'm able to hear more and more of the tiny errors in the song, and new ideas of things to change/add to the song come to me the more I listen/think about it. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've caught stuff like a breath before singing that's slightly clipped, as I listen to the song for the 40th time.

As far as listening to it with fresh ears, that's where my friends come in. They'll all give a listen and tell me what they think of it, and what they feel needs to be changed/added. A lot of the time, I'll disagree and won't change it. However there are also many times where I immediately see and agree with what they say, or I'll also chew on the thought for a while and eventually come to realize that I think they're right. And if I get the same suggested change from 2-3 or more friends, I usually wind up making the change.

[glender]

Good thread, I recently started working on a song and got a rough draft together but after replaying it a few times I hated it. My new project was not up to snuff. I put it on a shelf thinking to myself thank god I didn't take that lemon into the studio. But the song had another plan and a week later I was toying with it again. Pretty soon it was tugging on my heart strings the way most of them do when they start to get some life in them. The other day after officially going crazy I told myself to not listen to the song for at least two days no matter what. You can go pretty batty after awhile. Especially when you work alone.

[cardell]

When I write a new song I try not to listen to it too much. I need to put it down and listen again after I forget how it sounds.

I agree with what you are saying here but: if I can't remember something I wrote the previous day, then I don't bother continuing to work on it.

I figure that if I can't even remember it...it mustn't be memorable.

Stuart

[Jeronimus]

This was a good post/topic. You know songs are like children and people love their children no matter how ugly they may be.

I find it essential to have others listen for feedback. Garage Band provides me with blind reviews. A particular reviewer may be clueless or have rotten taste (acc. to me) but after 10-20 reviews you've got a pretty reliable sense of how a tune is received, and the good reviewers will offer useful critique on specific points.

[Hookjaw Brown]

I like to revisit a recording the next day to pick up obvious needed tweaks, then I like to let my brain work on it. If the melody or chorus comes floating through my head over the next week or so, then I know it is good enough to work on some more and sometimes needed improvements pop into my head. Other times, well let us just say the song is finished......

Oh, I got an e-mail about the end of Garage Band.