Do You Always Write Toward a Specific Target?

[Mark Kaufman]

Do you always write for a specific target? Or do you also write whatever strikes your artistic fancy?Most TAXI writers appear to be involved in several genres. This allows you to use several different creative "muscles". It occurs to me that if I always wrote the same sort of songs, it would be like flexing the same muscle over and over again...eventually leading to strain, and weakness...or burnout.If I had to write an album's worth of songs all in the same genre...I think I would end up writing several other different types of songs in-between, just to "go somewhere else" and then return with fresh eyes.How about you? Do you always write with a goal in mind?

[jchitty]

I've never been able to write for a specific target...I wish I could, and I admire writers who can do that, but my songs just hit me like little bolts out of the blue. I am constantly getting ideas, so I do write a lot, but if someone says, 'hey, write a song about this topic', it just won't work for me. If I did that, my songs would sound wooden and contrived. I write mostly country, but yes, I write in other genres....alternative, jazz, Americana, rock, etc. Songwriting is such a mystical process for me...I have no idea where my songs come from. Some mornings, I can wake up with just a hook/chorus in my head, sometimes, just the melody. I can be driving down the road and see a billboard sign with a saying on it, and all of a sudden, I'll start singing the saying along with a melody which pops into my head. I listen to people's convos like most people do.....I get ideas from the television, but once again, for some reason I can't write when people say, 'create a song for this.' One thing I do is watch comedy shows 'coz comedians can say the most interesting things....things that haven't gotten to be buzzwords in the popular culture yet, but that are original enough that you can create a hookline from some of their jokes. Since I write a lot of country songs with conversational lyrics, this serves me well.

[squids]

Nope, don't write to a target unless my cowriters have one. Someone'll generally have an idea and we'll go from there. I've only written to target maybe twice and was lucky both times but it's not on my to-do list generally.

[Mark Kaufman]

I just knew this would be interesting... As for me, there are different types of writing. Sometimes I wake up with an idea and I pursue it wherever it may lead. (Non-Target) When I look at a TAXI listing, I think about what I might do, and (although I haven't done one yet) that listing would lead me. (Target)When I agree to write music to an existing lyric, I let the lyric and the lyricist's suggestions guide me. (Target)Sometimes I sit there, guitar in hand, and think, man, I'm in the mood to rock out...and so I try to write a rocking tune. (Target)And sometimes I set out to write something specific (Target) but veer wildly off-course during the creative process and run with it (Non-Target) and it becomes something else.Interesting...I expected more people at this forum to say they wrote toward specific targets.

[mazz]

Mark,I think that this thread being in the songwriter's section may have culled out the instrumental composers (except for busybody Mazz ) who are probably more apt to write to targets (and may also be more used to writing to targets). Since songwriters are responsible for words and music, I would imagine that adds another layer to the process of writing to a target. I don't think one is harder than the other, just different. I would imagine that professional Nashville writers who have 2 or 3 writing sessions a day 5 days a week are probably pretty darn good at writing to a target that their publisher walks in with. Again, it's exercising those creative muscles, no matter what they are.Great thread!Mazz

[jchitty]

I think when you're writing lyrics, it's much harder to target a listing....mainly because lyrics have to be 'simmered' for a while, especially in my case. If I write something quickly, then it won't be my best, I'm afraid. I tend to write a song, then I can sit on it for weeks. Why? Because the first lyrics I throw down on a piece of paper aren't up to their full potential yet...it might take days of tweaking one line. Yeah, as has been pointed out on the thread, some Nashville staff writers can accomplish writing on target and writing quickly, but I think they're a rare breed. I think most people write because of feelings they want to express at the time, inspirations that hit them, etc.BTW, I forgot to say that I am doing one 'target.' I've never even attempted the instrumental listings, but having learned some software, I am now working on a piece to submit to a suspense listing. It's horrible, LOL....but you gotta start somewhere I guess.My hats are off to the composers here.....it's very hard to create a piece like that for background music.....my piece sounds monotonous and repetitious in places and then certain parts of it are also cacophonous....it goes in a hundred different directions. It's much, much easier for me to write lyrics. I guess we enjoy what comes natural. Also, I have no concept about how to start or end the piece....the beginning and end just sound kind of strange to me.

[squids]

You wouldn't be the first person to say that. Starting and ending are common problems and not jes in music! LOL

[jchitty]

Jun 9, 2008, 6:37am, squids wrote:You wouldn't be the first person to say that. Starting and ending are common problems and not jes in music! LOLLOL. True.

[prez]

I do a little bit of both. If I see a listing in TAXI that strikes my fancy, I write for it. There are usually enough listings that make it possible for me to keep busy for quite some time.The other half of the time, I write because the song is screaming to be written. It won't leave my head and I write it to keep my sanity, the little I have left. Genre wise, I'm all over the place. Mostly I stay in the pop/dance arena but I can't help but to make house, ballads, drum n bass, soul, rock, and hip hop. I also like classical and jazz will be attempting to do something in those somewhere down the road.The only genre that I simply cannot get into no matter how hard I try is country. For the most part, I'm seriously not diggin it so I stay away from it on all fronts. However, I can appreciate the occasional good tune I hear ever so often which is a rarity since I'm usually tuned in somewhere else.So there's always some creating going on. Whether it's a song with lyrics that I'm working on or instrumental tracks. I'm always working on something. Simply depends on what needs to be done at any particular time.God bless.

[devin]

Jun 11, 2008, 6:08pm, lyle wrote:So I guess it depends on the person...but based on what I've noticed, it sure seems like riches and fame are the worst assaults your creativity could ever endure.Good point...and that's a relief, btw...nice to know I'll never run out then!