Afraid to "Pull the Trigger"

[Casey H]

Wow, a lot of replies.... Thanks all for chiming in... Non-performers have it a bit tougher (not complaining!) because "pulling the trigger" means paying $$$ for the demo. So, even with feedback from respectable folks and some re-work cycles, you can get cold feet. Most of the time for me it's about lyrics; I'm usually can tell on the music side if I have something good (a few clunkers did get through, though ). On the up side, getting just the vocal re-done for lyric improvements only runs me $100-$150. Not trivial, but not the worst either...It's not during the creative process I get anxious as much as when it gets close to, well.... pulling that darn trigger.Anyway, I am babbling on... I have 1-2 songs in the queue. Some think they are worth doing, some don't... But I'm gonna shoot out at least one by early next year. And then I'll take a Valium (or two) and post them for the world to hear... Casey

[jchitty]

Here's how I look at songwriting.....it's like taking a multiple choice test. You check off the easy answers first, and then you tackle the tougher questions toward the end. The main thing you want to do is lay out a framework first.....just 'get it out there.' I agree with Vikki in this sense. The mind can play tricks on us if we let it. It can tell us that we can't write, that we can't even start unless we start with 'perfection.' But I find that 'perfection' comes when you let a song simmer for a while. I am constantly writing, but it takes me six weeks to write a song. I usually have six or seven songs going on at once, and I may write a line or two a day on them. In the end, I average one song a week. I've never had a song start off that well.. It's only through constant rewriting that I'll fall in love with a song (as Guscave points out)....I never fall in love with the first draft. If you write with the intention that you know your first draft is meant to evolve, then you won't be so hesitant to throw away parts of your lyrics which don't fit. I am always trying to come up with a better line. Yes, it's extremely frustrating sometimes. Writing is like bloodletting, but in the end, there is nothing better than saying, 'wow, look how the song turned out, I'm glad I did pull the trigger, but I'm also glad that I could scrap that line I wanted to hang onto.' Because many times, it turns out to be a better song. That being said, some of what I write is pure crap, but that doesn't matter 'coz even the crap keeps the songwriting muscle firm.

[Casey H]

Hi JackThere will always be a difference, to some degree, between what we want to do as art vs. what is commercially viable. That doesn't mean a song can't be both, but often these paths are different. One of the things I've painted myself into a corner with a few times is writing lyrics with very specific story lines or elements, leaving the realm of "universal theme"... I also, like unusual chord patterns- I get bored to death with C, F, G thing... So, often what I enjoy writing has some limitations on the commercial side. But now it's my choice. If I demo the next song and it has a less universal lyrical theme, I have to live with results. I can't complain. Or, I can scrap the entire lyrics for something, and write or co-write it as more commercial. If I recall, you are targeting country. As you know, it's the toughest nut to crack. What kind of feedback are you getting on the production side? That's critical because that whole film/TV market is out there and there is more forgiveness as to perfection in lyric writing and more focus on the general mood, sound, etc.Anyway, talk again soon. Maybe we'll finally hook up after the rally... I know I've got to see you before tax season starts! Casey

[jchitty]

Quote:Hey, can anyone lend me about $305? As soon as I join and my song becomes famous, I PROMISE to pay you back.Hello?...anyone?Give me your first born, and I will give you da money.

[tedsingingfox]

And I just have to chime in one more time with this one simple fact..."Perfect" doesn't exist. There's no such thing. And even though we can get REALLY close to it, we have no business putting ourselves through the torture of aiming for it.And yet, in the same breath, I have SO much trouble allowing myself to write (read: "forgiving myself for writing") something less than perfect. Maybe I should've been happy to want to be an accountant. No way. I like the rollercoaster too much.Ted