Finding your voice/genre

[linziellen]

Hello all Over these last few weeks I have been writing as often as my daily schedule will allow. Three months ago I was writing songs that reading through now - even I can't figure out! It's amazing how much we progress without realizing it. Like learning a language through constant exposure. A lot of the time my ideas hit me when I'm not looking for them, then I take that idea and build on it but still depend greatly on what I personally like to listen to and on reasonably"safe" lyrics I think will work for others. I haven't necessarily been writing from the heart...apart from when I was spilling out all sorts of mind boggling junk.So now I've started to write in a more unique, personal way, keeping in mind that it has to be easy to follow and hopefully strike a chord with others...I feel much better for it. However I'm now questioning my voice! I'm looking at ways to develop what I have already into something a little different, something that's going to stand out from the crowd but then I might be forcing a style that's not natural...Bee Gees I once heard were just experimenting when they came across their unique high pitch! I think I have to go away and do some serious exploring!Do/did any of you struggle to develop your own style? At what point did you become your own fan, become confident in your way of writing, singing or whatever it is you do!?Hope that makes sense.Lindsey

[kg]

First things first, you have to stop caring what other people think. Take this time to write exactly what you feel whether it comes out in four-letter words or not, then sit back and ask yourself if you are proud of it/would be proud to perform it over and over again for the rest of your life. If you're feeling pretty good about that, then take another step in that direction; if it doesn't feel right, then keep trying. As far as your voice is concerned, get a vocal coach who can help you explore all the aspects of your voice that are available to you. When you find the right sound, it will click, I promise. I see so many singer-songwriters settle for something they aren't thrilled with just because they think that it's all they have available to them. I did this on my first album, and although I am proud of it and it is opening doors for me, it's not blowing them off the hinges and I *know* that it's because I held back a bit. My next album (just finished recording earlier this week !!!) is totally me at this point in my life and I haven't held anything back. I am beyond proud of it and I don't even have the post-production mix in my hands yet. My bet is that you haven't even begun to tap into what you're capable of and if you're willing to search for it and get a little dirt on your hands in the process, you'll be amazed at what you can uncover. Be adventurous, be fervent and most of all be what you are meant to be which is more than who you are right now. *slowly steps off of soap-box with sheepish grin*

[linziellen]

Hi and thanks!Inspiring stuff! I have a lot of practice to do but I'm confident I will get there, I'm already making progress lyrically. I know I have a strong voice but I can use it in at least three different ways which always confused me, I've never known/understood which was mine lol! Thanks kg for your words of wisdom, I can't afford a vocal coach just yet but I'm pleased you pointed that out because while I know people can work on their voices I never thought about...getting my hands dirty and exploring until I find one that "fits". I believe you when you say it just clicks when you find the right one! How bad do I want that moment to come........ Eh you guys are fantastic! One day maybe we'll meet at one of the rallies (hope so)!Lindsey

[ibanez468]

It's raining there, huh? I went outside this morning only to see some more snow. Bummer. The weather is playin' games with us here. One day it's 50 degrees outside, the next, it's snowing. Sorry Lindsey, I won't get into all of that. Good advice from everyone though. I-468

[hummingbird]

Lindsey, I agree with billg's post - "my advice to you is to write & record, write & record, write & record, & then repeat the process." If anyone followed my progression since 2004, they would have seen me writing non-commerical stuff in various genres, experimenting with sounds and styles... I'm sure (as was pointed out to me by a very knowledgable person on this forum a couple of years ago) that it seemed like I didn't know who I was musically and that I needed to focus. But I felt that I needed to experiment and try different things because I really didn't know. I started out thinking I was a country writer. But look what I write now. Techno/action and dramatic orchestrations, contemporary jazz and ambient electronica. Miles from country.My best advice to you is to look through the listings carefully and highlight the ones that sound interesting to you. Go and listen to the a la's or samples that you can find... and experiment with writing something. You may find, as I do sometimes, that as I work on it I realize it doesn't light my fire. Or you may find that you enjoy the process but don't get the piece to the right place to submit, still, it's an experience. Or you may find that the process of getting that piece from idea to produced recording lifts you up. Nothing's better than creating something from scratch, submitting it before the deadline, knowing you've done the best you could. A forward is the icing on the cake.I will tell you the same thing I tell my voice students. The voice is already there, within you. Your job is, through the process of working with it every day... to become aware of the things you do that inhibit it (pushing, having expectations, wanting to be like someone else), and work to free it. If you 'allow' the voice to 'be what it is' it will show you the way. Follow your instincts (like, read the listings, what resonates with you)... trust them to lead you. That's my sunny day with cherry blossoms blooming down the street rambling,Hummin'bird

[linziellen]

Hey, thanks for your reply Steve.I've always written for me but since I've been trying to write what "fits" I've progressed by making my lyrics more universal but not toward the way "I" want to write. Having said that the last lot I just wrote felt way more natural to me, it had me "switched on" from start to end and I loved watching it develop. Yes you're right age certainly plays a part (depending who you are)! I for one agree, I'm still a spring chic but now mature enough to stand up and say "hell yes I write and sing and I'm proud of it"(ALMOST) I've been hiding under a rock and regret it big style....However - here I am and here I will stay. I'm not sure of my exact goal and in a way I'm glad of that, I'm keeping an open book. I need to find out what I am capable of before I can think about the future...thinking of the future lol, well I'm excited but scared to death of not following my heart. I don't want to be sitting at my piano at 93 singing about what "could have been" what I "should have done"!!!I've been known to advise people to stay "true to themselves" funny that I should be lost and not think these same thoughts of myself. Thanks for that Right onward and upwards...It's snowing here (makes for a good ramble excuse) seems to get worse with the weather!Lindsey

[linziellen]

Hi Vikki, Ibanez,Must have been typing at the same time! Thanks Vikki, those are wise words. If I'm honest I have never listened to much of the type of music you write but hearing you, it's so obvious you are in your element and it's bloomin good stuff lol!This is mind boggling but makes perfect sense at the same time. I have to go concentrate on MY voice. I have such an accent it makes me cringe, see I can either sing like I"think" I should which is quite nifty and people tell me so or I can sing without trying, which is like rough country meets Derbyshire girl Something else that's gone through my mind, how long do you work on a song, perfecting it, pulling it into shape until is suits you and you're happy to sing it? Imagine it takes you a whole year, maybe more...you send it into TAXI because you think it's the tops and they return it because it's dated - shock horror!? Has this ever happened to anyone?Seriously are you guys getting any sleep? I'm not lol! Nah I'm sleeping enough but other than evenings and late nights what else is there? I've even taped my songs to the bathroom wall to read and sing while brushing my teeth!Oh look at all that snow, TAXI will be clogged with Lindsey posts if this keeps up!Thank you so much all of you, you guys/this forum is the "icing on the cake" getting my first forward will be the cherry Me!

[hummingbird]

Quote:Imagine it takes you a whole year, maybe more...you send it into TAXI because you think it's the tops and they return it because it's dated - shock horror!? Has this ever happened to anyone?Yes, it's happened to me. Not that they returned it because it was 'dated', but they returned it because it wasn't at the level it needed to be. My idea of "the tops" needed to be revised, lol. OTOH, if a song is 'dated' but is otherwise good... there's bound to be a niche for it in film/tv.Ever thought of blogging, Lindsey? Set yourself up on blogger.com -http://theshysinger-songwriter.blogspot.com/ and share your journey PS - sleep? what's that. I don't have no time for sleep

[geo]

Hey guys... throw my 2 cents on the fire...I take a slightly different approach, I haven't completely switched over to Taxi mode, I just write what I want... not necessarily the way to Taxi success but it's what works for me. I don't spend a lot of time now listening to music other than my own.... when I started out I did, taking apart the structure of a wide variety of songs from a wide range of artist... U2, Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, The Clash, The Eagles, Doobie Brothers ... just about every song I liked got the once over... it wasn't until Taxi that I was able to put the proper terms on what I was doing (I referred to my pre-choruses as breaks, didn't know what AABA meant... etc) but I took these lessons and developed my voice, my style.I don't write a song saying "Let's write a song like...." instead as the idea for the song starts to take form I start to envision what I think it should sound like... actually the song kinda decides that.... an example:I was doing a song writing exercise.... writing a song based on reworking a cliche and came up with this as a chorus...You're all bark, baby, no bite,You talk a good game but you run from a fight.And you think you're all that, well honey that's alright,But you better think again cause your man is texting me tonight.Even though it was written on guitar and I'm a rock guy by the time I finished these four lines I knew the song needed an R&B/Hip Hop treatment (Rihanna is actually singing it in my head )... do you see what I'm trying to say? I think each journey we take is different but as the cliche goes it's your destination. You have to decide on what do you want out of songwriting... me, I always wanted to write songs, it's all about creation with me. As far as developing your own voice, just write.... don't worry about ala's, don't try to sound like anyone, just write... but start envisioning the finished product, even if you don't have the ability to put it all down. Concentrate on structure, having a good lyric, strong hook (a good repetitive lyric is always a good way to go ) and have fun... after all it music, not work.... Geo

[davewalton]

You start the most philosophical discussions! I guess the short answer is that once I really found out WHERE I was musicially, then it was easier to settle into that (to some extent) while at the same time moving to improve. My first discovery of WHERE I was musically (through Taxi critiques) was that my style was "out-of-date New Age". OK... so it wasn't very easy to settle into THAT but at least it gave me a starting point to where I could improve from there. I guess at that point I decided that I wanted my music to basically be "orchestrally centered" and that I also wanted to include ethnic elements as well as electronica elements. So over a period of a few years that's where I am now.Now that I'm "here", I also know that my composing style lays on the simple side as opposed to being on the complex side. That's good for lots of reasons, it's served me well and continues to do so but I'd also like to become a little more complex for certain things. So I've got some work to do. That's just one of the things I work on. Being a "composer" is a lot different than being a "songwriter" too. It's expected that I should more or less be a musical chameleon and it's pretty much a requirment... I have to be able to do "cartoon music" as well as "high octane", peel-you-off-the-ceiling music.For a songwriter, having a wide variety of styles is great for film/tv... certainly gives you more opportunities. For being an artist seeking a recording contract, I think that you just have to write from the heart, go with what comes out and improve on that using all the tools available (Taxi, songwriting books, seminars, conferences, forums, etc). I think that to a great extent, the "sound" of a songwriter... that comes from whoever it is that is producing the album. Give one of your songs to the guy/gal that produces Dolly Parton, it'll sound one way... give that same track to the guy/gal that used to produce the Ramones, it'll sound another way. Same song (chords, melody, lyrics) different "genre" depending on who has control over it.