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How long to complete a song?

Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:30 am
by southpaw
I did a quick search and didn't find much on this, i may not have looked hard enough tho. Anyway, im interested to hear how long it usually takes folks to complete a new song.Now by complete i mean from original conception to the point where you are confident in the lyrics, melody and production - to the point where you would personally hand it to an industry exectutive, lets say. Personally, i am a little too much of a perfectionist for my own good.. So i understand that there are varying levels of "completion" and it is quite a subjective term. But let's say, to complete the composition, arrangement, and a mix where you can listen all the way through without any thing jumping out and saying fix me. Additionally, im curious to know if: 1. you prefer to skectch out many songs at once and then choose the ones that show promise and potential to move forward with.. Or, 2. Put all your focus into one project until you are satisfied with what you have created.For me, i tried the first technique and i ended up with a lot of half ass songs that i planned on revisiting but always started a new one with a better idea and the cycle just continued to repeat... I have found that the 2nd technique is much more efficient for my workflow.I spend a lot of time trying tons of ideas and getting the vibe im going for then continue to refine, reconstruct, and re-cut the scratch tracks.Id love to hear any thoughts or comments you'd share on this. Cheers.Jamie