write songs

I’m still working with this

it seems like i come up with my best song ideals at the most inconveniant times, then i forget them before i have a chance to write them down.

likewise, if i sit down to actually do some songwriting, it’s a struggle to get good ideals to come out…

i read an interview with singersongwriter Josh Ritter, and he said somthing i found to be profound and i just wanted to share it….

“I think the real challenge is to not believe in writer’s block you know … it shouldn’t really come into focus cause if you are not working outwardly you are working inwardly and you are doing things in your life, reading books, and listening to music and going on tour, and trying to have a interesting life. When that happens things ferment in the back of your mind and you get phrases in your head and when those phrases come along I write them down and then it all sort of comes together at a certain point, you know, you sit down and you’re playing through some songs you’ve written before or music someone else in the band has written … once you have a melody there and you know a melody that works with the phrases, it all gets much easier. The real hard part is the sitting around waiting for that to happen.”

i’ve written a few i’m satisfied with so far, i still don’t think i’m good at it. but then again i don’t think your supposed to feel good at it because then then you would loose the drive to write better songs…

i’ve also discovered freewriting, it’s a very cathartic thing to do somtimes and i feel it’s good pratice for songwriting…

I’ve now got one song I’m pretty satisfied with. I”m not saying it’s very good but I”m satisfied with it. I’ve also got a notebook filled with basicly unfinished ideals. I’m feel good about the one song though, now I just need to work a little more at it and aquire a batch of songs.

I’m comming along with this. I’m starting to notice it’s much easier for me to come up with lyrical stuff early in my day, as opposed to afternoons or late nights. I think it has somthing to do whith my mind being fresh an less bogged down in the morning.

I’m a good guitar player, I’ve been playing for 10 years. I also know music theory and I can play keyboard as well, I’m musically inclined. I’ve played guitar in several small bands and projects, but lately I’ve been kinda musically inactive as far as performing for audiences goes. Kill Polonius (the indie rock band I’ve been playing in) is pretty much inactive. The thing is, I’ve only really focused on my guitar playing and I have pretty much no experience in writing lyrics. In addition, everything I try to come up with lyrical sounds very bad or mediocre. I’d like to eventually get a good batch of songs together that I myself would want to listen to. Then maybe develop as a solo musician, or start a new band. I have a cool sound in my head too (imagine if Radiohead was mixed with Old Crow Medicine show). Anyways, I just want to honestly hold myself up to the same high standards I hold in the music I listen to.