Questions on non-digital/acoustic songwriting methods!

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Mudchild
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Questions on non-digital/acoustic songwriting methods!

Post by Mudchild » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:40 am

Hi all

I'm doing a project for Uni on compositional processes, and I'm hoping to gather some views of composers on a few matters. You may already have seen me dishing out questions on digital composition elsewhere on this forum - well now it's acoustic time and I have a few questions on that if anyone's interested! It'd be great to hear what you guys think on this subject.

Answers you give may be included in the Appendices of my project and quoted in the main text.

These questions are focused on songs and ideas that you compose on guitar or piano or similar instrument, primarily without the presence/influence of a sequencer or other digital recording technology (although I know such songs likely to get recorded somehow at various stages in their development).

More succinctly – I’m interested in composition that takes place on ‘real’ instruments while not sitting in front of a computer. Perhaps with one or more collaborators present.

Please answer as fully as is convenient, and with as much detail as you can. If you don’t have time to go in-depth, or to answer every question, whatever thoughts you can give are still very gratefully received.


1) When you sit down with your chosen instrument with the intention of composing or experimenting, what normally happens? Do you start by playing particular/familiar chords, melodies? How do you try to access your creative instinct?


2) What kind of idea usually begins the development of a new song? Melody, chords, lyrics?


3) What guides you in structuring and developing your song past these early stages?


4) If songwriting collaborator(s) are involved in the development of such a project, please describe how you co-operate in developing the song?


5) How do you remember/record your progress in the development of the song up until the point where you actually make a proper recording of it?


6) Please comment on the effect that composing in this way has on the song, in comparison to composing in front of a sequencer. I don’t mean with regard to the FX and mixing power available on a DAW, but rather the actual compositional processes.

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roscoenyc
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Post by roscoenyc » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:52 am

5) How do you remember/record your progress in the development of the song up until the point where you actually make a proper recording of it?


If I'm not at home I call my answering machine.

BlueMoonshine
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Re: Questions on non-digital/acoustic songwriting methods!

Post by BlueMoonshine » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:51 am

1) When you sit down with your chosen instrument with the intention of composing or experimenting, what normally happens? Do you start by playing particular/familiar chords, melodies? How do you try to access your creative instinct?
If I sit down with the intention of writing, often times that backfires. When I slip into songwriting mode, it is effortless -- sort of a taoist "wu wei" kind of thing. For me, the best song ideas come quickly and without warning. This is not to say that hard work is not involved in chasing a song to true completion, but if I struggle at the beginning I've learned that there usually isn't much there.
2) What kind of idea usually begins the development of a new song? Melody, chords, lyrics?
I'm a very lyric-focused songwriter and so oftentimes one phrase stuck in my head will start the process. But I also have been frequently inspired by a little glimpse of melody or a chord structure I've stumbled upon. Usually, though, for me, it is the lyric.
3) What guides you in structuring and developing your song past these early stages?
I try to find the "hook" early -- the "catchy bit" of melody and lyric together. For me, it is important after that to figure out the larger story of the song - what character, what situation, what emotion, what tangible scenes -- and that helps me to craft the verses and arc of the song.

4) If songwriting collaborator(s) are involved in the development of such a project, please describe how you co-operate in developing the song?
I don't collaborate nearly often enough to speak with authority, but in my experience good co-writing largely depends on a mutual understanding of each other's strengths and not taking edits/revisions personally. The best collaborative experiences (and songs!) for me have come from one writer having the initial vision -- either music or lyric or some of both, and then brining the other person in to help make it whole.
5) How do you remember/record your progress in the development of the song up until the point where you actually make a proper recording of it?


I keep an open journal beside me and write down pieces of lyric as it comes, but really I just repeat myself endlessly -- play it and sing it over and over again until it feels right. Which is why songwriting for me is primarily a solitary pursuit! Anyone else nearby would go crazy. I also like to do a "first night" demo of a song, once I think it's done, to capture it raw before it gets polished and refined with time.
6) Please comment on the effect that composing in this way has on the song, in comparison to composing in front of a sequencer. I don?t mean with regard to the FX and mixing power available on a DAW, but rather the actual compositional processes.
When I compose with just a guitar or piano I write much more "organic" songs -- stuff I could perform solo. When I use the computer during the writing process, I find I write material that is much more layered and less easily reduced to one voice and one instrument. Which is cool, too...

kayagum
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Post by kayagum » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:26 am

What the heck is "Uni"? I hope you don't tell me it's text message for "University".

Mudchild
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Post by Mudchild » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:48 am

It's actually a pre-mobile phone abbreviation of University. It's very common over here in the UK.

Thanks to Blue Moonshine for the reply!

swelle
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Post by swelle » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:56 pm

I'm baffled by distinction of composing away from a computer... I've never written anything with a computer or any digital device! I guess some folks do, but a computer won't come up with a melody or chord progression.

Mudchild
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Post by Mudchild » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:01 pm

No of course it won't, but a neither will a guitar (on its own). The idea is, I guess, that the computer can be considered an instrument, depending on how you use it.

high five
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Post by high five » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:29 pm

1) When you sit down with your chosen instrument with the intention of composing or experimenting, what normally happens? Do you start by playing particular/familiar chords, melodies? How do you try to access your creative instinct?

Like BlueMoonshine, I think I get better results when I'm not trying to write. When I sit down to try some new chord voicings or play a children's song, something might catch my ear and a whole song gets started. Watching TV or looking out the window helps turn my mind off and open up a little.

2) What kind of idea usually begins the development of a new song? Melody, chords, lyrics?

I tried writing music from a notebook of lyrics once and it turned out okay, but usually I start with a chord progression and melody at the same time. I usually have a hard time putting words to my "finished" instrumentals.

3) What guides you in structuring and developing your song past these early stages?

Not really sure... I guess what I usually try is to forget about it for a few days, but if it's any good it will get stuck in my head. When I'm playing it back in my head I'll think of the finer details and contrasting sections to add. But honestly, I have tons of "bits" that I can never seem to finish.

4) If songwriting collaborator(s) are involved in the development of such a project, please describe how you co-operate in developing the song?

I'm also not very experienced with this, but the few times I have collaborated, it was coming up with pieces of melody, stringing them together, and also like BlueMoonshine said, being open to change. Giving up some control seems to make things go faster, I guess I agonize too much on my own stuff too much.

5) How do you remember/record your progress in the development of the song up until the point where you actually make a proper recording of it?

I make lots of scratch recordings, which I don't usually play back. Sometimes there's a mistake that sounds good, and it's good to have that to play back.

6) Please comment on the effect that composing in this way has on the song, in comparison to composing in front of a sequencer. I don?t mean with regard to the FX and mixing power available on a DAW, but rather the actual compositional processes.

I've never used a sequencer but I think making all those scratch recordings (sometimes without really being focused, watching TV etc) lends to making "mistakes" that work out well. If I only recorded a verse and sequenced it, I probably would miss out on that.

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