Song No. 3 - Its Breaking Over

Lyrics. Lyrics. Lyrics...that is mostly why I'm doing this every week. To write lyrics. I don't think writing chord changes and melodies has ever really been an issue for me. But without words to glue the pieces of a song together, it disappears. Mostly inspired by an arrangement idea, some interesting musical ideas came together in a way - I'm fairy happy with on this song. Usually when I have an idea inspired by a specific sound I want to use or an idea (I want to use a synthesizer in the chorus and to create a "spacey" effect...ooOooOh) I try the idea by writing a 30 second song. I write mediocre chord changes, laughable lyrics and try out "the sound". My song dies and the idea usually gets applied to an artist I'm producing...who has a well fleshed out song that needs some interesting arrangements!

As I started working on this one and trying out my idea in 30 second song form...boy did I add far too many sounds and effects to it. Strings in the chorus, spacey synth in the verse, distorted guitar overdubs, drum machine, a choir of overdubbed vocals belting the words out at the top of my lungs. wow....it was crap.

Then I had a discussion at a loud rock show with a musician and another producer on Thursday night. In talking about working with musicians and making records I said something along the lines of "people forget that cooking is like food...too many spices and flavors confuse the taste buds, and then you confuse the senses, you don't know what taste to focus on". It was a great point. I felt pretty smart. Then I thought back to the song I was working on and felt pretty dumb.

So I stripped it down...and worked on the core of the song. Less crap, better chord changes, and a better melody to carry the chorus...rather than all the strings and harmony vocals and blah blah blah that I was trying to do before....and lyrics. But they still escape me. They don't seem entirely right yet. The chorus is exactly what I want to say. The rest of the song could use...well...different words. More time spent on telling the story. Less rushing.

This coming week, I'm not going to be spending most of my time working on the music, and then writing the lyrics the day the song needs to be done. This week lyrics will come first.

You can hold me to that.

Here's the song.

Music Breaking

Dig it.


Also...on another food realted note...I has an amazing salmon shepard's pie for dinner, with a tasty cake for dessert. Mmmmmmmm.

Can't Wait Any Longer

I'm going to write 52 songs this year. I've written songs in the past. Some of them were even pretty good. Most of them however went unfinished. Uninspired, unmotivated...lazy...and afraid, ideas were lost. In order be true to those ideas, those first moments of pure bliss, excitement and passion...I have to start finshing my songs! A musican a an open mic said that he once wrote a song a week for an entire year. He was an amazing musican. Played the piano so fast his hands were invsible. That all got me pretty excited....and I wanted to start the next day...but didn't. As weeks passed it became aparent that I would need something or someone to hold me accountable to completing a song every week.

So here are the Rules I've set for myself.

1. One new song in a weeks time.
2. That song must be completed and uploaded to this blog by Sunday @ 12am
3. mp3s are fine, and sound quality is not a factor (as long as the chords, melody and words - if there are any - can be heard)
4. The song does not have any min time requirements, so long as it is a finished idea
5. The song does not need words, BUT must be intended as an instrumental and must have a lead melody line
6. The song does not have to come from scratch (could be some chords you've had for a while) but can't be a song that has been previously finished.
7. The song does not have any arrangement or instrument requirements (I imagine most will be acoustic guitar, and vocals though)
8. The song can have a co-writer(s) - but it can't be someone else's song

....and this is the begining of the 52 Song Marathon.

See you all on Sunday night.