Songwriting

[Sturtpot]

When it comes to the stuff I'm writing for PotE because of the extreme prog element to the songs I have to have a complete musical composition written first before I think of lyrics. As all the songs are conceptual and interlinked I do think about the feel of what I'm wanting when I'm writing the music, then join the songs thematically through the lyrics.

I find the best way is just to pick up the guitar and piece riffs together, maybe record the riffs and check to see if they're ding, or I'll tend to float them past my partner in prog and he'll let me know what should be happening.

Last month I finished writing an 11minute concept song where no two riffs are the same, then I had the difficult task of putting lyrics to it. I knew what I wanted story-wise out of the song but it was just a case of sitting at my desk for an hour bashing out lyrics. Eventually I got it done and my original idea had been expanded.

I think forcing inspiration can be a good idea. Just start with a word/title/expression/thought and just go mental with it, you'll be surprised at what you come up with.

[Steven Milne]

How many songs do you guys manage to write in a certain time frame?

Obviously it's different for bands who are working together and jamming stuff out to get it finished. But just for the initial lyrics+music rough draft, how many do you bash out in a week?

I'm sure I remember reading an interview with Steven Milne (perhaps he'll join in this thread and clarify this) where he said he usually wrote 4 or 5 songs a week. Which to me seems like an insane level of productivity, especially if you have other things to do in your life.

Just read this.

At the time, I remember that..ah, the time before I worked at Warehouse and ALL i did was DJ three times a week, band practice and work on music - best times.

I used to have a great situation where i lived with my brother who worked nights 6pm till 11pm and in our flat we had a great sound in the bathroom for accoustics. I found it hard to write ideas / melodies in a dead room so if i knew i had the flat alone Id set up a tape recorder and sit in the bathroom with the rooms reverb and work on ideas. Most weeks id do this for 3 nights a week and ultimately get an idea to 3 ideas a week that were solid and the starts of two other song beginnings which id pursue the week after. This process always worked for me as i was able to find a comfort zone to write in and even if i didnt always use some of the tracks - some are still demos - ive revisited many / chord progresions and used later.

After that i moved into King Street with Bob from Lks and got a digital four track but couldnt make much noise as always had a flat full of flatmates. So id do the vocals last (when i knew nobody would be in) and demo the whole song first/ edit it tight then sing over it. Had to change my setup i guess to adapt to new environment and truth be told i dont write as much as that now - not often got time to write things as much and find it hard to switch off unless i know im alone in flat.

Although, at xmas my flatmates left (last 2 years in a row) to go home for xmas which has given me three days straight each year with nobody around - and ive written 4 songs each time around this period - all of which ive used/ feel are great. So i guess its about finding where your comfortable and being able to switch off to concentrate - for me anyway. Sometimes a song happens really quickly and easily and just feels right and sometimes it is just a verse you have for months then suddenly the rest falls into place.

My biggest weakness is insecurity - i should share my ideas sooner as it would help a lot with confidence in the material and also get some constructive feedback for putting it together.

[bazhornet]

I would agree with Steven in this respect, that you need a physical space that you feel comfortable in with noone around and also a head space that's clear of all the other things you 'should' be doing.

[SooperKeef]

I would agree with Steven in this respect, that you need a physical space that you feel comfortable in with noone around and also a head space that's clear of all the other things you 'should' be doing.

i dont agree with that, i can be in band practice and suddenly come up with a riff, usually happens when i get new gear like when i got my new amp i wrote several new riffs in the space of an hour. Song writing is weird

[Adam Easy Wishes]

i dont agree with that, i can be in band practice and suddenly come up with a riff, usually happens when i get new gear like when i got my new amp i wrote several new riffs in the space of an hour. Song writing is weird

So true, man.

[Surfer_Rosa]

Yeah, getting some gear helps my creative processes too

[Guest]

Actually stevey speed has a point. I find when i get new gear because i'm so excited and stuff that i come away with a load of new riffs and songs.

Same. But I don't think we have the same definition of "new gear".

[Guest]

Yeah, getting some gear helps my creative processes too

FUCK YOU SURFER ROSA!

always one step ahead...

[Guest idol_wild]

FUCK YOU SURFER ROSA!

always one step ahead...

Your problem is that you deliberate for too many seconds over the delivery of a one-liner. It's all about being direct!

[Moose]

It is true that CW let ourselves get away with anything, which benefits us in terms of actually having completed songs. Generally Ross and Huw come to practice and say: "we've got some ideas." They then proceed to play with can only be described as an inane racket and I struggle to pick out any kind of progression or rhythm. I then look baffled so they keep playing it at me until I can "hear" it. I then generally try and play along to no avail - to begin with - and then I manage to hang on for dear life. Hanging on for dear life is generally what I do at all of our practices and gigs. Its rather scary knowing that if you stop concentrating for a few seconds you will get totally lost in the racket. Having said that, we are normally reasonably good at overcoming the abundance of fuck ups that litter our live performances. Its quite hard to follow the music when it is being played correctly, therefore when we fuck up people don't notice.

In terms of my own songwriting, I am constantly inspired by things that I hear, see and read. I then think I have an idea, pick up my guitar only to realise no amount of inspiration will lead to me to suddenly be able to play it. I also can't sing which is detrimental to my coming up with a melody. Additionally, any time I attempt to write lyrics they come out something like this:

"I see that girl over there.

What is she doing over there?

She's totally hot,

Got more than I got

And all I can do is stare."

That was actually unbelievably good compared to my normal output.

[SooperKeef]

Actually stevey speed has a point. I find when i get new gear because i'm so excited and stuff that i come away with a load of new riffs and songs.

nyah it motivates me