A very difficult thing for me

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Rokket

Rokket

Trailing Behind Again
When my daughter was born, I wrote "Daddy's Little Girl". It poured out of me. It was so easy. I had a much harder time writing the music than I did the lyrics. The music took 3 years to get to a point that I was happy with it. But that was thanks to those who collabed with me.

Now my son is one, and I want to write a song for him, too. And I am stumped... I don't know where to begin. Perhaps I should wait for the inspiration, because the above mentioned "Daddy's Little Girl" didn't start out to be that at all. But I just feel that I want to write a song for him. I thought of the different ways of going about it: thinking about how I feel when I am holding him, feeding him, etc. I try to concentrate on the emotions that I experience, but it ends up cliche'd.


How would you go about writing this?
 
...

well, you could lyrically tell him that... that...

whatever YOUR "core pholosophical belief(s)" might be. Not "do your best", everyone does that one. What one is unique to you? Really sets you apart? If you were writing a 12 line "bible" parables, what 2 or 3 short examples would YOU give to explain you philosophy?

for ME, its...

1) when someone gives you an extra 20 stuck together, its not your good fortune if you discover it in time and still keep it. Its still theft and you gain tenfold when you give it back.

2) when everything is at its worst, heroes are terrified too, but they take one step forward towards the danger instead of just standing there like everybody else. Take your step and let them do their worst.

3) Real men play chess and pet kitty cats.




*shrugs* Whats yours???
 
...

I mean, everyones creative process is different, but for ME...

Lets say your sons name is Chris... he's very young...

"C minor" is your key for the #1. Musically explain your belief #1.

Eb is for the second one...

G is the third and final key.


you have years if you need it. slowly flesh out each one. Then listen to them hundreds of times oevr and over in your car or when workign in the garage. Slowly pick out the words the music tell you. After a month, you'll hear "daddys little boy is a strapping young man" or somethign similar inone of your recurring melodies. Others will form around it, jot them down as they come and show themselves. These lyrics will "fit" your music like no other, and you are left with a trilogy "concept piece".

or, something like that, uh-HUH-huh huh...
 
"take one step forward and let them do their worst" might require an amp and some power chords, I dunno...

*shrugs*

thats all me.... whats YOU?
 
I think the cliche problem is overrated.... Let the words flow and jot them down as quickly as they come, cliche or no. Write for a set period of time - say an hour every other day. Once you have a couple of pages worth of lines, then start editting them into a song. If you have a few cliches so be it, if they suit the song, keep them.
 
It can be difficult when you put undue pressure on yourself to get the song written. I'm willing to bet you want a song ready to play when you get home in a few days. That'll be nice, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Took me 8 years to finally write a song for my wife. Waiting on the "inspiration". But this past Mother's Day, I wanted to put together something nice for her and I didn't have anything and only two days left.

So, I just kept the guitar in hand for a day and played around until something nibbled... I came up with a nice variation of the D, C, G progression and a melody sprung. Then I had to write the words. I didn't have time to wait for inspiration so I cleared my head and worked at it. Some of it is cliched, but it still came out okay. Two days later, on Mother's Day, I had this for her and she loved it...

(It's kind of long...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jazmvbmo9o

Take the pressure off yourself to get it done and if it doesn't happen, don't get down about it. There will be plenty more opportunities to put together something special for your family.

Cheers,
 
...

well, yeah...

I didnt think we were talking about FORCING the creative process. I mean, I try to force it sometimes. I wanna make a heavy guitar song... the melody is resisting it... wants to be a piano song... *sigh*

I can force it, but it shows. I just go with it (probably because 4 people arent standing over me, paying me, going "new album written yet? is it heavy enough?")

I try to make a piano song, it might end up heavy metal... I try to make somethign heavy, it could end up a whimsical jazzy tune... maybe if i were better I could focus it more, but *shrugs*

piano is my exception... if i start on piano, I can always keep it there...

there you go... spend a year slowly making an ambitious piano piece.
 
SEDstar said:
I didnt think we were talking about FORCING the creative process.
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Forcing it creates writers block. Trust me I've had this for over 2 years....I hate it.

I wouldn't worry about cliche. Over time your going to be able to change it all up.

And perhaps try and look at it from your children's perspective while writing? Try to put yourself in their shoes at various stages of their life and melt those projected emotions to blend with yours as they are at the time of your writing. Thats may be hard to follow but it makes sense to me..... Its early here.

Not every kid in the world has a song written about him/her. In their earlier years they will be so stoked its not even funny you could sing about hens and chickens you know, to them its a song written JUST for them. Then years down the road when they are going away to university, college, the night before they get married whatever; they are going to be playing that song in their head, or a player of some sort, over and over and chances are it may not be so much the song and the lyrics they are needing, but you..... Immortalized.... always there when they need you no matter how far away you may be.

Manipulate the cliche for much sweeter, grandeur end.
 
SEDstar said:
"take one step forward and let them do their worst" might require an amp and some power chords, I dunno...
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What would Man-o-war do? :D

Even if the lyrics you come up with sound cliche'd, your son is 1. They'll be new and original to him. If the song is to him and not just about him, then just write whatever message you want to teach him as honestly as possible.
 
I have to agree that any cliche' phrases should not be a concern - you're writing this for your son, not to pass the scrutiny of a publisher.

Trust your heart and write from the heart - I assume that is want you want to present to your son. Perhaps, if approached that way - you will feel less pressured and the muse can find it's way to you.

There are many different reasons to write songs - but if relaying an emotion is the primary reason - then some of the "rules" dictated by the craft become less important than simply documenting your thoughts and emotions.
 
I agree with all above - don't force it, remember the song is for him not a wider audience (unless it is??).

I tried to write a song for my first daughter for nearly 3 years and it wasn't till her sister arrived that I could write a song about both of them! Inspiration like children is unpredictable, frustrating and exhilarating.

Perhaps it is just not the right time to write a song for him, perhaps he doesn't need one yet.
 
All very good advice, and I appreciate everyone's input. Rep all around until I run out!


I think my biggest problem is that I don't have anything but pen and paper or a word program to write with. No instrument to get the melody going, or even a simple chord progression.

And no, I didn't want this to be ready when I got home, it's a process. My daughter's song took 3 years before it was ready to hear. Now she's 7 and she walks around singing it, which is really cool.

I've written several songs for my wife over the years. When I get home, I'll post the one I am most proud of in the mp3 clinic.

I have a few things I want to convey: the fact that he was the one I waited for. We wanted a son from the beginning. He wasn't supposed to be born, too. He's a miracle baby. Lots there for the muse. I will wait for it.

Thanks again, everyone...
 
What I would do, keep in mind this is only an opinion:

Pretend you are lying on your deathbed. Assume you will die tomorow. Take this seriously, you WILLL die tomorow. Now write down all the things that you want to tell your son, what you hope he will do, what you hope he has the fortitude to resist, what does he need to know about the world to navigate it without a father figure etc. Everying you want your son to know should you not be there anymore. Youd be suprised how much you might come up with.

A good example is Creeds "with arms wide open". Not a big fan but that song has good lyrical content, he wrote it when he found out his wife was pregnant.


Mike
 
Nightfire said:
What I would do, keep in mind this is only an opinion:

Pretend you are lying on your deathbed. Assume you will die tomorow. Take this seriously, you WILLL die tomorow. Now write down all the things that you want to tell your son, what you hope he will do, what you hope he has the fortitude to resist, what does he need to know about the world to navigate it without a father figure etc. Everying you want your son to know should you not be there anymore. Youd be suprised how much you might come up with.

A good example is Creeds "with arms wide open". Not a big fan but that song has good lyrical content, he wrote it when he found out his wife was pregnant.


Mike
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I don't know if I could even take that approach. It seems a bit depressing. I want it to be close to the first song I wrote, which is uplifting and fun. If I wrote something like this, I think the music would be a bit dark and I don't want that.

It's a good suggestion, though. But not one that I want to explore right now.
 
one important ingredient to writing a good song, is having something to say. i ran into a man who calls himself a songwriter. he has nothing to say. all of his songs are horridly written, awful love songs that all sound the same. i started a tune to write with him about what all is out there aside from what we can see with our eyes, like spiritual or philisophical stuff and he tried to turn it into that same piece of shit song he's written over 100 times already. he has nothing to say. and from the lyrics of his love songs, he's never actually been in love before.

what would you say to your child could he understand you? what would you say now to him if he would only hear it when he was grown up? start with what you have to say.
 
Nicole_Rose said:
one important ingredient to writing a good song, is having something to say. i ran into a man who calls himself a songwriter. he has nothing to say. all of his songs are horridly written, awful love songs that all sound the same. i started a tune to write with him about what all is out there aside from what we can see with our eyes, like spiritual or philisophical stuff and he tried to turn it into that same piece of shit song he's written over 100 times already. he has nothing to say. and from the lyrics of his love songs, he's never actually been in love before.

what would you say to your child could he understand you? what would you say now to him if he would only hear it when he was grown up? start with what you have to say.
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Excellent.........
 
You know Rokket, interestingly enough the same thing happened with me. I was fully inspired for my Daughter, the first born, and it all came out pretty easily.

Then I decided I wanted to write one for my son.. but I had a hard time because it felt very contrived compared to what I did for my Daughter. THen, I felt a little guilty for it, and that made things a little worse. THEN he got older and ask me to make one for him because he felt left out, and that made it worse yet!

So, I told him, I don't want to make up something, I want to be inspired. So, I put down the pencil and quit.

Then, one day while I was with the family at a theme park, I started joking around with him singing his name to a little off the cuff melody. Then, I started inmprovising some lyrics and BAM I felt inspired. I then went on to write it out like I did with my Daughter.

I'm not sure if it matters or not, but the song was a very different one. What I mean is, my Daughers song was about her potantial and future and had an inspiring type theme and feel... and I guess I was trying to do the same for my son. But it wasn't working. The song that came out that day was very different, it was a fun song about who he is today with more of a dance groove.

All I can say is I'm glad I waiting and didn't force it, because I'm SO much happier with how it turned out.

Good luck.

Space
 
ido1957 said:
I think the cliche problem is overrated.... Let the words flow and jot them down as quickly as they come, cliche or no. Write for a set period of time - say an hour every other day. Once you have a couple of pages worth of lines, then start editting them into a song. If you have a few cliches so be it, if they suit the song, keep them.
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I can agree with that.



Remember too, its not the feeling thats cliche', its the method you describe it. Start with the story, then go back and try to add original descriptions.
 
I wrote a song for my son on the day he was born "Spark to a Flame" (11 years ago) and with the arrival of each of my three daughters, the pressure increased to write something for each of them. Serious writers block set in and it's only in the last couple of weeks (while they were driving my mad - bored of summer holidays) that I wrote a song for all of them together. It has come together so nicely and they are thrilled and constantly asking me to play it for them. All that stress and worry I put myself through has disappeared. My advice along with much of what has already been mentioned in this thread is to just relax and it will come.
 
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