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lovetara

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hi.

i've been recording and playing different instruments for about 7-8 years now. i'd say i'm fluent.

when i began recording, all i'd play is cover songs. just to learn how to use equipment. same with playing instruments. i'd just learn other people's parts to get used to it.

now comes the time when i am extremely bored of playing covers. i wanna make my own songs. this is my problem.

i have been trying for about a year. i find it frustrating. i find it hard to sing any of my own material. guess i have plenty ideas but i can't decide on how to present them. i'm stuck in a rut because i'm so fussy.

any ideas?
 
I have two ideas. First, just put anything out. Write a song, sing it, play it record it... who cares how it comes out or how good the song was written. It's just a throwaway song to get you into songwriting. Just start doing it to get into the mode. Then later, work on whatever part of those songs bother you the most. Didn't like the lyrics?? Work on better wording. Didn't like the performance? Practice? Didn't like the quality of the mix? Practice. Those first few songs will give you an idea of what you can improve on and open the floodgates to writing and producing what you want.

Second, have a focus topic. Like say, someone you love. Write love songs to the wife, gf, SO, etc. Or write about a hobby, pasttime, like I wrote a bunch sailing/drinking/Buffett-style songs. Just something to get started. If you have a focused topic, the words come along easier than just trying to write stuff and then wonder what it's about as you're writing. :)

Basically, just do it no matter what the format is or how they come out. Then you'll have a btter idea of what you want and how to get to the point where you're satisfied with your material.
 
ez_willis said:
be less fussy. do you think this is easy for any of us?
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Allow me to put a little meat on these bones....but essentially, you're not gonna get much better advice than what ez and Chili have said.
I've written quite a few songs that I didn't like. But I worked just as hard on them as the ones I loved. Bear in mind that many, many artists have struggled at times with writing songs, and many hate some of their songs and are very dismissive of them. But that didn't stop them writing them and seeing them through to their conclusion.
ez is so right though. Stop being so fussy. You are an artist. Express yourself and don't limit yourself to just writing meisterworks. Some of my pieces are the dumbest things ever.....but I've got to get them out. It's like farting. Don't work out the when and where. Just let it out.:eek:
 
lovetara said:
hi.

i've been recording and playing different instruments for about 7-8 years now. i'd say i'm fluent.
..........
now comes the time when i am extremely bored of playing covers.
any ideas?
Click to expand...

I wish someone hada kicked me upside the head after 7-8 years of playing covers, as it is it took me several decades before I just had to stop.

Playing covers will hone your chops, make you a little money, maybe get you laid but there ain’t much of a future in it.

Ideally, you want to do covers and then inject your original material. If it don’t stand up you’ll know real quick.

It is hard to make the transition from cover dude to original dude. I remember thinking “who the fuck do I think I am? A songwriter?” it was weird, but like anything, the more you do it the better you get.
 
7-8 years, fluent & fussy don't really fit together.
What are you fluent in?
If you can sing your own stuff, play & record it fluently & then get someone in to sing for you to record. Alternately, practise for another year or so until you sing fluently too.
 
Yeah it always seems like it should be easy and then you try it and it isn't

I've started really listening to stuff that I like and realized that a lot of the best stuff (at least IMO) out there is really a lot of nonsense. The words really are just to try and paint a picture and allow the singer to use his/her voice as an instrument

Once you figure out that it doesn't have to be deep and meaningful everytime it gets a lot easier
 
Bristol Posse said:
Yeah it always seems like it should be easy and then you try it and it isn't

I've started really listening to stuff that I like and realized that a lot of the best stuff (at least IMO) out there is really a lot of nonsense. The words really are just to try and paint a picture and allow the singer to use his/her voice as an instrument

Once you figure out that it doesn't have to be deep and meaningful everytime it gets a lot easier
Click to expand...

great advice.
 
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