Looking Good!

You know, when I lay everything out linearally, It doesn't look too bad. I have 7 songs near completion. That's over 3/4 of my 12-13 song goal.

I do need to start at least 4 more songs, which in way sounds like fun. I can look at whatI have so far and decide, oh I need a couple more uptempo (or upbeat) tunes. Or I maybe I need to balance the guitar songs with a couple more piano ones. Mmm...Maybe should I try my hand at a dulcimer derived song?

One nice thing about working on several songs at once is that if i get stuck or bored with one, I can quickly move to another with a somewhatfresher  approach.

What a mess

Will this song ever be done? I've got all these scraps of lines and I'm trying hard to hang on to a thread of an idea. Sometimes knowing what a song's about is a curse.

Once upon a time...

Is it worth it to slave over a song just because you want closure, or because there is a glimmer of hope that it will eventually come across (at least a little bit) like you intended it to? When is it time to just shuck it and start over?
Starting a new song is kind of like when you first fall in love. Everything goes along effortlessly and all is right with the world. But then as the weeks (days? minutes? This is a metaphor after all) go by, you start to notice the little imperfections. Not enough to run away or abandon her (we'll make it a her for now), but maybe just entertain the idea that there might be someone out there that is more understanding. More spontaneous...

But really it's just a fairytale - Really, what you're looking for is that spark of newness that your brain get's all dopamine-y about - which scientists believe is just a way to get the procreation thing going and further the species. But really we're just fooling ourselves if we really believe that the new song is going to be any different than the one you're with now. There's always going to be rough spots and spats and things you wish you could have done a little differently if you thought about it.

It is a  rare occasion when a song just spills forth with little or no effort, and all artists tend to agree on this. Those moments are precious and few and you're going to be really lucky if she doesn't turn into a pumpkin before you're done. Then of course you have to spend the rest the week finding the foot that fits the slipper, or more often than not, cramming the damn thing in there until it turns blue.

The Drama of Songwriting

Just like a good book or movie, I believe a song works well when there is an internal or external conflict of some sort. Think of She Loves You. It's written as a guy who's telling his mate to chin up because even though you had a tiff with your girlfriend, I saw her yesterday and she told me she still loves you and you know you should be glad (whoo!)

What a simple idea and yet so elegantly told--with an awesome chorus to boot.

Though there are still some very successful songs that just talk about how everything's fine and dandy and love is grand, even the most banal love song has some line about 'I don't care what anybody else says baby, you're the one for me'.

So what is my point? I guess if there isn't something going wrong in your song, you should probably make something up? Maybe an asteroid comes crashing through the stained glass window on your wedding day. Love always causes pain of varying degrees, and if things are going too smoothly, maybe it's time to turn up the temperature a few notches for dramatic effect.

The J word

Last night I jammed w/ some old friends who I haven't seen in around 15 years. It was fun making noise. Noisy, Noisy noise, and just chatting (in person vs. a computer monitor) about giongs on.  but it also makes me appreciate the situation I have at home. I have a great drummer I can play with virually any time I like, who also has very keen musical sensibilities for his age. Sometimes when Iko and I are playing, I forget that I'm dealing w/ a 10 year old. It's easier now as he has matured a lot since when he was six (of course one should expect that to happen). Back then he would sometimes get a little bit of an attitude if he didn't want to play something (again). But I believe he now understands the importance of getting stuff down tightly, even if he might sigh about it a little now and then. I'm also very glad that he doesn't smoke.

She Rocks My World

Well I've all but finished WRITING the oldest song! Added a nice opening hook that repeats after the bridge.
It's already stuck in Maddy's head so that's a good sign!

The artist presently known as maddy.

I've asked asked my 8 year old daughter Maddy about doing some artwork for the album. The back and perhaps the disc art, though at this time I'm reserving the cover for a photo, possibly taken by my friend Frank Miller (not the comic book guy), who has a wonderfully personal take of the art: http://www.ertanax.com/

I was discussing the project with him at lunch today and he was telling me how he's changed his method in similar ways that I've been practicing for the project. I haven't asked about engaging his services yet howerver.

Ideas not to forget and the art of innacurate blog headlines

Car alarm.

Woke up with the bridge to 'Understand' in my head but it didn't go anywhere -- sometimes they do.

Worked on a couple of lines for 'First Thing' at the bus stop and on the bus. It's shaping up I think, but I'm trying to be crafty w/o overthinking -- double edged sword indeed.

We'll see what lunchtime brings...

Maybe tonite - tonight maybe.

Songwriting #101

The way I've been writing is I start w/ an idea on Piano or Guitar and then I write a few lyrics and record a snippet of the melody on my cell phone -- just enough to spark the fuse!

In the past, I would start recording even before I finished with this stage because a) I love the instant gratification of hearing something I made (Duke Ellington understood this), and b) I love the recording process!

Then a little later, Isaac and I run through a little to see what kind of possibilities there might be. We've been recording very rough cuts on my little tape recorder with a condenser mic.

What I'm trying to do this time around is have 10-13 completed songs that I can play on acoustic guitar on and lay down a simple arrangement. Then I can listen to it a few zillion times and see what other ideas might pop into my head.

Ideally I would like to play these live w/ Isaac on drums and maybe even find a bass player.
Then, I want record them very bare bones and deconstruct them (ala Wilco's Yankee Foxtrot Hotel) And put it all back together again into a cohesive unit.

Here is a list of the songs that I have so far. I jotted down a few ideas about them but that doesn't mean there going to turn out that way in the end.

The First Thing - this is in 3/4 and has a slight alt country feel. Maybe not too much. Isaac plays a great beat to this that he came up with himself. He is such an intuitive drummer!

Down - Tommy James meets the Rolling Stones - Iko came up with the retardano at the end.

The Bite - Not sure what to think of this one. I like it but it's in a weird range no what matter key I sing it in. So far there's only two parts but I'm thinking about a third.

Understand in Your Way - This is a pop song that needs some work still, but I like the hook.

Kiss and Run - A play on the not so tamely titled song by Liz Phair on the excellent Exit to Guyville album. I think this one and Down is going to be a standout track!

Just Say the Word - A little piano ditty still in it's embryonic stage.

Numbers Station - An idea more than a song, but I do have a chorus! If you don't know what numbers stations are, Google or Wiki it --they're are a trip!

How Could You Leave a Mess Like This - There's some obvious Plastic Ono Band stuff going on here -- needs more lyrics. And maybe some wine.

She Rocks My World - An old song I never finished, but I think it's worth working it out. Very Beatlely, but I think it will be great if I can manage to play a guitar solo as good as Myracle Brah's Whisper Softly.

So I still need a couple more songs as you can see, but we're well on our way here.

Entry #1

Ok this is really not for anyone but myself - so if I get an idea I can jot it down for later reference.

I'm currently working on my very first album - tentatively titled 'faithfully not really trying'. In essence what I'm trying to do is not try -- let a little Zen seep through. Of course there are points when I have to hunker down and actually work, but the idea is to let my mind wander, try new ideas, don't be afraid of a song w/o a middle eight, but go ahead and add one if you think it will help the song. That's the idea here SERVE THE SONG. I'm 44 and I've been writing songs since I was 13 and recording them almost since the beginning sometimes with two tape decks, then later with four track analog, then 16 track digital machines. But, I've never made an album -- something with some continuity - not a concept album, yet still cohesive. More on that later.