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.