52:15 by ChristianLeBlanc
This is the 2nd time I've had an idea in my head for what I wanted to do with my song of the week, and the 2nd time I've felt the song didn't quite accomplish what I wanted it to (the first being "space bat"). I think a good song is meant to come naturally, without coaxing. A long, dark time ago, I used to write poetry, and came to roughly the same conclusion.
Now, I'm sure there's a lovely, brainy quote out there somewhere that expresses just that. And I'm also sure there's another, equally good quote about how that's bullshit, and you just need to roll up your sleeves and have patience and determination to see it through, in order for it to come out the way you wanted.
Personally: I think that forcing my work was part of what killed my interest in poetry. Als
o, if I can come up with a bit of music from out of nowhere, unexpectedly, I think that a pleasant surprise is worth more to me than a realization of any idea I can come up with. Is this an excuse for not having the skill of a master songwriter? Sure, maybe, whatever. That's not really important to me, actually. I prefer to think of my stance as just 'making peace with' or 'coming to terms with' my limitations.
"Songwriting is a very mysterious process. It feels like creating something from nothing. It's something I don't feel like I really control." -Tracy Chapman
Anyway, the idea I had: I just wanted a song to end on an uplifting crescendo with all the separate parts coming together, overcoming the gradually diminishing static in the background. A little beyond my means right now. But this project is all about learning, and in that respect, this week was a success.
This is the 2nd time I've had an idea in my head for what I wanted to do with my song of the week, and the 2nd time I've felt the song didn't quite accomplish what I wanted it to (the first being "space bat"). I think a good song is meant to come naturally, without coaxing. A long, dark time ago, I used to write poetry, and came to roughly the same conclusion.
Now, I'm sure there's a lovely, brainy quote out there somewhere that expresses just that. And I'm also sure there's another, equally good quote about how that's bullshit, and you just need to roll up your sleeves and have patience and determination to see it through, in order for it to come out the way you wanted.
Personally: I think that forcing my work was part of what killed my interest in poetry. Als
o, if I can come up with a bit of music from out of nowhere, unexpectedly, I think that a pleasant surprise is worth more to me than a realization of any idea I can come up with. Is this an excuse for not having the skill of a master songwriter? Sure, maybe, whatever. That's not really important to me, actually. I prefer to think of my stance as just 'making peace with' or 'coming to terms with' my limitations."Songwriting is a very mysterious process. It feels like creating something from nothing. It's something I don't feel like I really control." -Tracy Chapman
Anyway, the idea I had: I just wanted a song to end on an uplifting crescendo with all the separate parts coming together, overcoming the gradually diminishing static in the background. A little beyond my means right now. But this project is all about learning, and in that respect, this week was a success.
All artists keep a sketchbook. This project is yours. Like any sketchbook, it's a place to mock-up ideas, maybe try to flesh them out a bit. Sometimes those sketches develop into Art ("with a capital A"), signature pieces, things you want to keep in your portfolio. And sometimes they go no further than the idea stage. There's nothing wrong with that - it's part of the process & how we learn. As for the song itself, when I first heard the static it sounded a bit like a rolling tide. Given your description, an "ebb & flow" image seems a bit like what you were going for... so the sketch is there. Whether or not you go back & add the shading, tone, etc later is up to you. You got the idea "out there" at any rate, so the exercise was a success! Listen to me talkin' like a know a thing! ;) Just saying keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI love how you make the music emerge from the static. It sounds awesome! All the various lines and melodies weave amongst each other very effortlessly, which is no easy feat to pull off. Well done! I especially like the bassline.
ReplyDeleteAs far as what you mentioned about forcing creativity or just letting it happen, I know exactly what you mean. I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I think forcing creativity can make the work sound, well, forced. I don't like making myself create something if I'm not in a creative mood. But on the other hand, some of the best songwriters will tell you that you just can't sit around and wait for inspiration to strike, you sometimes have to go after it (I think Bjorn Ulvaeus said something like that one time). So who knows. I guess we all have our own approaches and whatever works, works.