What Do You Aim For When Writing A Song?

It wasn't me!

Pretty much as the title says, what are you trying to accomplish when you write a song, do you have mad aspirations to creative genius or are you just trying to get a few thoughts out of your head? Are you aiming to be a self-satisfied musician who loves listening to his old tracks in teh car or whatever or are you trying to play Croke Park? This interests me, as I'd like to see what other people cite as their motivations for writing music.

Personally, I'm writing for a lot of reasons. For starters, I really love creating something original, however influenced it is by other things, and adding my own style and touches to it. I think I've found a niche as well, an interesting sort of sound that I can't quite describe, and I'm constantly trying to imbue it with the attributes of bands and musicians I love, in an effort to solidify it more. It's a constant struggle. I want to achieve a really high level of complexity, instrumental proficiency, while retaining a really enjoyable feel, lots of groove and feeling, something people really want to listen to for all its worth, not just on the merits of the playing, or on the tune itself. I want people to listen, love the song, and be impressed. That's about it for me. Other people's thoughts?

erialc

do you play in a group or play in public regularly?

It wasn't me!

erialc wrote:

do you play in a group or play in public regularly?

At the moment, no, not got the time, Leaving Cert and all that, but it's my intention to do so after that, why?

Gaspode

I've only ever sat down with the express intention of writing a song on a couple of occassions and actually done so. Songs for me tend to arise out of a musical or lyrical phrase that just come to me. So most often my intention is to expand on that phrase and develop it into a song. Sometimes it works in a day, other times I have to leave it and come back to it months later to develop it into a song, sometimes I dont get a song at all.

think that means I'm an accidental songwriter rather than a serious songwriter. Just as well I dont have to do it for a living!

frobisher

This is a very good question. I find it very intertesing to see how others feel.

I personally have gone through alot of different motivations and aims behind writing songs. For the first while they were cathartic-and not that good. After that I was in bands that were trying to get signed and make a career so that factor was there although I always have believed in keeping what I write about personal so they weren't just out and out crowd pleasers. That almost worked but the music business being what it is it didn't work out. After that I thought I would only ever write again for pleasure but in the last few months I've really come to realise that I want more from it than that so I'm dusting off the writing chops and getting down to brass tacks with the idea being to get my own music out to the public and also write for others. In a way doing that is the hardest thing because you are trying to write music that can match the greatest writers in the world. It's not easy!!

rcaz

I get a phrase that I think would work well, and try to develop on the idea behind it. I've been writing on and off for the last few years, whenever I get the idea, but I decided the other day that if I really want to make a career out of it, I should work at it, so I've been trying to write a song every two days or so.

As for what do I aim for, I might be going through one of those times where I listen to one song over and over, and then I might try to write a song like it. Or I get a subject I feel strongly about, and imagine there are lots of people that I have to get to agree with me and get all my thoughts across.

I don't want to play Croke Park, I'd just like to play a few good original songs with a band instead of the usual covers.

peanutroad

The glib answer? I aim for the heart!

Seriously, though, that's not too far from the truth. I'm always hoping to have my songs make an emotional connection with the listener. That's the first step toward communicating whatever it is I have to say. And I have lots to say! (Which is the reason I'm writing in the first place.)

Communication...having something to say and learning how to say it in words and music. That's the key, isn't it? Or if it isn't the key, maybe I need to use a capo... :rolleyes:

Jack Vegas

I just aim to make it have a bit of feeling to it. If a riff doesnt muster up some emotion in me then on the backboiler she goes.

red_ice

my musical taste is generally harder music(qotsa), but i do listen to anything with a guitar.. from kiss, acdc, oasis, interpol, mark lanegan, pj harvey, kings of leon, motorpsycho.

im playing for a while now, and the songs that stick out imo have a nice riff.. so i aim to get simple riffs, which are colourful and rich and strike the emotion i am aiming to get across.. The bad thing is my songs are generally apethetic, or very emotional - both ends of the spectrum, and right from the gut where i feel / dont feel what im trying to get out. I find it hard to finish a song, because im never happy with the other sections of the song that i write, only teh riff i base the song around tends to work. I also know i dont want to put a mental image of what i was going though my head when im writing the song in other peoples head... So i generally nip it at the bud because im not good with metaphores.

The one song i have completed was pritty much written in an hour, and its the only time i've ever been so direct, and more or less had the song written before i started, its not about me, its telling a story - but its not what most people these days would be interested in!

Id like my music to be played for everyone, and apreciated and above all understood. I dont think ill ever let it happen tho, as those cuts run deep, and its easy to have salt rubbed in a hard to close emotional injury. i dont care about money, i just want people to enjoy it.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

It wasn't me! wrote:

At the moment, no, not got the time, Leaving Cert and all that, but it's my intention to do so after that, why?

I feel your pain, the leaving is such a barrier in the way of doing anything....as for the original q, when I write I tend to focus on the lyrics, making sure (or trying to make sure) I've said what I wanted to say and said it in an original way. Lyrics are, I guess, like concentrated emotion, you have to think "okay, what's every feeling I have about this situation/topic, and how the hell do I make them rhyme". Some songs are pretty personal and I'd feel awkward playing them for anyone, but it's a handy way of sorting your head out if nothing else

It wasn't me!

I never went in for the whole idea of lyrics having to rhyme. Syllabic structure and actual sounds would be more important to me, having them rhyme is putting up to much of a safety harness for yourself and will doubtless hinder creativity in my mind. That said, I'm not much of a lyricist, just do riffs, me. :cool:

Mario007

I used to write poetry for a long while. Then i started writting lyrics for my friends who were in a band, but they never put them into music so I kept on writting them in a more of a rap style since i wasn't able to sing anyway. Another greta thing i found about hiphop was that the special effect on the keyboard i bought to learn a few things to pass my junior cert was enough of a melody.