Do you ever get to a point when...

[Andyrondack]

Originally Posted by Pdubs76

You feel like you should stop spending all your time learning songs that other people wrote and start creating your own? I can spend hours and hours trying to learn a difficult song and I sometimes ask myself, why am I doing this? Wouldn’t it be so much more rewarding to come up with my own arrangements? How about you guys? Do you write your own music? If so, did you start right away or did you explore and learn the music of many artists before creating your own brand?

I can make up a melody over some chords quite easily and enjoy doing it, I don't anymore because it takes me a long time to come up with some words and I find the process too much like hard work, and then when I get there I feel too embarrased to sing something personal in public, I like singing nice tunes with lyrics that are neutral to me and don't really care where they come from.

[edward993]

One other thing another poster here mentioned that resonated with me; I’m a better arranger than a writer of originals. I enjoy taking songs and arranging them with my own sonic and dynamic flavors so they are still very much “that” song but absolutely my version. I get a good reception so I’ve not travelled too far off the farm. It’s a satisfying endeavor for me, and if the band mates and audience affirm, it’s my version of success

Edward

[Tannin]

My introduction to guitar was learning to play the House of the Rising Sun 50-odd years ago. (That F chord was a horror first up!) That is the only song I ever learned on guitar. In all the years since, I've only ever played my own stuff.
No intention of changing that, it's what I like to do.

Rule 1: always play what you like playing.

(I'm not counting the cabaret band, where we played anything people were prepared to give us money for playing. But I was playing bass. For some reason, playing other people's songs on bass is fun, where playing them on guitar isn't. I don't know why.)

(I'm also not counting stuff written by friends, or co-written.)

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Not really. And even if I am learning someone else’s song I can always put my own spin on it.

In 2005, we spent some time staying with a relatively famous Texas singer-songwriter, and commented on his meager collection of CDs and basic stereo.
He said that he avoided listening to the music of others unless he inadvertently took influences or plagiarised someone else's work.

[Pdubs76]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

In 2005, we spent some time staying with a relatively famous Texas singer-songwriter, and commented on his meager collection of CDs and basic stereo.
He said that he avoided listening to the music of others unless he inadvertently took influences or plagiarised someone else's work.

Best way to form your own unique sound. Although I think that most of us need other artists to get inspired.

[Pdubs76]

Originally Posted by Mr Bojangles

It is very rewarding to write and perform your own original music. But I can't just decide to write a song and then create one, I have to wait for my muse to pay me a visit and give me one. Then I have to drop everything that I'm doing and get down the chord structure and a couple of verses or it's gone forever. Once I get down that much of it, I can finish it the next day or so. Sometimes it takes longer than that. I really don't feel that I am the songwriter, it feels that they were handed to me from somewhere. I know that it sounds crazy, but that is really how it happens for me. I do have notebooks full of unfinished songs. I have about 3 dozen completed songs that I have recorded and put on a CD. Someday I'll have to refine the recordings and add other instruments. Of course, recording is another skill that I am not that good at. I do perform covers, but I much prefer playing my own material, but when playing in public, the audience usually wants to hear familiar tunes. What is really nice is when you get requests for one of your own.

I can relate. There are rare days when I can just pick up my guitar and it almost plays itself. Of course I can never remember how to recreate it.

[Goodallboy]

I started writing songs 40 years ago. At first I tried doing some cover songs but nothing I could do with them, impressed me as being little more than a weak imitation.

Since those early days I only perform original songs. I’ve seen those songs improve over time and I continue to write and improve both my playing and my writing. My playing partner and I both only play our original music. Between us we have hundreds of original songs and when we perform, people seem to enjoy hearing the originality and creativity.

I understand where you’re coming from and would encourage you to follow your heart on the issue.

[Pdubs76]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

I started writing songs 40 years ago. At first I tried doing some cover songs but nothing I could do with them, impressed me as being little more than a weak imitation.

Since those early days I only perform original songs. I’ve seen those songs improve over time and I continue to write and improve both my playing and my writing. My playing partner and I both only play our original music. Between us we have hundreds of original songs and when we perform, people seem to enjoy hearing the originality and creativity.

I understand where you’re coming from and would encourage you to follow your heart on the issue.

Well, I think that it would take me a couple of lifetimes to write hundreds of songs, but I’d be happy if I could someday have a collection of a dozen or so good instrumental arrangements.

[wguitar]

Songwriting is a special talent and art, and while it feels good to occasionally write/create some things (when the inspiration and desire strikes) -- there are not enough of them to fulfill my musical needs. My take on doing covers is to make them my own, and there are so darn many genres, styles, songs, arrangements, etc. out there that it's easy to find pieces that expand my musical horizons, challenge my playing abilities, and are just fun to learn and play. Not to mention, generally speaking audiences like to hear what they know vs. originals. Interestingly, I've heard some awesome bands locally who lose the audience when they venture into their occasional original or 2. I say be who you are and have fun doing it. If writing songs is your thing, go for it. As the Ricky Nelson song "Garden Party" notes, "You see, ya can't please everyone
So ya got to please yourself".

Enjoy your musical journey !

Cheers!

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by Pdubs76

Well, I think that it would take me a couple of lifetimes to write hundreds of songs, but I’d be happy if I could someday have a collection of a dozen or so good instrumental arrangements.

I couldn’t have made that statement if I hadn’t taken the first step, and that was to come to the realization that FOR ME, (IMO, YMMV, etc.) playing someone else’s songs, with an inferior voice (mine), was uninspiring and not very creative.

You have the spark that needs fuel. Write something that is personal. Write what you know, as some great songwriter that I can’t recall, once said, lol. Read books on songwriting to get inspired.

Desire players the biggest role in learning guitar, or songwriting. I was inspired by a songwriter friend, before I could even play the guitar. One year after I started playing guitar we had a band that played many of his, and one or two of my, original songs. I wanted that so much that I made it happen with what talent I had been endowed with, and you can as well.

I hope to hear you’ve started the journey.

[Bob Womack]

I started playing in 1970. By 1973 I was writing my own stuff. It was crap, but with a few years experience I actually wrote some stuff I liked. As Joe Walsh described our beginnings on Darryl's House, "At first you're awful... And you bring that up. You don't really get better, you bring awful UP. So you're not THAT awful." Darryl Hall replied, "That's my favorite music, when awful gets... on a higher level."

I've kept at it as well. However, most local bands are cover bands and a lot of studio work is playing someone else's music. For that matter, there is some really good music out there that I like to play for my own enjoyment so I've kept my hand in learning other folks' stuff as well. It is the way of things.

Bob

[Pdubs76]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

I couldn’t have made that statement if I hadn’t taken the first step, and that was to come to the realization that FOR ME, (IMO, YMMV, etc.) playing someone else’s songs, with an inferior voice (mine), was uninspiring and not very creative.

You have the spark that needs fuel. Write something that is personal. Write what you know, as some great songwriter that I can’t recall, once said, lol. Read books on songwriting to get inspired.

Desire players the biggest role in learning guitar, or songwriting. I was inspired by a songwriter friend, before I could even play the guitar. One year after I started playing guitar we had a band that played many of his, and one or two of my, original songs. I wanted that so much that I made it happen with what talent I had been endowed with, and you can as well.

I hope to hear you’ve started the journey.

I think it’s only a matter of time before I have something. Maybe one day I’ll be able to share it with all the great players of AGF!

[s2y]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

In 2005, we spent some time staying with a relatively famous Texas singer-songwriter, and commented on his meager collection of CDs and basic stereo.
He said that he avoided listening to the music of others unless he inadvertently took influences or plagiarised someone else's work.

Hard to imagine getting song ideas without listening to outside artists. I'm not particularly interested in covering them, but learning riffs and the theory behind them is obviously very valuable.

[EZYPIKINS]

Area I grew up in. Didn't want to hear originals. All they want to hear is the hot song on the radio. Although all the members in our band were highly, talented as well as creative. We were in a working "dance" band. Which set a certain format. That didn't allow for Originals at a gig. Our gig money was earmarked for the studio. Where we could exercise our frustration. We seldom could get a dance crowd behind us. Maybe it wasn't that good. I thought they were (we are al biased). The last album I wrote. I chose to do a parody of a Blues record. Reason being I get tired of the typical Blues progressions easily. So I took the 1,4,5 Did some creative things with it. Turned out to be the best thing I ever wrote. I couldn't get all the last band members behind that project. So just the drummer and I did the whole album. Not really something I can do solo, with the same feeling. Haven't written anything since being by myself. Acoustically, been learning things I've always wanted to play. But couldn't because of the dance format. Playing what I consider my own style. May or may not be. 12 notes. How many different ways can they be played? I could do about 4 hours of music, at the drop of a hat right now. Music that people my age would like, I'm sure. I guess it could be considered coffee shop, or restaurant style guitar/vocal. I don't use a looper. Don't want to be constrained to a loop. Don't use a harmonizer. Though I love harmony. Harmonizers sound fake to me. So I play guitar (fingerstyle mostly) and sing. Songs I like. In keys I'm comfortable singing in. Looking forward to this pandemic, being over. Have my sights on a small lake side restaurant bar.. Not far from my house. I think I could share my music there comfortably. Played live, in a band setting most of my life.
The solo thing is going to be quite different. But the only one I'll have to put up with, is me.

[raysd]

I think I feel much the same way the OP does. I'm spending more time creating my own fingerstyle songs. Most might more accurately be called "noodles", perhaps, but that's just it - I'm making more effort to convert the noodles to what can be called songs. Because I enjoy it. I'm not a professional, and have no ambition other than my own satisfaction. I get a lot of satisfaction from the creative process. Playing guitar is a flow activity for me; I derive a lot of "flow" when creating my own noodles and working to expand them into songs.