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Old 01-08-2021, 11:15 PM
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Default Crash and burn

I've been home from work, semi-retired now and enjoying more time to play and compose. I've worked on maybe 6 or 7 tunes of my own and all of them, except one, have been terrible and the one is marginal. Tonight I started out trying to write something Celtic influenced and it came out more like a waltz.

I have no idea what I'm doing

I guess writing these turkeys out is a good way to get them out of my system
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Old 01-08-2021, 11:33 PM
H165 H165 is offline
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Quote:
I have no idea what I'm doing
This is a great advantage to a songwriter... completely avoids accidental plagiarism, boring repetition, and unintended imitation.
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Old 01-09-2021, 01:53 AM
NormanKliman NormanKliman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H165 View Post
This is a great advantage to a songwriter... completely avoids accidental plagiarism, boring repetition, and unintended imitation.
Hi Barry,

How long has this been going on? If you want advice, try taking a break, take care of yourself (food and rest) during that time and go at it again. When I take a break, it takes about three days of hard work to get back in shape. Also, if parts of your compositions are hard to play, make them easier. If you gotta change something, and if you can’t change yourself (same results after taking a break), change the composition.
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Old 01-09-2021, 09:20 AM
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Hey Barry!
I feel your pain!!
Sounds like it's a situation where you now have more time and are equating more time with what you "should" be doing and you're forcing the creativity to match that greater available time.
Everybody's different so I can't really advise too much here......the journey continues.......I'm sure things will settle in for you!
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Old 01-09-2021, 09:39 AM
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Compose them, notate or record them, forget them. Come back to them in a year or so and see what you think then. If you do this for a year you will have a better idea of what you are doing. You might find that you like something you did earlier or you know how to improve it. Skills improve with application. Good luck.
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Old 01-09-2021, 10:26 AM
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HI Barry (again), just had another thought on this, as it relates to what I'm doing now with a new tune I'm working on.
I presume you're working with a capo for most of these? Anyway, before you discard a tune, make sure you're messing around with a capo on different frets, and also auditioning other guitars with this same tune and capo positions. It might make a difference in how it sounds to you. Perhaps you've already done this?
There's a world of difference in the sounds created with this change and one you land on may hit you as worth staying with and expanding on.
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Last edited by islandguitar; 01-09-2021 at 10:47 AM.
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Old 01-09-2021, 10:38 AM
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Quote:
may hit you as worth staying with and expanding on.
This is a key bit of songwriting for me. I seem to eventually land on a key underlying basis or idea for each song. If I get stuck, I go back to that idea and try to alter or complete the picture from there.
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Old 01-09-2021, 11:33 AM
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For starters normally don't play a short patch of notes or a melody line over and over and over (and with little or no variation) simply
to make the recording last longer and then call it a new composition. Add variety, development of secondary, tertiary... sections and
probably the use of more of the length of the fretboard.
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Old 01-09-2021, 12:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
For starters normally don't play a short patch of notes or a melody line over and over and over (and with little or no variation) simply to make the recording last longer and then call it a new composition. Add variety, development of secondary, tertiary... sections and
probably the use of more of the length of the fretboard.
Yeah, I think composing is one of the things I'd like to do, but don't have the talent. Sort of like when I wanted to be QB of the Packers when I was a kid,

I'll get stuck, but want to finish something and I'll just repeat with some small changes and then that's all I have. Its fun, I like playing guitar and I like the challenge of recording and playing around with Reaper and plug-ins, but I don't think its really for me. There's really nothing there. I think I'm better off entertaining myself by doing covers of what I like.
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Old 01-09-2021, 04:57 PM
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Barry,
Above all, try not to be so hard on yourself. You obviously like to noodle around and compose stuff. Just set it aside for the time being and don't worry about it. You'll be fresher when the muse comes back.
In the meantime:
Quote:
I'm better off entertaining myself by doing covers of what I like
Exactly!
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Old 01-09-2021, 06:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreF View Post
Barry,
Above all, try not to be so hard on yourself. You obviously like to noodle around and compose stuff. Just set it aside for the time being and don't worry about it. You'll be fresher when the muse comes back.
In the meantime:

Exactly!
Good idea Andre!
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Old 01-09-2021, 08:50 PM
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Just realized you are most likely writing instrumental tunes and not standard words and music songs, so I edited my post as most of what I was going to say would not apply, but this much probably does apply regardless of what kind of songs you are composing - don't give up, just open up and let it come to you and don't worry about what anyone else may think of what you are doing, but enjoy the creative process and achievement for the sake of doing it.

Last edited by spock; 01-09-2021 at 09:31 PM.
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Old 01-09-2021, 09:52 PM
cedartop52 cedartop52 is offline
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I've admired your work for a while now and am sorry to hear you're discouraged. I found that playing straight covers isn't that satisfying and writing new songs is a bit beyond my skills. A happy middle ground has been creating my own arrangements and interpretations of songs I admire. Sometimes I take them pretty far afield from their original form and it is great fun. Anyhow, it is just an idea...and when in doubt buy a new guitar!!! ha Dan
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Old 01-09-2021, 10:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spock View Post
Just realized you are most likely writing instrumental tunes and not standard words and music songs, so I edited my post as most of what I was going to say would not apply, but this much probably does apply regardless of what kind of songs you are composing - don't give up, just open up and let it come to you and don't worry about what anyone else may think of what you are doing, but enjoy the creative process and achievement for the sake of doing it.
It's more than a little frustrating though, but thanks. I think giving it a rest is the best for now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cedartop52 View Post
I've admired your work for a while now and am sorry to hear you're discouraged. I found that playing straight covers isn't that satisfying and writing new songs is a bit beyond my skills. A happy middle ground has been creating my own arrangements and interpretations of songs I admire. Sometimes I take them pretty far afield from their original form and it is great fun. Anyhow, it is just an idea...and when in doubt buy a new guitar!!! ha Dan
Dan, I have a couple of books of Celtic music that's arranged in standard. I'm thinking about taking one or two and see how they work out in other tunings just for the heck of it after I learn them in standard.
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Old 01-11-2021, 07:09 AM
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You might find inspiration from this Barry. It’s a good listen.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sting_how_...in?language=en
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