The DijonStock Digital Home Recording Support Forum

Hey all,

Strange things happening with my writing lately....

As I've mentioned before, most of the time I write my tunes very fast with all aspects of the song coming to me at once. Kinda like a rush of energy that comes out all at once.

Lately I'm coming up with bits and pieces of material....a chorus of music, a short chord progression....a few words to a verse. I think it's quality stuff, but the inability to get anything new finished is driving me crazy.

I wrote 15 tunes in the last 8 months, most of them in the 1st 5 months of this year. Now I can't finish a darned thing.

Am I experiencing writers block? I even thought I might have Adult ADD and took an online screening questionaire which was negative.

Maybe all these bits and pieces will start to come together soon. I sure hope so.

Anyone else ever get in a rut like this?

On the bright side....I'm tracking existing tunes like a madman and should have a full CD worth of material (fingers crossed) complete by the end of the year.

L8R

Gary

Rut???

That's my normal way of doing business.

Here's the good news: After a few years in this "rut" you start to throw pieces together. Suddenly that riff you came up with three years ago fits with the chorus you just came up with.

I've had a few bits and pieces in progress for years...then they finally come together......or not. That is usually the exception for me.

Lately, that's been stadard operating proceedure.

Gary

It's all good Gary. Just listen to the great stuff you've been working on lately! It's only natural that when you have to refocus your attention on older tunes, as you've been doing recently, that maybe there's not as much time and space for the new ones to arrive. I think it's great that you've still got ideas coming while you're busy working on your other songs. That's sure to create a furtile ground for the new stuff. I believe a lot of times the subconscious is working on things we are not even aware of . When you least expect it sometimes - BOOM! There's a song!! It's all part of the rhythm of it. I think it's great that you are working towards putting together a CD! I look forward to hearing more of your songs!!
Best of Luck and Keep on rockin'!!

I hear ya' !

I've gotten quirky and particular in my "old age". I'm always thinking "go, go, go" and sometimes the creative process doesn't cooperate.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Gary

I probably file away on average a new song idea every other day. I record everything , even snippits of ideas go on one continuous "song" on my G. I'll rough something out on a pair and record something else to another pair and so on. that way it's pretty easy to find an idea to expand on. At times i find a couple of things that work together. It might be a simple key transpose , tempo change , just an edit that makes them go together. I schedule a day / month that all I do is listen to old stuff. Don't throw anything away! Sometimes I now run a pair of PZM's on long chords to my grand piano in the other room and just turn on the G and play piano and see what turns up. In your case maybe an acoustic guitar would yield some nice stuff. Nowdays I find it easier to compose on the piano VS the guitar , although I do get ideas from the guitar as well. A piano has a certain magical way of chord voicing IMO over a guitar.


That's my line of thinkin anyway.

MSG

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Good thought process Geno. I should start living by my own forum tag line, eh? Well I usually do, but not the way you described. It's an excellent idea.

I agree that the piano offers better (realistic) chord voicing options than the guitar.....most of the time. I'm a big fan of using open strings and minimalist chord voicings on guitar to create the same type of suspense that is often created on the piano.

I think I need to start posting some of my acoustic guitar stuff. I also have a piano tune ready to go. Any suggestions for miking a circa 1930's upright piano? I'm thinking my Studio Projects C4 SDC's, stereo miked with the top open, spaced out about 2-3 feet apart. Thoughts?

Gary

Yes, get it all down 'on tape'. In the future you might be looking for a verse or a chorus or a bridge and it'll be lying right there on your trusty G.

Michel is probably the upright piano micing expert around here. I mic mine now with pair of PZM's back to back with the lid full open. It seems to sound like it does seated at the bench. At times I will also background dub in a very nice triple strike Yamaha patch I have panned full L/R to make the piano cut thru the mix better as my grand records quite dark in the room it's in.

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Being in a rut is the norm for me. Now, I come up with ideas for songs easily. And I can come up with musical ideas easily. Give me 5 minutes and I'll give you a rhythm and chord progression. But writing lines--now that's where I get stuck. I mean, good lines. Lines with rhythm, and lyrics that are interesting. That's hard.

Rob

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-Denver Rob

"Work is the curse of the drinking classes"
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