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I do think it's a very helpful idea. It can apply to any art form, really. I think it's a good way to practice more then anything else, but maybe that's just me.
Thanks for the share.
Cheers,
Ember
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I agree with the practice part.
I am of mixed minds on this. When I am writing the concept of a song, I try and go into the "zone" and try just writing something real and authentic, without giving one thought to whether someone else might like it or not. I have thousands of such ideas and sketches in a DAW that are parked somewhere for a better day.
Once I find something I LIKE, however, I start to take it more seriously, and I am not sure "worry" is the word--but a lot of CARE goes into the process at that point.
For example, if I think it will help to figure out and then record the chorus melody as a violin part so I can sing to it to get a more accurate vocal, I will take the time to do that, though it adds more time. And so on with a lot of other things.
So, I guess in the beginning I don't worry when I am just coming up with song sketches, but when I land on something I want to be pleased with, I get OCD as hell.
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Wow - I can really get behind the message of this article. I myself have fallen to that same thought process before. Sometimes just not caring is the best way!
Cheers,
Deryk
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Don't worry, be happy l.o.l.
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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I guess in the beginning I don't worry when I am just coming up with song sketches, but when I land on something I want to be pleased with, I get OCD as hell. Me too.
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Don't worry, be happy l.o.l. Basically the gist of the article.  Just summarized!
Cheers,
Ember
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I guess in the beginning I don't worry when I am just coming up with song sketches, but when I land on something I want to be pleased with, I get OCD as hell. Me too. Same here. For me the early part of writing lyrics is about getting something down to work with. I'm not all that fussed because whatever I get down is just a starting place. Once I have something, I then use the writing tools that I've picked up over the years and work on making my lyrics cohesive and as engaging as I can. With music, I often work on music and lyrics side-by side. So, when a lyric changes, my melody (or chord) may or may not also change. Again, with music, I firstly aim to get a melody in place that fits the rhythm and syllabic stress of the lyrics. Once that's done, then I modify it to make it more interesting. Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2024
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Did anyone not see my copyright and trademark on this comment???? Just kidding!!!! Great minds think alike.  Originally posted by David, quoted by Josie (a David collaborator) and then re-arranged by Noel (another David collaborator) as: I guess in the beginning I don't worry when I am just coming up with song sketches, but when I land on something I want to be pleased with, I get OCD as hell. Me too. Same here. For me the early part of writing lyrics is about getting something down to work with. I'm not all that fussed because whatever I get down is just a starting place. Once I have something, I then use the writing tools that I've picked up over the years and work on making my lyrics cohesive and as engaging as I can. With music, I often work on music and lyrics side-by side. So, when a lyric changes, my melody (or chord) may or may not also change. Again, with music, I firstly aim to get a melody in place that fits the rhythm and syllabic stress of the lyrics. Once that's done, I then I modify it to make it more interesting. Noel
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I equate song writing to kidney stones. It’s protracted and painful. I wrote but a small handful of songs during my 30 years of playing in bands. When we discovered BiaB in 2012 I realized other than the public domain I was gonna have to write to post. I have deep admiration for those prolific writers who crank out good material on demand and for those who participate the various write a zillion songs in X days scenarios, etc. I can’t fathom it. My objective is to write something passable and then let Janice bail me out with her vocals and/or or let a co-writer make me look good! Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
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I equate song writing to kidney stones. It’s protracted and painful. I have yet to have this particular experience (kidney stones) and hope to never go through that, even if it's only over writing a song. 
Cheers,
Ember
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I have passed two kidney stones that caused near mortal pain, and many more that were downright unpleasant. If songwriting is that unpleasant, stop doing it for all that is pure and holy!
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Songwriting
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I have passed two kidney stones that caused near mortal pain, and many more that were downright unpleasant. If songwriting is that unpleasant, stop doing it for all that is pure and holy!
OK, OK, I was a bit hyperbolic But writing ain’t easy for me! I’ve been through the stones thing twice. My doc said it was the closest a man could come to the pain a woman experiences in childbirth. Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
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One of my coworkers in the past had several children and kidney stones as well. She said she would choose childbirth pain over kidney stones if she had to make the choice.
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"Why Caring Less About Your Songs Will Help You Become a Better Songwriter." Great advice, that.  Regards, Bob
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Songwriting
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By the way, practicIng being prolific at songwriting eases the pain. It’s not unlike building up callouses on your fretting hand. That’s really the point of the article.
Last edited by rockstar_not; 07/27/18 05:36 AM.
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Songwriting
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This is a great topic, and is my first reply on this forum as a new user (just purchased BIAB yesterday and just starting to fumble around with it). I can personally attest to the advice of "don't worry so much about what you're writing - just write, dammit". I have been playing guitar for 50 years or so, and have picked up several other instruments along the way. But every time I sat down to try and write, I would get stuck. To me, my writing was never "just right" and I would criticize myself into analysis paralysis - then just give up. Then, about 10 years ago, I decided to try again. I started with lyrics. I went to RhymeZone.com, and just began putting song ideas together, often just starting with a title. Once I had my verses, choruses and bridges spelled out, I put music to them - kinda like the way Elton John does it. I literally did not care if the finished song sounded good or not. In fact, one song I considered an absolute throwaway, took me 15 minutes to write and another hour to record - and it is still my wife's favorite song by me. Go figure. Here it is: https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=7362038Anyway, over the next while I ended up writing and recording 20+ songs, when I was totally convinced I couldn't even write ONE!! I think some are pretty good, some are terrible - but I don't care. I just sat down and wrote.
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Songwriting
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Hi Mike, Welcome to the forum and to Band-in-a-Box! Listened to "Summer Sun" and quickly realized you're no beginner to recording, mixing and audio production. This is a nice tune. I like the way you've doubled your vocal and instrumentation selection. Seagulls at the end was cute. Again, welcome to the show. Hope to hear a lot more from you in the User Showcase.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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Thanks a bunch, Jim I used JamStudio.com for the backing tracks, and believe it or not, sang the vocal through my guitar's chorus pedal to get that doubling effect. The seagulls were from a sound effects website. Sometimes the best ideas come from simple improvisation. Thanks again for the nice comment. If you liked my throwaway song, hopefully you like others even more, haha. Mike
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Hi Mike, Welcome to the forum and to Band-in-a-Box! Listened to "Summer Sun" and quickly realized you're no beginner to recording, mixing and audio production. This is a nice tune. I like the way you've doubled your vocal and instrumentation selection. Seagulls at the end was cute. Again, welcome to the show. Hope to hear a lot more from you in the User Showcase. Another welcome. This is a good song. I agree with Jim. You are far more advanced than most if not all BiaB beginners. I'm interested in how you use BiaB in your songs.
When you are at the checkout line and they ask if you found everything say "Why, are you hiding stuff?"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Another welcome.
This is a good song. I agree with Jim. You are far more advanced than most if not all BiaB beginners. I'm interested in how you use BiaB in your songs.
Well thank you Mario. You are too kind. I am really looking forward to using BIAB as I am planning to get back into writing and recording after a far-too-long hiatus. The songs currently on my site are mostly from 8-10 years ago. The backing tracks are not that great, they were from a free chord-builder website. But it did the job. However, BIAB has re-sparked my creative juices. I've got a lot more to say through music!
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I've not heard of JamStudio.com before. If the songs you've posted are representative of what the site can deliver, it's quite impressive.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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I've not heard of JamStudio.com before. If the songs you've posted are representative of what the site can deliver, it's quite impressive. Just another tool in the box! It's like BIAB extra-lite 
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The opinions shared here have continued to be really cool to read. Thanks for keeping things interesting, guys.
Cheers,
Ember
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Songwriting
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I just went out and looked at JamStudio - interesting way to lay down tracks. Can you export to .wav files or is it just limited to MP3?
Thanks!
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I agree 100% with the idea of write, write, write...but with the purpose of improving skills and discovering new paths.
I DISAGREE 100% with the idea that what should be delivered to a listening audience is mediocrity or sheer volume with little regard for quality.
My mental picture of this idea is to have a workshop chock full of completed songs, fragments of songs, etc. but only let the ones that I'm really proud of out the door.
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, Kontakt8, Oxygen49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
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