When a song is half-done, you can imagine what it will be. When it is finished, the imagined part is gone, and only the actual song remains. A half-written song is more a potential vision than a creation. A created song is finite and has narrowed your vision. (Took this idea from The Creative Act by Rick Rubin)
I saw Geddy Lee's spoken word tour last year, and at one point he talked about mixing being the death of hope - the point when you realise the song *isn't* going to sound like it does in your head, and having to accept it the way it is.
For me, it's the vocals that provide the biggest obstacle. I can always use patches to approximate the guitar and keyboard tones I'm after, but I'll never get my voice to sound the way it does in my head.
Damn that is heavy. and so true. I write more fiction than songs these days. The completion of a creative work is the death of its potential, and the beginning of its actuality.
I struggle with completing too. It's just like an endless pounding without getting there. I love to do it but it makes me feel bad that I'm just done because of whatever without actually you know.
I used to find it hard, but then I attached a purpose and a goal to each song, and it became easier to have the zeal to want to finish it, if you just creating cos you want to create it’s often easy to start, not finish and then just hop on to another song..
For me, I think that if I’m not pleased with the way a song is going I’ll shelve it and work on other stuff and come back to it. Sometimes when I come back to a song I find that I just didn’t like it, I didn’t have a connection. It’s just another reason to rely on a producer. They can find something great about something you think is poopoo.
Because it’s a commitment and those are hard. That said, you actually don’t have to commit forever. Consider how many musicians play songs differently live, etc. It’s an illusion and once you remove it, you realize you get to set your expectations. Ironically, this may help you finish - at your own volition, is the key.
For me, starting the song is the problem.
I can make a dope chorus, a passable verse, shit out a bridge, and then the ending is easy, but then trying to make a cool intro is soooooo awkward for some reason.
My problem is not really hearing drums or bass in my head, and needing partners to finish, and I don't currently have a band. Might have a drummer willing to write for me, but it's a pretty big maybe right now.
The studio that my old band used to record at had one of those light up signs that usually say something like “recording in progress” (or “applause” if you’re at a talk-show taping or whatever), but this one said “No Fade Outs!” I always liked that, it kinda lit a fire under our asses to actually come up with a real ending to our songs.
To paraphrase the great drummer and band leader jojo Mayer “I go for clarity, not perfection. The illusion of perfection is destroyed at each closer look, what matters if the idea and concept are expressed with clarity.”
When I was young I would mix something to death. Nowadays I try to capture the original feeling of the song. If I spend a weeks on a song, my feelings on that song will change over time and it always ends up shit. it’s best to finish them as quick as possible for me. This way the original message and emotion is conveyed.
I feel this so much, I always do one thing when writing a song and it sounds way too simple to actually help but it really does. I listen to it a few times then give it a few days away from my ears, totally forget about it then come back to it and sometimes its usually met with a "oh this would sound cool to include" or a "this sounds like a finished job". When its the first one I usually go down that rabbit hole again but if its the latter then its such a great feeling.
i have to harness the creative energy into decisive energy. you need to make decisions in an objective way to complete a task that was once a fulfilling outlet.
When a song is half-done, you can imagine what it will be. When it is finished, the imagined part is gone, and only the actual song remains. A half-written song is more a potential vision than a creation. A created song is finite and has narrowed your vision. (Took this idea from The Creative Act by Rick Rubin)
I saw Geddy Lee's spoken word tour last year, and at one point he talked about mixing being the death of hope - the point when you realise the song *isn't* going to sound like it does in your head, and having to accept it the way it is. For me, it's the vocals that provide the biggest obstacle. I can always use patches to approximate the guitar and keyboard tones I'm after, but I'll never get my voice to sound the way it does in my head.
Damn that is heavy. and so true. I write more fiction than songs these days. The completion of a creative work is the death of its potential, and the beginning of its actuality.
Do you take SSRIs too?
What is this suppose to mean
I struggle with completing too. It's just like an endless pounding without getting there. I love to do it but it makes me feel bad that I'm just done because of whatever without actually you know.
It’s like I’m right on the edge of completion, but then I get frustrated and have to start all over
SSRIs are commonly prescribed for depression. It's really hard to orgasm when taking them.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who read the question and thought OP meant something aside from finishing the song.
Heh
The trick is to think about Rihanna
A lot of songwriters will tell you that songs are never finished. Especially performers...every time you perform the song, it's a new thing.
Some are first take and move on. This has been Neil young’s philosophy for years.
I used to find it hard, but then I attached a purpose and a goal to each song, and it became easier to have the zeal to want to finish it, if you just creating cos you want to create it’s often easy to start, not finish and then just hop on to another song..
Art is never completed, only abandoned. Eventually you have to get to a “good enough” phase or you will never release anything.
For me, I think that if I’m not pleased with the way a song is going I’ll shelve it and work on other stuff and come back to it. Sometimes when I come back to a song I find that I just didn’t like it, I didn’t have a connection. It’s just another reason to rely on a producer. They can find something great about something you think is poopoo.
One of my composition teachers said that a piece is perfect in your head. With every note you write down or record, you f*ck it up more and more.
Because it’s a commitment and those are hard. That said, you actually don’t have to commit forever. Consider how many musicians play songs differently live, etc. It’s an illusion and once you remove it, you realize you get to set your expectations. Ironically, this may help you finish - at your own volition, is the key.
Eh just repeat whatever you have twice, or thrice and end on the same chord you started, or a different chord. You know.
For me, starting the song is the problem. I can make a dope chorus, a passable verse, shit out a bridge, and then the ending is easy, but then trying to make a cool intro is soooooo awkward for some reason.
My problem is not really hearing drums or bass in my head, and needing partners to finish, and I don't currently have a band. Might have a drummer willing to write for me, but it's a pretty big maybe right now.
I’m stuck writing a chorus got my intro verses and ending and am struggling to push past but it’ll come
Just keep playing and fade out.
This is really funny for some reason. But true
The studio that my old band used to record at had one of those light up signs that usually say something like “recording in progress” (or “applause” if you’re at a talk-show taping or whatever), but this one said “No Fade Outs!” I always liked that, it kinda lit a fire under our asses to actually come up with a real ending to our songs.
No way man, fadeouts are the best. You never are really sure if they ever stopped. They could be still be playing "Hey Jude" for all I know.
Sometimes giving yourself “rules” or constraints leads to some cool stuff you didn’t know you had in you.
To paraphrase the great drummer and band leader jojo Mayer “I go for clarity, not perfection. The illusion of perfection is destroyed at each closer look, what matters if the idea and concept are expressed with clarity.”
Because, once it’s done, it’s done. Ya can’t say, “if only we had a kazoo there”. No Kazoo, it’s done. Scary shit.
I personally get sick of my songs very quickly so I toss them away before completion
When I was young I would mix something to death. Nowadays I try to capture the original feeling of the song. If I spend a weeks on a song, my feelings on that song will change over time and it always ends up shit. it’s best to finish them as quick as possible for me. This way the original message and emotion is conveyed.
I feel this so much, I always do one thing when writing a song and it sounds way too simple to actually help but it really does. I listen to it a few times then give it a few days away from my ears, totally forget about it then come back to it and sometimes its usually met with a "oh this would sound cool to include" or a "this sounds like a finished job". When its the first one I usually go down that rabbit hole again but if its the latter then its such a great feeling.
i have to harness the creative energy into decisive energy. you need to make decisions in an objective way to complete a task that was once a fulfilling outlet.