Comments on: Songwriting Is A Democratic Experience

By: Juan’s Blog Digest #1 « juanzelada

Juan’s Blog Digest #1 « juanzelada — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:33:25 +0000

[...] on the songwriting front, there was an interesting discussion in Songcraft Songwriting Circle and this post in Songwriting Zen made me laugh… Did he read [...]

By: Sheyla

Sheyla — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:33:52 +0000

I think original is the wrong word here. I saw a documentary the other day and some very clever people, scientists, musicians and so on said it was impossible to create something that had never been created, because so many songs have been made. The thing to strife for is TRUTH. There’s no such thing as original music, music is everything but original. You copy this and that, remember some melody, like certain chords, sing in such a way… WHy? Because you’ve taken all this influences… The result is not original, but it’s true and new.

By: juanzelada

juanzelada — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:43:36 +0000

I believe the goal is to aim towards excellence in the way we feel most honestly. This can turn out to be a simple 2 chord song, or a new Bohemian Rhapsody. Songs will always sound like previous ones because that is exactly where they originated from. The same way we learn to walk, talk or discover from previous experiences, songwriting just becomes another craft to master with time.
As far as being unique and original, we can aspire to greatness whilst humbly accepting where the greats lie. (Miles Davies, Hendrix, Lennon, Dylan, B.Wilson,…etc,etc)

Just keep writing!

By: zelada

zelada — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:34:33 +0000

Just keep writing!

By: The “Does-My-Song-Sound-Like-Something-Else?” Syndrome « Songcraft Songwriting Circle

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:04:51 +0000

[...] point which Firdaus once brought up is that “there are already billions of songs written, so definitely some will sound similar [...]

By: B

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:59:16 +0000

Hello Xubin, you are not alone.
In fact I’ve been feeling it for a while.
I just simply stop trying, clear my head a little in hopes that when I return it’d be more “original” than previously.
It’s tough :/
But I guess that’s where the challenge lies :)

By: Jerron

Jerron — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:28:20 +0000

I agree with B that songwriting is like a reflection/release/response of your innermost feelings/experiences….. liberating….

I believe if we take songwriting seriously as a hobby, we will be better as the days go by. I like what Firdaus said on his blog regarding having an inner filter in him that blocks him from writing 4 chord progression song. It shows that it is something he wants to improve.

For me, as everyone knows, I have an affinity to C-Am-F-G or G-Em-C-D chords. I can write many many songs using the above chord progressions; however I am (slowly) branching out from them.

I believe writing songs is just like picking up a guitar course- you start from “beginners” to “intermediate” then “expert”. It’s a growing process. However I do believe there are many people who can write songs using complicated chords or structures, yet unable to write (nice) songs using simple chords (just my opinion). It just goes to show that songwriting is so unbelieveable. The people mentioned above don’t seem to fall into the category of writing songs from a “beginners” stage. They are, I believe, natural songwriters.

However I believe it is not advisable to take songwriting as a “career” coz it’s just not possible in Singapore. I do not know much about the prospect of English songwriters in Singapore, but I do know that if you are a Mandarin pop songwriter, the chances of making it big is highly.

However I still believe that joining songcraft is a wise choice.
Coz we are able to share and encourage one another. Coz at Songcraft Songwriting Circle, we are songwriters too……

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:43:23 +0000

B: Yeah, “liberating” is a fantastic word to use. Great choice of word. I often find myself using the same word “liberating” to describe songwriting too!

Xubin: Thanks for sharing. Personally, I went through that problem for quite a few years myself. I just couldn’t write songs no matter how hard I tried. And those that I tried to write, I felt they were plain lousy or imitative.

I think it’s a matter of “taking the plunge”, so to speak. Just be bold and start penning down a few musical ideas here & there. Sometimes all you need is a little spark, and then you just build your song from that. It’s really a case of getting over that “I can’t write songs” mindset. That’s something I struggled with.

Daniel: Wise words. Well said!

Firdaus: That’s very true. We are all somewhat influenced by everything that we hear, be it consciously or subconsciously. And it will be reflected in our songwriting. I like what you said – as long as we’re satisfied with what we’ve written, then it’s great!

By: firdaus

firdaus — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:32:17 +0000

it’s difficult to compose something totally original though, both music and lyric-wise, because we are influenced by what we see and hear. plus there are already billions of songs written, so definitely some will sound similar to what you’ve composed. so as long as you’re satisfied with what you’ve written, it’s great!

By: Daniel Cheong

Daniel Cheong — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:46:34 +0000

In reference to Xubin’s problem, I have got the same problem everytime i write something. However, I push on, telling myself that even if my tune may sound familiar, my lyrics are going to be unique. My story is going to be told in my way. And nobody can imitate that. Not really sure for instrumentals though..