They are not congruent to me. Having a unique style doesn’t mean sounding the same. And sounding the same doesn’t mean boring to me either.

I have a habit of writing songs that sound the same for a period of time. But all the songs I wrote are not unconsciously constructed. That is I write them based on a fix pattern sometimes. Sound boring to some but that is what I wanted to do. The fix pattern will change when I am influenced by new things or teachings & the cycle will continue. The intention is to write as many songs as possible from a pattern (or formula) so that when I look back over the years, I can classify my songs accordingly.

To me, it is healthy to write songs that sound the same coz I don’t think people (and/or their music style) will stay stagnant in this everchanging world. That’s no need to deliberately change a songwriting style unless absolutely necessary.

If anything, all the dressing of a “fully accompanied and arranged” piece, to me, means nothing for a song if a spark of originality isn’t there in the song to begin with. The song has to be its own thing, if you know what I mean.

Remember they were going to close the patent office in 1896 because they thought that everything that could be invented already had?

Musicians offer a potential explosion of originality. They just have to be open to it.

: )

(Hey, I didn’t know I could get so deep on this. My songwriting passion is showing, I guess.)

I dunno, I think some amazing melodies can still be (and are,) written over the old I, IV, V.

And as to keeping a fresh sound, consciously vary your melodic rhythm as well as harmonic rhythm and you can really mix it all up.

Write on.
Jannie

*thinks of ALL Classical music composers n Dick Lee, David Tao etc.*

And perhaps, what he/she is Good at.

Then, from there, start to VARY it or inject a few surprises here n there to weat the listeners’ appetite.

You’ll need:
1) listen to it along with your other songs objectively or a little time away from the creation date
2) definitely someone else to give comments.

I don’t know think…maybe it becomes “sounding the same” when all your melodies sound the same.
A personal style is something defining, say, there is a kind of tweek somewhere in a piece…
Actually, many times, the composer would have a variety of music, but there’s something…
aiyah, tough lah…think there’s an overlap. It just means if it “sounds the same” in a good way or bad way.