songwriting....which one are you.

PaulJ

I came across this topic on Gear Slutz forum, which category do you fall into............

Folks that are prolific & write 1000's of songs of only which a small percentage of are keepers. Writers like this are idea machines sort of the ADD version of songwriting. Constantly turning into song just about anything that goes through their mind . Any idea “can” be a song. It's a very valid approach. Songs from writers like this often write about new & fresh subject matter rather than true & tested subject matter. If you write 365 songs in a year and only 1 in 20 is a great song thats 18 great songs a year!

Other write very few in terms of quantity but the quality of what they do write is very high. This type of writer needs a “trigger” that starts the creative process. My theory is this type of writer only writes when they have something to write about. The song is a musical expression of what the writer is experiencing emotionally. ( Love, hurt, joy, anger, sadness, lonely,or sick of you..ect) The writer usually has a "need to write the song & get it out of their system."This is also a valid approach writing songs, the songs maybe few but when they come they are often very good.

[deleted]

PaulJ wrote Other write very few in terms of quantity but the quality of what they do write is very high. This type of writer needs a “trigger” that starts the creative process. My theory is this type of writer only writes when they have something to write about. The song is a musical expression of what the writer is experiencing emotionally. ( Love, hurt, joy, anger, sadness, lonely,or sick of you..ect) The writer usually has a "need to write the song & get it out of their system."This is also a valid approach writing songs, the songs maybe few but when they come they are often very good.

Thats me... But the quality im still of the 1 in 20 being good category for quality..

I actually write very little these days, I used to... Now i spend my time trying to play like Monte Mongomery and John Butler.. and its not helping ?
And spending to much time on the lap steel (learning) having a ball.

studmissile

PaulJ wrote I came across this topic on Gear Slutz forum, which category do you fall into............

Folks that are prolific & write 1000's of songs of only which a small percentage of are keepers. Writers like this are idea machines sort of the ADD version of songwriting. Constantly turning into song just about anything that goes through their mind . Any idea “can” be a song. It's a very valid approach. Songs from writers like this often write about new & fresh subject matter rather than true & tested subject matter. If you write 365 songs in a year and only 1 in 20 is a great song thats 18 great songs a year!

Other write very few in terms of quantity but the quality of what they do write is very high. This type of writer needs a “trigger” that starts the creative process. My theory is this type of writer only writes when they have something to write about. The song is a musical expression of what the writer is experiencing emotionally. ( Love, hurt, joy, anger, sadness, lonely,or sick of you..ect) The writer usually has a "need to write the song & get it out of their system."This is also a valid approach writing songs, the songs maybe few but when they come they are often very good.

Does it say anything about how to write a "HIT"?

DaFiz

I've written a few songs over the years, and after a while they start to sound puny and end up in the bin...
The messages I've tried to convey have been said before, better than I could say it,
so I'm just happy singing a song that already says what I'm trying to say 8)

PeteM

Both. Sometimes songs come to me and other times I have to go looking for them... depends upon my mood.