The Art of Songwriting

Despite having owned an acoustic guitar for a few years, I have to admit I'm not exactly a "guitar god", nor am I the greatest vocalist. So this summer I've taken on a new hobby in songwriting as an effort to AT LEAST become a Bob Dylan (shitty singer / ok guitarist / great songwriter!)

On my own time I've been quietly gathering numerous ideas (eg. chords, melodies, lyrics) and recording them on my Pentax digital camera - not exactly the ideal recording device but it does the job. The multimillion-dollar recording studio can wait! (yea right...)

It's definitely not an easy task, and sometimes you just need to be in the right mood at the right time. Unlike learning a new instrument, songwriting doesn't just come with hours of mindless practice. In fact, I say there are 2 other prerequisites of becoming a good songwriter...

1) Exposure to good music
Normally, the music you write would naturally sound like the music you play - and I don't know about you but most of what I play happens to be what I enjoy listening to (no surprise there!). So if you're interested in writing great music - I say listen to a wide range of great artists, both past and present. Unless you're extremely talented or classically trained, it always helps to learn from others.

2) Study the songs you like
There's a big difference between just casually listening and analyzing. Pay close attention to the common patterns and forms that exist and ask yourself questions like....
Do all songs need a chorus?
How does a chorus usually end?
What makes the song so pleasing to hear? (the hook? the melody?)
......
Some of us do this unconsciously anyways, while others have a habit of being more passive.

As a beginner songwriter, some of my ideas aren't really worth mentioning... but for every bad idea there seems to be something worth keeping - at least for now! There are a few songs that I've demoed and shelved in the last little while....

Dark Summer Hours
It's about losing religion and becoming a drug user. Chan described it as "psychedelic like Pink Floyd" but I was thinking Coldplay and Josh Rouse at the time I wrote it. *shrug"

Sunday
It went from being about a typical hangover to a dream vacation, and now it's a love song. Don't ask me how! Anyways, it's like a poor man's Oasis b-side. It's that good!

Dressed of a Poser
It's about a fictional character who happens to be a gold-digging poser. She dates a guy in Forest Hill who drives a Cadillac, has a white collared job, etc. Sorta inspired by Billy Joel's Uptown Girl.

1969
This song is SO brand new, I actually wrote it like 5 hours ago! It's the 2nd song I've written with power chords; the 1st ended up being scrapped but this one looks somewhat promising.... so far!
It starts off like... "I'm feeling 1969 / I'm tripping stones but I feel fine".

The next step for these fresh poppies is to make better recordings of them and eventually work 'em out with a full band. (We can still use a drummer and singer btw!) I guess I'll see how it goes.