2 new songs
Today was a productive one at rehearsal. I went into it thinking I would just have some finished lyrics to "Outsider", but I did some playing before we started (everyday at 3pm) and got inspired. Woke up at noon, (kind of digging the no day job schedule) and started listening to mp3's of rehearsal. We have been rocking one, "Untitled", that all of a sudden, I started getting lyrics to. I was still writing when I showed up to rehearsal and Chaney wasn't there yet, so I took a break to walk around the hot San Fernando valley with my sketchbook to try to get as much as I could down before we started playing. I came back with most of them done, it turns out that my library visit yesterday was really productive. I was inspired by a section in one of the Nietzsche books that compared the skin that covers the bones and blood of the body, to vanity which covers up the passions and needs of the soul. We worked on that for a bit, then did "Outsider" for a while, then spent some time on "Half Hearted".
Comments
Steve,
Thanks for the web design advice. In addition to my network geekdom, I'm currently making the artistic transition from being just a guitar "player/songwriter" to "singer/songwriter". I'm pretty insecure about my lyrics, though. Other than just powering through the bad entry level lyrics and being patiently waiting for the good ones to come, do you have any advice on this process?
Thanks again, and I'll stop bothering you now!
Posted by: jeffg | July 23, 2004 10:09 AM
Jeff,
I think that the more you do it you should get better, and if there is a lyric that you aren't fully behind, kill it. Get a new one. I am much more of musician than a lyricist. I can only really come up with words I love if there is music I love there first. So if the lyrics seem weak, maybe the music needs a little work too, because it's not giving you any visons; ideas. I also think that nothing kills the lyric writing faster than sitting down to do it. With music, if I sit down with the idea of playing, something usually comes out, but with words, it's the opposite. I try to have a rough song on a tape player or ipod, and to spend time during the day listening to it (lunch, walking around, in the car). When idle and waiting, nothing good ever comes to me. The words seem to want to appear when I'm moving, walking, doing something ELSE...
good luck.
Posted by: Steve | July 24, 2004 02:46 AM