General Music Chat

Every time I try to write something secular I just come up with a bunch of unassociated lyrics.
I have created some melodies by just messing around on my guitar.
A couple of times when Steve-o and Floyd have been early to rehearsal they have joined in and we just play spontaineously off of my noodling.
I have had a few tunes run through my head, yet have been unable to capture them for any lengthof time.
Even on political issues that I am passionate about, I get nothing.
I suppose the fact that I play for and am part of a Christian band may be part of the reasoning behind my "narrow creative focus".
Not that I am complaining mind you.
But sometime I would like to be able to capture the secular songs that float through my head a easly as I seem to vividly dream the spiritual.

George, there's plenty of posts on this forum that you could use for song lyrics. Feel free to use some of my posts if you like. I won't sue you for royalties from your upcoming platinum CD...

Welcome to Paradise !!!

Paleopete said it , my " noodling comes up with some my good songs" I LIKE THAT, AND I AGREE.
Sans your band is getting better every time you post , Just keep going man , and keep "Noodling".

I know that this may be a crazy idea, but why not try writing something purely instrumental? I don't know...call me crazy.

George, try writing your passionate ideas down as a story instead of lyrical. If it is fairly long, try condensing it down to about 3 or 4 paragraphs. Once you feel that it pretty much tells a good story, then start picking out parts and putting them in poetic form. Take the strongest most meaningful parts to use as the chorus, as that is what you want to repeat in the song. If you get stuck, post some of it on here and I'll bet plenty of people would be glad to give it a go.

I don't understand the problem?
You are a Christian band spreading your word and you want to change that?

Like others have said its been fun and good to see your band grow into something that is sounding really good of late so and again why would you want to change that?

I'd keep on track with what I am doing because I know it works, stuff the world and what it thinks and just keep moving on.

Just my 2 cents Sans.

Best.
Chippy.

Every time I try to write something secular I just come up with a bunch of unassociated lyrics.
I have created some melodies by just messing around on my guitar.
A couple of times when Steve-o and Floyd have been early to rehearsal they have joined in and we just play spontaineously off of my noodling.
I have had a few tunes run through my head, yet have been unable to capture them for any lengthof time.
Even on political issues that I am passionate about, I get nothing.
I suppose the fact that I play for and am part of a Christian band may be part of the reasoning behind my "narrow creative focus".
Not that I am complaining mind you.
But sometime I would like to be able to capture the secular songs that float through my head a easly as I seem to vividly dream the spiritual.

Thanks for the input.
Chippy
I have no intention of changing anything with the progress of the NKF project. But I have attempted to write some of my, shall we say, less spiritual thoughts and feelings into a song format with little success.

Jeff
I like that story conversion idea. I'll have to give that a shot.

Mary
Yea instrumental would be cool, and I actually have a couple of incomplete instrumental pieces. Once again developed from just noodling with the rhythm section.

Glen
Thanks I will.

Bob
What you write is often too fair and balanced for anyone to mistake it for my psychotic rambling.


Yep, Welcome to Paradise. or just roll a pair. It's all a crap shoot anyway.

Good thing nobody else answered or you would be typing a long,long time

Write what you can, when you can, sans...& accept it for what it is.

Be happy that you're writing.

I'm not, & it's something I feel I need to do...but alas, it just isn't coming to me right now...

Ah yes...... thanks Phil.
Thats just what I am gonna do.
I am going to try that story conversion idea of Jeff's though.
That sounds like something that may work for me.

Turmoil always works for me. Hell I've been writing up a storm this past week or so with the breakup with the girlfriend. And I'm not even a lyricist. I get an idea in my head to base a song around. Maybe just let go a little and listen to your emotions?

George, I dont add much to religious deals on here for a reason. But I have been involved with gospel and rock music for a long time. When my son was racing motorcycles I complained that we needed a preacher at the tracks so much that I got elected. I think and this is only my opinion but if you are writing religious music and get lost just go back to the bible and use the storys in there as a basis. On my player here I think I have the song The Day That Jesus died, that is just taken straight from the bible and when folks hear they instantly relate to it, because they've heard the story before. Its also one hell of a rock song with a very layered guitar solo, I think I put like 10 lead tracks on that song. I also wrote one about Daniel and the Lions den, but I turned it around to be from the Lions standpoint just for fun. The bible is full of some of the greatest storys ever told, so if you need proper inspiration go back to the source and use it to write the songs.

Writing songs is weird process for me, I can sit down and write songs all day long, kind of a formula approach. But the best ones for me kinda just write themselves from a term or a riff or just how Im feeling about stuff.

Good Luck, when in doubt go back to the source.

George I misread your post. You were talking about another thing than I thought.

I try to draw inspiration from songs by the emotional stuff going on in my life. New girlfriend, Ex girlfriend, something that just pisses me off, I think if I can put some real emotion into a song no matter the subject, that I am a successful songwriter. Lately Ive been playing a lot in a couple of bars and I draw inspiration from the people there and their storys. I use terms they say to get a song started.

Love and Hate seem to be the ones that draw people in the most. Whereas Joy should be up there, I never write in the Joy Division much, pardon the pun, didnt that singer kill himself?

Have a Great Day and try to develop a regular approach to writing, if you are just at work and someone says an interesting term, you can just record into the recorder in your cell phone to remember. Or if you get a neat melody in your head record it in there. Technology is great for this kind of stuff. Thats my biggest problem remembering the things that I think are good. When Im on the road and even in a hurry these days I will stop and tak ethe time to write down a good song idea if one comes along.

Dont lose these song inspirations, grab em and develop them. Sometimes I will get a couple of song ideas nad over time combine them.

This is a great subject George, thanks for asking! Some of the post on here latley have been so boring that I havent even responded.