PA Songwriters'/Composers' Association

Star_Song_Age_Less wrote: Dayvenkirq wrote: Star_Song_Age_Less wrote: I am a bit jealous that you are able to deconstruct it. Why be jealous if you feel that things like studying order in music would hurt the results of your creative instinct? You're just taking me much too seriously, now.  I typed that with a smile on my face, not with searing jealousy in my soul.   As for music just being a hobby of mine, I've put in far more than my 10,000 hours in the practice rooms and the studio and spent the money to pay for the recording time for my album.  It would be wonderful if it actually sold and I could start doing that for a living.  But I realistically know that is essentially impossible.

I would never tell myself that making it in the music business is impossible. Sounds an awful lot like a trap of discouragement. Maybe it doesn't matter how much time and money you put into workshopping your musical self. Why would you not want to keep going?

Edited by Dayvenkirq - June 01 2016 at 18:36

DDPascalDD wrote: It's hard to give feedback on just a medley, but I thought you had a pretty professional sound, you could maybe add a little more sounds/instruments to make it more intersting to listen to. A good thing I heard wasthat it was pretty diverse/eclectic altogether. -- On another note, is anyone willing to give me helpful feedback? Try to be as harsh as you can!  But mainly what I want to know: -if the sound is ok -if it sounds a little progressive/refreshing or just "copying the 70's" -is the singing an acquired taste or a bad choice? -if the composition is ok -if the execution (timing, played with care, etc.) is ok That's maybe almost everything, but it'd really help me to see where I can work on most. Listen here oh yeah, a little background info: The title is a wordplay with aria, in that form it is written (very freely). The part after the intro till the solos start 03:11 is a kind of experiment of me trying to make "compact music", no idea if it works out or not.

Sound - Yes, I think so.  Right in the first few seconds I was worried that it was going to sound "too midi," but another instrument came in and the sound suddenly opened up.  When the singing comes in, it closes back down.  I'm not sure if that is what you were going for or not, it just sounds big and open without singing but small when the voice comes in.
Copying the '70s - Not in my opinion.  I'm happy to hear piano in here rather than synth leads (which I love in old prog, but which so many people have copied at this point I almost dread hearing it).
The Singing - It wouldn't be my choice.  I feel that the effect on the voice hinders the piece - it develops a spaciousness that the voice then removes.  However, if that is what you were going for then you succeeded, and I'd love to hear what you were thinking when you chose it.  As to whether it is an acquired taste, I'd say anything can be with enough time and if this does something you artistically want, keep it.
The composition - Smooth flow, good transitions, nothing awkward, suddenly slides into something very positive at the end - I like the change.  Overall I'd say very good.  And yes, the execution is good, thus the lack of awkwardness.

Is this the first one or are there more?  I don't see more on the channel.

Dayvenkirq wrote: Star_Song_Age_Less wrote: ^Phew, you are more philosophical than I am.  If I even try to think about how I should write a song, ... I'm going to stop you right there. Don't think so much about how you should  write a song. Whenever you do something, you have a goal. When I write a song, my goals are... What I'm saying here is that before you start making music, you might want to revise your motives/priorities.

Yes, that's what I said.  Thinking about how I should write the song ruins the song.  Any song I have ever put too much logical thought into has turned out poor.  I'm not sure what you thought my priorities were, but they appear to be just like your own.  You just seem to follow a linear process (which works for you - great!) whereas I do not, and have found that a linear process dooms my final product.

Dayvenkirq wrote: Star_Song_Age_Less wrote: If I even try to think about how I should  write a song, it immediately sabotages my songwriting process, which appears to be entirely subconscious. Then it sounds more like a hobby of yours, which I can understand. But remember that things like theory and writing techniques are nothing but tools to aid you in writing what some of us understand as coherent pieces of music.

Nope, our processes are just different.  For me, the music must come naturally or the final product suffers.  Thought put into how to write it just kills it for some reason.  So I have learned not to think about it - it works better that way (for me).

It's hard to give feedback on just a medley, but I thought you had a pretty professional sound, you could maybe add a little more sounds/instruments to make it more intersting to listen to. A good thing I heard wasthat it was pretty diverse/eclectic altogether.

^ Sorry for my late reply.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - May 30 2016 at 11:07

A progressive "polka" song I wrote in 2012:

Dayvenkirq wrote: ^ Wouldn't it make more sense if you worked them out in a certain order (instead of getting hung up on all elements at once)? Mulling over songwriting techniques, I've figured that in order to (at the very least) breath life into a song you have to set a certain mood on your own terms, by means of experimentation, or starting with a bass-drum groove, or playing rich, intricate changes, or inserting a lo-fi recording from an external source, or any other way. In fact, you could even start an improvisation with any of those ideas and move on. Then you can worry about melody or just completing the song with the rest of the sections.

Forgot to reply. Well, it normally does happen in a certain order. My personality doesn't really come through my music unless it has the mood I want (thought it's sometimes vice versa). And, for me, lyrics normally happen after the music's done. Having a lyrical personality, theme, and mood, though, is a different story. That's really what I meant by mediating between the three. I'm still not as skilled a lyricist as I am a composer, so I often have to spend extra time on the lyrics.

My brother and I released our first album, called Sharks on a Plane! It's mostly surf rock with some mathy sensibilities: https://blankspacerecords.bandcamp.com/album/sharks-on-a-plane

Not sure, personally. I strive for all three and it's hard to mediate them sometimes.

I think that what I should do is figure out how the changes work in songs, as well as how a song is built. Different artists try different tricks like twisting ABABCAB into something different and even add another musical idea (D or a coda when necessary); using modulation, tonicization, and unconventional cadences; and employing fancy chords like sus, slash (which are like extended chords), add, altered, etc.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - February 19 2016 at 12:09

It's ok for an intro but you must add a leading layer to it. Just my opinion :D