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Vincenzo Pandolfi
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4/13/2013 8:20:18 AM
Sometimes I wonder why I do this
I guess there are many different motivations for writing a song. Listening to a young producer at a songwriters meeting, I was taken aback by the calculated process he described in creating his songs.
He said that basically he took a popular song and tried to recreate the vibe, he then put down a chord sequence and using the pitch corrector plugin he would try some vocals. He said that when he hit the wrong note the pitch corrector would take the note somewhere he did not expect and in this way create an interesting melody. I was puzzled at the time, and I still am.
I don't believe that this is songwriting and I probably never will. Now wonder so many pop songs sound the same!!
On the other hand of the scale I do exactly the opposite. Something triggers in me the need to write a song, something I see around me, something that happens in my life or the news etc. I have little regard for trying to reproduce a vibe in the hope that I thus produce something popular. I write what comes as I feel it, so I write songs that have no hope of ever being popular.
A typical example is Life on the line
It is a sad dark unpleasant song and it is supposed to be. One of our friends, died suddenly at 38. He lived life in the fast lane. He was a promising and successful club owner and business man. He had a young son and a loving family and now he is gone.
Something made me write the song, I did not dwell on it. I did not plan to do it, it just came out and I don't care if it does not fit any genre or follow the vibe of a popular song. If I tried to, it would not be real.
Ciao,
Vincenzo
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Bryon Tosoff
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4/13/2013 11:01:40 AM
Thanks for your post Vincenzo, interesting insight on how things are going and your take on the songwriter meeting
I follow the same approach as you, more spontaneous and inspirational, at the moment so to speak. good one and thanks for your time to present your feelings on the subject of "being in the moment" and something that sparks the fire to do an original work
bryon
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Vincenzo Pandolfi
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4/15/2013 12:26:53 PM
Thank you Byron,
I am glad I am not alone in the universe....almost! Musically speaking that is. I am blessed with a beautiful family. That is probably why I can afford to write on the moment.
Thank you for taking the time to read my little piece.
Ciao,
Vincenzo
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Steve Ison
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4/15/2013 1:20:30 PM
Totally agree Vincenzo..
I play around and write tunes everyday -but am always looking for an emotional connection and real prescence with what i'm doing - and can feel the diffference when i feel that compared with just creating something 'pretty' where i'm not so completely engaged..
Its not quite the same as the example you gave - where a specific event causes you to write -but there's 'something' on a subconcious level that gives a a feeling of meaning for me- compared with the intellectualised 'randomness' of the computer guy you gave..
Far more depressing than the randomness for me is the fact he's just being a marketing man
Sounds like there's no depth of connection with what he's doing - no intensity of feeling driving it..Just a desire to try and be loved by others/make money from ripping off something currently popular
Its not artistry thats f'sure lol
One of the sad things about the irresistable ease/cheapness of modern computer recording tech n worldwide sharing- is its spawned zillions of these shallow men clogging up the arteries of the internet with their characterless mediocrity..
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Zeeza
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4/16/2013 1:14:39 PM
hah, I do my songs as they come around, free and fast. I sometimes re-record them but they never end up being the same song. Never the same twice, no matter how I record it. Sometimes I wish it were better, sometimes it has little air mistakes, chord bloops and suspicious words. Ofcourse ultra polished mastered recordings are a treat when they turn out good.
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Chandra Moon
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4/16/2013 1:17:20 PM
I get the song in my head first - usually rhythm first, then lyrics then a tune. Then I have to try and work out how to play it!! Completely back to front than most song writers that I know. I've never tried to copy someone else's song though I'm sure music I've listened to in the past has influenced my songs.
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Vincenzo Pandolfi
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4/16/2013 1:51:01 PM
Steve, Zeeza & Chandra,
So glad to see that you all write spontaneously. I don't think it matters what comes first, melody, chords, lyrics.
With me I used to start with melody in my earlier songs, but now days I always start with the lyrics.
Most times it feels like the song is writing itself, it kind of flows and I am just the messenger.
Of course we are all influenced by music we have listened to over the years, but there is a difference between been influenced and taking a specific song and trying to duplicate the vibe because it happens to be successful and popular.
I am also concerned that every song now days has to come with a video. It may be true that a video can enhance the experience, especially with an instrumental piece, but on the other hand it also limits the listeners to what is visually placed in front of them.
A bit like imagining a scene while reading a book or watching the movie. The former stimulates the imagination, the latter requires little or no imagination as it is all done for us.
I question if the listener is really listening to the song while watching the video.
Ciao,
Vincenzo
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Stoneman
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4/17/2013 4:51:38 PM
I get requests from publishers I have done business with before to write a song that sounds exactly but not quite like a particular song. I always turn them down and move on. Probably not smart from a business point of view but if I was in this just for the business I would have quit a long time ago because it hasn't made me rich. But I can say that it is not uncommon for publishers to make those kinds of requests. Also, a lot of music supervisors for films send out requests like this in order to replace a popular song they inserted in the film but found out that the publishing rights were too expensive for the budget. So, they tend to want songs that sound exactly like Joe Blows song but has less expensive budgetary concerns. I tend to ignore those also because I just don't feel ethically right about it. I say pay Joe Blow his money. If you can afford to do a movie, you can probably afford to pay Joe Blow!
My songwriting process is quite varied. Sometimes I write what is playing in my head. I have a virtual radio playing in my head 24 hours a day. Other times I am inspired by an event in my life or the lives of others. Then there are those songs that come from conversations I have with people. For instance, my wife and I were talking one day about a friend of ours and how he is such a freak because he has so many women (usually threesomes) and I laughingly asked: Where does he find these freaks at? My wife answered "Freaks of a Feather Flock Together". Ding! went that songwriting bell in my head and I wrote a song called Freaks Of A Feather. The song got signed about 6 months later and still one of my best royalty earners. I have written a lot of songs like that from conversations with other people. Other times I write just by tinkering around on one of my instruments. Usually the guitar or synth. Occasionally I write for hire for local stage plays and what not. They send me the scene and I write a song to go with it. That's always a bit challenging which makes it great fun. I like being challenged! But the most important way I write is through emotional need. A need to express my concerns about world events or personal trauma/euphoria. Whatever the case, I would never plagiarize someone's work because I wouldn't be happy if someone did that to me.
Much Respect,
Stoneman
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