Comments on: Fast Songwriting vs. Slow Songwriting

By: Tony Conniff

Tony Conniff — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 04:08:00 +0000

In reply to Charity.

Agreed, Charity!
Thanks,
Tony

By: Charity

Charity — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 21:45:16 +0000

I definitely have the Lazy Susan style. I write on the go into my iPhone and at night, I’ll scroll through the 10 to 20 little ideas I’ve had during the day and see if anything strikes me. If I find an interesting melody or concept, then I can bring that into GB or I’ll pick up the guitar and try to work out the chords and key and fiddle with it. Usually 5,6 songs are all being worked on at once. Some come fast and some come more slowly

I want to mention something that’s buggin’ me lately that sort of fits with the topic here: Folks who like to brag about how little time it took them to write a song. “I wrote this in 15 minutes!” “I wrote this stepping into the shower!” “I wrote this in a dream and just had to copy it down! It took
me 3 minutes!” Or some Nashville writers who say they have to write a hit every session. For reals? [sic]. To me, good songwriting has nothing to do with SPEED. So why is everyone so focused on it? Does it mean you’re more talented or a better writer? For me, it takes what it takes.Thanks!

By: Tony Conniff

Tony Conniff — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 16:49:38 +0000

In reply to Peter Leslie. Well said, Peter; thank you! Tony

By: Peter Leslie

Peter Leslie — Sat, 22 Aug 2020 03:05:42 +0000

I must have a similarly strange mind! I work in a similar way, and find that the more embryonic songs I have on the go, the more momentum I seem to build up in terms of nutting out lyrics, structures, arrangements etc. Demoing a fully arranged track is part of my process and I like having a number of them on the boil so I can bounce around as I like, as you do, though I inevitably reach a point where I have to knuckle down and put in the heavy lifting. Also, lyrics tend to come slowly for me; I’ve learned to be patient and let them come, the end result is almost always worth the wait.

Interestingly, towards the end of the process (which I try to craft into an album) other songs, usually two for some reason, will suddenly come to me from the ether and force their way into the running list due to their quality. I tend to think it’s due to having so many songs near completion, thinking about arranging, mixing etc and being at a peak momentum of creativity, craft and receptiveness.
Then I make the final burst, finish everything off, final sequence, done!
Then I collapse in exhaustion and relief, don’t touch an instrument for months, and slowly wait out my recharge cycle and for the juices to start flowing again. Then rinse and repeat…

Sporadic, tiring, infuriating but elating: it kind of works!

By: Tony Conniff

Tony Conniff — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 06:09:52 +0000

In reply to Gillian Lee. Thanks, Gillian!

By: Gillian Lee

Gillian Lee — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 05:11:33 +0000

I tend to write in spurts. If I have an idea or a story line, the song writes itself. When I present the song my husband, the guitar player will come up with an intro and solo which shapes and gives it that different perspective that I wouldn’t have thought about. That’s the magic and fun of songwriting.