Up-and-Coming: A Songwriter's Attempt to "Make It"
This is the final version of my original song “Beggar For Your Love.” If you like it, please feel free to share it!
Recording a demo this summer has been a really great experience! I’ve learned a lot about the industry, and about myself as an artist. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have professionals give positive feedback on my work, which gives me hope that trying to make a go of music is not an insane move on my part. So what’s the problem?
My problem right now is that I’ve had so many good experiences with music in the last two months that I’m worried I won’t be able to top myself. I’m worried that the 4 songs on my demo will be the last good songs I write. Am I neurotic? Yes. Are my negative thoughts grounded in reality? Probably not.
The issue, though, is that my anxieties are interfering with my creativity and songwriting. Fears and negative thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies so quickly. I’ve been writing songs over the last few days, but I notice that my work feels constricted. Nothing is flowing as easily. I think that I’m so concerned about writing “hits” that I am judging everything I produce too harshly, which makes it harder to keep producing. I’ve lost some of the joy, and the joy was supposed to be the whole point of pursuing music.
I’m not about to throw in the towel, though. I am working on adjusting my attitude, chiefly through working with Julia Cameron’s Walking in This World. I highly recommend Cameron’s body of work (her most famous book is The Artist’s Way) for artists in general, and blocked artists in particular. Cameron views art as a spiritual practice, and this is an extremely helpful lens for me. When I am engaged with the tools that Cameron offers, I find myself reconnecting with the source of art. I can see myself as a channel for a flow of creative energy. When I am not making art as a spiritual practice, on the other hand, my ego comes to the forefront, and I start making a mess inside my head.
The nice thing about art, though, is that we have the opportunity to start fresh at any moment. The slate is always clean.
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This is another song from my ukulele writing spree! I wanted something with a chill, luau feel.
Hi All,
I’m back to blogging after a crazy couple of days! All were good, and music-related, but they took me away from the computer.
I met today with a successful arranger/producer in Manhattan. He shared some good tips with me, which I’ll now share with you!
The piece of advice that resonated the most with me was to really think about the focus of the song. What is the most important part of the song? Is it a hook? Is it something harmonically cool? Is it a certain rhythm or groove? A song can be solid, but if it’s missing that focus, it won’t work as well.
Another tip related to the title of a song. Listeners like it when a chorus makes the song title obvious. If the connection between the song title and the song itself is tenuous (e.g. you take the second line from the third verse as the title), especially in pop music, people won’t really know what to call it, which makes it harder for your song to become SUPER-POPULAR!
In terms of accompanying yourself when you sing, he said that you want to be aware of the actual notes of the melody you are singing. (Often, we songwriters just sing our melodies without thinking about what exactly we’re singing.) Then, you can structure your accompaniment to support the melody, perhaps by doubling it or harmonizing with it. When you’re singing, keep the accompaniment bare. When there is a break in your melody, you can fill in some of that space with your instrument.
Hope these tips help you, too!
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Since I posted such a bummer of a song last night, I thought I’d put up my happy love ukulele song today. It’s called “Thank You (for Being You)”—man, I’m loving those titles with parentheses!
By the way, this posting rough recordings online stuff is TERRIFYING! (Who’s listening to it? What if no one listens to it? What if they listen to it and hate it? What if people think I’m ridiculous for trying to pursue music?) “Blah, blah, blah,” drone the demons.
I suppose this is a lesson in letting go/non-attachment/other vaguely Buddhist concepts. I’m putting music out there because I’ve never shared my songs before, and I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.
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One of my musician friends told me recently that it’s important not to be afraid of sharing “imperfect content” (i.e. my rough recordings) with others. It’s taken me a while to get on board with this, but I figured that I should post a bit of my music, given that I’ve been blogging about it.
As I’ve mentioned, I got my ukulele 4 days ago. So, here is a new original song, on a new instrument. Hooray for being brave!
This is called “You Don’t Owe Me Anything (What Did I Expect?)”
I recently developed a pretty massive crush, and this song is now my unrequited love jam. Hope you enjoy!
Last night I got to go to a benefit concert where Mr. Carter was the headliner. (Greg Raposo from Dream Street opened for him…Anyone?) It was fun to see him perform after having performed for him. (I think the main difference in our styles is that I don’t include aerial flips in my sets.) The whole experience reminded me of how people react differently to different kinds of music. I suspected that these concert-goers would be bored and upset to hear any type of music that didn’t have crazy-loud base and a super-thumping beat. Music and lyrics were none of their concern. I tried unsuccessfully to imagine myself getting a crowd excited like Aaron did. There are plenty of people who love listening to chill music with introspective lyrics, I know. It was just hard to remember that amidst all the hands in the air.
BTW, Aaron wants people to check out his new single, “Turn You Out.” If you’re interested, you can find it on YouTube.
I went to a picnic tonight. I knew that there were going to be musicians there, and that there would probably be some sort of jam. So, I brought along my ukulele. I don’t have a portable keyboard, and I knew I’d feel sad if my only musical contribution came from an egg shaker. So, I jammed for some time on my ukulele with 2 fellows playing guitar and bass. That’s strange enough, right?
Well, let’s add another layer. One of the guests at this picnic was Aaron Carter. A total sweetheart and gentleman. (We were on the same team for bocce ball, and he made me feel better about my total lack of athletic ability.) Late at night, I was playing one of the songs I’d written on the ukulele, and Aaron came up and asked me if it was an original. I said that it was, and he told me that he really liked it. A group formed, and I sang my first uke song to them. It got a warm and lovely reception. And then they asked for more. I told them that I had 2 other songs—a dark one, and an easy-groovin’ love song. Aaron requested the dark one, which I played. And after I was finished, they wanted to hear the third, which I played.
The bottom line: I serenaded Aaron Carter tonight. WHAT?!
I am still coming to terms with the fact that I was the center of attention for over 10 minutes. Normally, I am very shy about playing even one song for others. I am always afraid that I’m wasting people’s time. Tonight, though, I realized that people were actually enjoying the music I had made. I also realized that I was enjoying performing for people! I made eye contact. (I tried to make it sultry. It may have worked.) I knew my voice was sounding good. It flowed. It all tilted my world more a little bit.
Do I have the ukulele to thank for this new magic? Whatever the reason, I’m running with it.
Hi All,
Adan is looking for feedback for his new song. Here’s the info!
soaeo-music: new song
any thoughts/feedback would be lovely. (: It’s still in the growing stages.
http://soundcloud.com/adan-gonzalez/android-18
also my lyric blog is here:
http://soaeomusings.tumblr.com/
