I just realized that if you look at the times when I posted last month's song and this month's song, they are both after midnight. Funny. So here it is, in all its late-night glory. Don't forget, I am really looking forward to hearing feedback and comments about my work, so please feel free to comment! Thanks, and enjoy!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
August Song of the Month: Three AM
I just realized that if you look at the times when I posted last month's song and this month's song, they are both after midnight. Funny. So here it is, in all its late-night glory. Don't forget, I am really looking forward to hearing feedback and comments about my work, so please feel free to comment! Thanks, and enjoy!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
It's August!
Well, this has been a hectic month. Yes I have a new song, and I am working on getting it recorded and posted in the near future. (Whoo hoo!) I thought I would write a bit about my process, though. Some of you Creative Pulsers (fellow graduate students) thought it was quite a feat that I wrote the July song in an hour, and someone made a comment like, "Just think what it would be like if she had a whole month!" I don't know who said that, but whomever you are, thank you, because you were probably the inspiration for this whole Song of the Month thing.
However, I want to dispel a myth about songwriting. I don't think having a longer time necessarily means a better song. I have been thinking about how it is that I write songs. I never really analyzed my process, but I remember as a kid wondering about some of my favorite song writers, and wanting to know how they did it, or what was the "proper" way to write a song. Did the melody come first, or the lyrics? How did they decide what to write about? That kind of thing. In looking at my songwriting history, I realize there isn't one correct way, but there is a way that it usually happens for me.
The way it tends to happen is that I have a feeling, or an idea about a song. Then it percolates in my mind; it incubates for an indeterminate length of time. There is no forcing it, really. Eventually, it either comes or it doesn't. When it does come, it usually comes out all in a rush, almost as if it is writing itself. I think what happened with "Follow the Child" was that I had been thinking about being a teacher for the whole time I was at Creative Pulse, so that time became the incubation time. Then when we sat down to write, it just all came out. It seemed to be instantaneous, but in reality, had been in process for quite a while.
This month, it was harder. I was trying to force myself to write. I had several ideas, and even wrote several lines down about being a "work in progress". Then in a fit of cleaning our house, I lost the paper I had written them on, and for the life of me, I can't reconstruct what they were. So that song hit a dead end. Most of the month, I just worried about whether I could really do it, really write a song on command. Then, a couple of nights ago, literally in the middle of the night, after tossing and turning, I woke up with lyrics in my head, and a rhythm, and a sort of tune! I was tired, and half asleep, but I realized if I didn't write them down, I would probably forget them like I did the "work in progress" song. I couldn't do that. So I stumbled around finding paper and pen, trying not to wake my husband, and scribbled them down in the dark. Once they were out, I could finally fall back to sleep. When I woke up, the song was there, just needing some work on the piano to find the right chords, and some tweaking of the lyrics. Not surprisingly, the song is about getting creative inspiration, and honoring it whenever it comes. That is one big thing I am learning about myself as a songwriter. I need to be prepared to follow the inspiration through when it comes, or I might lose it.
I can't wait to share the August song with you, which right now is entitled, "Three AM", but I am open for suggestions on the title. I really hope you enjoy it. However, it is not quite ready yet due to technical difficulties. I have been working on my creative space in my house, and it is slowly coming together. I finally was able to get my keyboard set up, which I need to use to record the song. But I don't have the correct cable to connect the keyboard to my Mac. Hopefully today I will get it, and tomorrow will be able to get a rough recording out. We shall see. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please check back in a couple of days to hear "Three AM"!
However, I want to dispel a myth about songwriting. I don't think having a longer time necessarily means a better song. I have been thinking about how it is that I write songs. I never really analyzed my process, but I remember as a kid wondering about some of my favorite song writers, and wanting to know how they did it, or what was the "proper" way to write a song. Did the melody come first, or the lyrics? How did they decide what to write about? That kind of thing. In looking at my songwriting history, I realize there isn't one correct way, but there is a way that it usually happens for me.
The way it tends to happen is that I have a feeling, or an idea about a song. Then it percolates in my mind; it incubates for an indeterminate length of time. There is no forcing it, really. Eventually, it either comes or it doesn't. When it does come, it usually comes out all in a rush, almost as if it is writing itself. I think what happened with "Follow the Child" was that I had been thinking about being a teacher for the whole time I was at Creative Pulse, so that time became the incubation time. Then when we sat down to write, it just all came out. It seemed to be instantaneous, but in reality, had been in process for quite a while.
This month, it was harder. I was trying to force myself to write. I had several ideas, and even wrote several lines down about being a "work in progress". Then in a fit of cleaning our house, I lost the paper I had written them on, and for the life of me, I can't reconstruct what they were. So that song hit a dead end. Most of the month, I just worried about whether I could really do it, really write a song on command. Then, a couple of nights ago, literally in the middle of the night, after tossing and turning, I woke up with lyrics in my head, and a rhythm, and a sort of tune! I was tired, and half asleep, but I realized if I didn't write them down, I would probably forget them like I did the "work in progress" song. I couldn't do that. So I stumbled around finding paper and pen, trying not to wake my husband, and scribbled them down in the dark. Once they were out, I could finally fall back to sleep. When I woke up, the song was there, just needing some work on the piano to find the right chords, and some tweaking of the lyrics. Not surprisingly, the song is about getting creative inspiration, and honoring it whenever it comes. That is one big thing I am learning about myself as a songwriter. I need to be prepared to follow the inspiration through when it comes, or I might lose it.
I can't wait to share the August song with you, which right now is entitled, "Three AM", but I am open for suggestions on the title. I really hope you enjoy it. However, it is not quite ready yet due to technical difficulties. I have been working on my creative space in my house, and it is slowly coming together. I finally was able to get my keyboard set up, which I need to use to record the song. But I don't have the correct cable to connect the keyboard to my Mac. Hopefully today I will get it, and tomorrow will be able to get a rough recording out. We shall see. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please check back in a couple of days to hear "Three AM"!
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