If there is a critical, difficult and sometimes painful moment in the process of writing a song, it is when we decide that it is finished, that it can see the light of day and be heard as a complete work by anyone, by the whole world, if we want it to be. That moment is often surrounded by doubts, questions, even fear, whether something is missing, whether we could improve it and, of course, whether people will like it or not.
Let's talk about this delicate and liberating moment at the same time. We'll understand what situations usually occur during this time and how to deal with them.
The process of writing songs
How do I write a song? Well, it is a recurring theme on this website and can be seen from different angles. But, when we are already in motion and the elements have appeared and found their place, when it seems that everything fits together, then, is it enough? The purpose that made us start composing, the idea that gave it form and the development that brought together what was necessary on a piece of paper or in a computer program, all this process leads to the final moment, to the decision to finish a work. Although there are many ways to write and finish a composition, perhaps the best way to do all this is to keep in mind the purpose, the intention that made us start this artistic adventure. Why are we writing this song specifically? Answering this question clearly is a huge help when choosing what to include in it and what not, of course. In this way, we will also have more guarantees regarding the overall meaning of what we are saying and the musical discourse we are putting together. But knowing this and keeping it in mind will also give us very valuable information and will be a powerful guide to decide when enough is enough, when we can consider it complete and finished. It is the first and most valuable resource we have when writing a song: what we wanted to say in it, what we were trying to achieve with that music, with those verses.
Doubts when finishing a song
We can question so many things: are the lyrics good enough, the melody could be improved, or will the rhythm or the chords or the music itself of that song be up to par, … Let's briefly mention four issues that can prevent us from finishing a song:
Skills
Creative block
Perfectionism
Lack of inspiration
Ours skillsexperience (or lack thereof, rather) are one of the classic elements that fuel doubt and insecurity. Do I have what it takes or enough to turn this song into a good song? The answer: we will never know. This moment is what it is, you have what you have and with that you will finish your song. If you want to increase your knowledge or skills you have to continue with your learning, there is no more. And you only learn to write songs in one way: by making songs. blockages are another common situation for music and song writers. Having that feeling that something is missing and that we don't know what it is or we can't find it, paralysis by analysis or drowning in expectations or comparisons with other works regularly get in our way. The simplest solution: go for a walk, get some fresh air or dedicate yourself to another task or song and come back to it later. Don't force the situation, it can get worse that way. Too much perfectionism It also often accompanies us when we write songs. Whether it's because we have an idealized goal or because we're obsessed with being better every day, for example, we can enter into an infinite self-correcting loop. Stop questioning everything you do, progress or improvement is never a straight upward line but rather a curve that goes up and down. Allow yourself imperfection because, after all, everyone is imperfect, right? And inspirationOf course, the lack of it, in particular. Who hasn't been tormented by this at some point? There is so much literature related to the muses, to the magical process of creation, that it is almost impossible not to be influenced by all those stories of angels, demons and other fantastic creatures. To resolve this, we will simply turn to the master Picasso: “inspiration always finds me working.” We can say it louder, but not clearer. These are often intertwined issues, which add up and plunge us into confusion, insecurity and paralysis. Let us act mercilessly against them. Let us not let them stop us.
The abandonment
And yes, finally, we must abandon our song, we have to let it go, perhaps fragile, imperfect, improvable, … it is true. But we must free it and free ourselves from it too. Who has not fallen asleep and woken up thinking about the process of composing a song? Who has not been able to concentrate on something else while a half-finished song claimed our attention? At some point, we have to abandon it, give it a chance, let it be heard, share it with few or many, it doesn’t matter, separate ourselves from it so that it can be realized, so that other throats can sing it. And what is that moment? Well, each one will have his philosophy, his signs, his custom, but let’s say that if there comes a point where we feel that we can no longer do more for it, that we have given it the best of ourselves, what we have at that moment of our life, then it is a good moment to let it go, to share it with the world. Music and lyrics, lyrics and music, a song. Don’t turn the writing of a song into an endless process, into a loop or a torture. Give it a few days, a few weeks at most, and then, if it's still not ready, put it in a drawer, in a folder and forget about it for a while. Maybe, despite all your effort and dedication, you feel that it hasn't reached the point you want for it yet. That's okay, it can happen, it happens all the time. There are drawers and folders full of unfinished songs. Their time will come, the opportunity to finish them.
Conclusions
In short, a moment that is often difficult to get through. Deciding that a song is ready to be heard, perhaps recorded and offered to the ears of the rest of us, may not be easy… but it has to be done. Luckily, it is not the end of the world, a person's life does not depend on that decision, so there is no need to dramatize that trance. We can even recover it later and rewrite it or complete it, without any major problems. Often, most of those doubts or fears are centered on what others will think, the listeners, the critics, whoever. Consciously or unconsciously, we perceive that pressure due to commercial expectations, economic success or any type of external repercussion to the song itself and to our taste or purpose when we were creating it. It is understandable, every person who listens to our composition will value it in some way, will have an opinion and, probably, will communicate it through some means. Yes, that is going to happen, to some extent, and there will be everything: congratulations, indifference, constructive and absurd criticism, shit, envy, admiration, gratitude, … everything. Remember that saying: “it is better to be spoken badly of than not spoken at all.” That is one way of looking at it. There are people who use it constantly, to get attention, for example. But, in any case, we must accept that these things will happen. Accepting them or ignoring them is the most advisable thing and concentrating on what is really important: our work, our way of expressing ourselves, what burns and screams in our guts, in our hearts, in our throats. A song is the particular vision of one or some people about any human issue. Period. And each vision is a treasure, an opportunity to gather around a specific sensitivity, to spend some time together with others like us, to enjoy something similar to harmony for a few moments, in this world so often unpleasant, painful and absurd. Write your song and put everything else aside. #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_column_with_background { padding: 10px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_column:not(:first-child) { margin-left: 20px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_paragraph { line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_segment_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_text_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_textarea_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_select_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_radio_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_checkbox_label, 3 .mailpoet_list_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_label { display: block; font-weight: normal; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_text, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_textarea, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_select, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_month, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_day, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_year, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date { display :block; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_text, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_textarea { width: 200px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_checkbox { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_submit { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_divider { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_message { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_loading { width: 30px; text-align: center; line-height: normal; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_loading > span { width: 5px; height: 5px; background-color: #5b5b5b; }#mailpoet_form_3{border: 1px solid #fcb900;border-radius: 40px;text-align: center;}#mailpoet_form_3 form.mailpoet_form {padding: 20px;}#mailpoet_form_3{width: 70%;}#mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_message {margin: 0; padding: 0 20px;}#mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_paragraph.last {margin-bottom: 0} @media (max-width: 500px) {#mailpoet_form_3 {background-image: none;}} @media (min-width: 500px) {#mailpoet_form_3 .last .mailpoet_paragraph:last-child {margin-bottom: 0}} @media (max-width: 500px) {#mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_column:last-child .mailpoet_paragraph:last-child {margin-bottom: 0}} Please leave this field emptyDo you write songs or would you like to?
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