The First Time Around

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" asked legendary NCAA men's basketball coach John Wooden. 

When creating, our tendency is to want to call a song or painting finished before it may actually be a complete piece of art.

"We'll fix it in mixing," says the hurried producer in the studio.

"We'll Photoshop that right out," says the impatient photographer.

"All great achievements require time," says Maya Angelou.

In my limited experience, things never quite get fixed like we hope they will. 

I continually come back to tension between quantity and quality. My human productive side says to finish the song so I can start a new one. My creative soul says be patient. The ironic thing is that sometimes the best songs don't take very long to write, but only naturally flow out of a patient perspective. Of course, all of this is only possible if we are cautious of our expectations. With the best of intentions, we can miss out on the heart of creating art: enjoyment.

Keep writing (patiently),

Ben

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Marc-Alan Barnette - The Importance of Re-Writing

Marc-Alan Barnette - The Art of Re-writing from Music Starts Here on Vimeo.

What is a Co-write?

A co-write is a process in which two or more songwriters collaborate on writing a song. Generally, each writer gets an equal amount of credit for their effort (2 people, 50% each; 3 people, 33% each, etc.).

Co-writes usually consist of about 20% talking, 10% creating and 70% editing, often in that order. The 20% talking portion allows the songwriters to catch up on life, effectively getting on the same page. Sometimes an idea for the song will be born out of these conversations. The 10% creating portion is where the writers share from their notebooks of potential song ideas, or they fiddle around on instruments and create something out of nothing.

When the writers get inspired by the same melody, lyric or chord progression, the song has begun, and continues developing in a type of ping-pong-style conversation. This can be the most nerve-wracking and intimidating part of collaborating creatively with someone else, but I find it the most exciting and energizing at the same time.

As mentioned before, editing is 70% of the co-writing process. This is where a song goes from good to great. This is where the music and lyric are married, creating an inseparable bond. For more on the editing process, read my previous post here.

Keep writing,

Ben

Editing - the Key to Songwriting?

I used to wait for lightning to strike. And when I did find inspiration, I was afraid to change anything about the original way I would write a lyric or melody. I thought, "Who am I to mess with something that's been inspired?!"

As a result, I spent far more time creating than editing. I could just wait until an idea slapped me across the face and then go sit at the piano. The result was a lot of OK songs.

However, I’ve learned that it’s more important and beneficial to be willing to throw out my favorite line than to make the rest of the song suffer. In songwriting, everything is expendable. If a line doesn't support the song as a whole, there is a better way to say it.

With more experience comes the ability to edit on the fly. I've even stopped halfway through vocalizing a line because I realized it wasn't the right direction for the song. Even our initial instincts, when it comes to how a line should be written, are sharpened with practice. The stronger the editing muscle, the more effortless the creative process can become.

Keep writing (and editing),

Ben