song writing

So? Not many threads on this topic.

I love to write songs.

I's not a professional song writer by any means. I am an ok Guitarist and I have equipment that lets me record a little. I get ideas all the time and so I lay down some tracks.

I am hampered as I suck as a vocalist and of course writing songs helps if you can sing it a little, even if it is only to the person, who you asking to sing the vocal part.

does any one else like to write songs?

Hey there
I choose writing/composing over Jamming.
The Feel of Progressing in doing something
is very fulfilling. I would suggest that you
continue singing and here's why...

I'm a drummer and most of the singers
I know became singer because there
was just no one out there to take that place.
Plus with your knowledge of music and rhythm
you won't struggle with your time like a lot of
people do when taking up singing.

I see countless music add about Bands searching
for a Vocal. My own band still does even after 3
years. I even think about taking up singing for
that reason.

Originally Posted by: timr1984I am hampered as I suck as a vocalist and of course writing songs helps if you can sing it a little, even if it is only to the person, who you asking to sing the vocal part.[/QUOTE]

After a number of decades on the planet, playing guitar for more decades of that time than not playing, I always thought I could do ok with some small back up vocals but couldn't carry a song. I couldn't sing like all the power vocalists in the world. A couple of years ago I found I could actually sing and kinda decently too.

I just couldn't sing like Robert Plant.

I now am sure that with few exceptions, most people can sing but it is a matter of finding where that voice lies.

I couldn't sing Zeppelin's Immigrant Song but I could sing 'Whippin' Post' or Blackfoot's 'Train, Train'.

Since I don't have any official training, I do have to work on pitch a bit and since I am a guitarist and not a practiced singer, I have to mess with how I phrase things too so I don't sound like that friend we all know that is trying to sing cool but only sound like someone who is trying to sing cool.

If you have a sense of pitch and key on the guitar, a good chance you can sing somehow. Just gotta go find it.

[QUOTE=timr1984]any one else like to write songs?

I have a number of songs I need to get down. I've been busy with real life so much that the songs in my head are staying there. Lucky me, I remember them and develop them there so it's a matter of translating to the instruments/chords/notes and then actually getting them down.

I understand the difficulty with finding vocalists. One of the reasons I study instrumental music.

EDIT: But as everyone here says, if it's something your really want to do..DO IT. Like any skill it can be developed.

Hey Tim, I'd totally look into getting vocal lessons...I bet you're much better than you think. Voice is just an instrument like any other, the more you use it, the better you get. Singing to your own music is one of the most enjoyable things there is. Go for it!

I write songs too but am not much of a vocalist yet. I agree you should take lessons. I've started taking lessons and not only is helping me improvise singing on pitch but it's helping my playing as it is strengthening my ear. I didn't realize how important it was to singing until after we lost our singer and I tried to show people my songs. A key point to a powerful song is the vocal melody and inflections. While I realize that it's going to take a couple years to really learn how to sing, I'm working at it each day with what my teacher goes over. It's slowly improving and I"m hearing/finding different melodies to my already written songs. You can only grow as a songwriter through learning how to sing, even if it's not what you want to do in the band.

Originally Posted by: timr1984So? Not many threads on this topic.

I love to write songs.

I's not a professional song writer by any means. I am an ok Guitarist and I have equipment that lets me record a little. I get ideas all the time and so I lay down some tracks.

I am hampered as I suck as a vocalist and of course writing songs helps if you can sing it a little, even if it is only to the person, who you asking to sing the vocal part.

does any one else like to write songs?

You should keep practising your singing to keep it up. Even if you think your voice sucks you can record yourself singing demos and then when you find a vocalist you like they can re-record all those parts.

Do you have any songs that you can show us?

Writing songs is a lifetime process. Just write something that moves you no matter how bad you think you are. I think most of us get hung up on writing the next great tune. I think that paralyzes many. Too much pressure and you don't give yourself the pleasure of writing a bad song. If you don't write a bad song, you can't write a good song. You won't know the difference! So write some bad tunes and laugh at why they are bad. Then try writing a little bit better song and so on. I think all the greats did this until they found their style then it was all just a matter of tapping into the muse. You have to start that conversation, no matter how awkward you can feel about it.

I heard Glen Frey say that he asked Bob Seager about writting songs. Seager just said "Start Writting songs". Frey then asked "But what if they suck?" To which Seager stated "Oh yeah. They are going to suck! But just keep at it and you will eventually write a good one."

Songwriting is to me the most fulfilling part of dealing with music at all. It is so hard, and therefore so fulfilling. It's not hard to write a song, but it's really hard to write a good or a great song. Because you don't know what that is! It's a deep search within evertything that has informed you this far and you get achance to echo that and build on top of that. [br]But the enrgy that comes from the process is second to none. [br][br]Start writing !

As we all know that writing is not easy to do especially Song Writing. Here some writers like to share their experience here.

Decent need to accomplish something like this with mine

A big goal for me is to start singing and writing some songs. Does anyone on this thread have recommendations on setting up equipment for very basic beginning microphone amd recording equipment?

Originally Posted by: Pilotcowgirl

A big goal for me is to start singing and writing some songs. Does anyone on this thread have recommendations on setting up equipment for very basic beginning microphone amd recording equipment?

You can do a lot with just a laptop, a DAW ( digital audio workstation ) such as Reaper and a basic audio interface. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get started and YouTube is full of great tutorials on how to do most things if you get stuck.

Good luck with it.