Sir Mustapha
Group: Musicians
Posts: 2802
Joined: April 2003 |
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Posted: Jan. 15 2010, 08:11 |
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| Quote (nightspore @ Jan. 14 2010, 23:35) | | I imagine being a composer is a thankless task, and I take off my hat to anyone who perseveres. |
I wouldn't say it's thankless, not in my case. As laborious as the process may be, it's extremely rewarding to see something that once existed entirely and solely in my head become something real and physical.
| Quote | | Hi Sir M, congratulations are in order. From an existential view point you succeed by participating, creating and critiqueing your work. There are no right or wrong ways to create music. |
Thanks, Deb. Indeed, as much as opinions can be argued and agreed/disagreed with, when it comes to art, creation, creed, there's no point in arguing what is the "right" way of doing things -- the only right way is to do what you feel is the better way. And I know some people avoid rationalising on their work; for them the act of creation is spontaneous, it feels like the right thing, and in that case it's just better to trust your emotions and go ahead with it. It's like falling in love. My case is different and it works for me, but yes, I'm constantly doing a "self-feedback" with my creativity, and it helps me grow. 
| Quote | | I really like your idea of 'nurturing' a peice into life.Do you mean lyrically or musically? |
I seldom write lyrics, but in the few cases I did, I notice that I work very differently. I don't treat sounds the same way I treat words, and I know that it's due to me not thinking words "musically". There are composers who have an amazing ability of writing the words as a musical element, and when you do that, I guess music and lyrics sort of flow together. Anyway, like I said, the whole first post was written with music in mind, not lyrics. My usual method involves writing lyrics first, thinking only about their meaning, and then I wrap the music around it; that is, I determine the melody, the meter and everything else, according to the lyrics. I don't write lyrics with meter, with rhymes or anything, because that's way beyond my reach, so I guess it only works for the kind of stuff I do.
But when it comes to lyrics looking awful to you, I've been through that sometimes: doing something on the moment, but feeling embarrassed afterwards. Maybe that's a kind of fear of our own honesty, or something? Andy Partridge said in one interview that he always wraps his lyrics in metaphors and allegories because, paraphrasing him, it's hard to be stark naked. Myself, I have written a song with very personal lyrics, but I wiped away all the traces of my personality from it, so that I can recognise myself in the words, but other people may recognise someone else, or even their own selves in the words. Mind you, I only managed that once; I don't think I could pull it off again. So, maybe the trick is for you to cut out the "details", to make the song more general, or even better: to subvert your ideas to make them something openly confrontational, yet truthful. You know; take the things people don't expect to hear. One composer I know does that pretty well is David Byrne. But the real thing is to find your inner voice, and work it exhaustively, without fear of being awful. My singing is awful; I have sung very few times in my songs, and even listening to them gives me a sparkle of shame. Even being very intimate with my girlfriend, I was embarrassed to show her my singing! But, heck, you just gotta face it and take in the embarrassment. Eventually it goes away.
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Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds.
Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com
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