Songwriting

I have written far more here about performing than songwriting. Songwriting is another whole 'thing'. When people ask me how I do it, I don't really know. Sometimes I have words and I can sense a melody/mood/chords. Sometimes I have music and the words don't come....until a phrase sticks in my head and the whole song gets written around it. Sometimes it all comes at once. I don't really believe right now in 'inspiration'....if you mean inspiration as a deep feeling that takes you away and makes you have to write. I write next to nothing that is not an assignment from class...but what i write on assignment gets as good review as what i write because the 'muse' moves....

I went to a song writers song circle last night. I had no idea of what I was going into....but these are professional (!!!!!!) songwriters who make their living writing/performing. I was more than a little out of my league. I know I will certainly benefit from my experience, but likely more as a guitar player than a writer....they challenged every one of my song not on the melody or lyrics or feel, but on the 'old three or four chord thing', while also telling me, some of the most known songs are built on three chords!!!! They challenged me (it was me, a man and a woman) to add sevenths and sixths and minors and get rid of the pick....

Last night it didn't feel like a challenge, last night it felt like they were telling me I wasn't good enough. Today it feels like a challenge to learn my scales so I can add those notes in my guitar playing, not just my melody (that was very helpful...now that i think of it.....C. told me 'you are singing an A, it is in your melody, add it to the guitar part there')

I don't know how you do that stuff while singing, though....LOL...

Other songwriting experiences I have had so far, and recently....hearing an mp3 of a friend doing my song. Wow. Did it better than I did it, too.... Strange to hear someone take your words and melody for themselves.

I also recently heard one of my songs played with a band acoustic and another song played with a band electric, and some other songs played late at night accompanied by a friend who seemed to hear what i had in my head, he was so ON THE MARK. Sharing my songs with other musicians is a blast and i hope to do much more of that. I have had people comment to me after listening to my mp3s here (not the best way to hear my music, btw) and played for people live in private settings (much better than the recordings). All in all, it has been a positive experience and I thank all of you who appreciate what i am doing and let me know (oh, and i also appreciate you folks who don't like my stuff and refrain from flames!!!)

Time to get ready to go to my next experience....a song circle set up as a performance....last time it was GREAT playing there....Ramsdell Library, Housatonic, MA at 2pm if you are around....