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john

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Blog Entries posted by john

  1. john

    21 Lyrics In 31 Days

    By john,

    I've set myself a challenge of writing 21 lyrics during the 31 days of January, pretty well 2 lyrics every 3 days.

    The point isn't to write masterpieces, but to try to get ideas flowing without letting myself get bogged down. I have no idea if it'll work, or if I'll even get close to writing that many lyrics in such a short time, but it will be interesting!

    If anyone else is interested in such a challenge I've posted a topic here:

    lyrics writing challenge

    Please join in and challenge yourself!

    Post each lyric in it's own topic in the lyrics critique board...

    Lyrics critique
  2. john
    Songwriters often shun the idea of being "commercial" in their writing, without pausing to think about the what they are throwing away under the heading "commercial". I've seen so many songwriters that don't edit, or are only open to editing certain parts of songs purely on the grounds that writing in a way that makes their lyrics more appealing is equated with selling out to commercialism.

    One of the points of writing a song is to communicate. One of the reasons can be to make a point. In most cases we want to:


    Make our message understandable
    Make it easily digestable (don't confuse with watered down)
    Make it able to do both of the previous two points to as broad a collection of listeners as possible


    When I review a lyric I try to view it from these perspectives. Appeal is what we generally want, even when we say something controversial, shocking or offensive. Paying attention to these aspects of writing a song helps to achieve appeal. With lyrics that can sometimes be a tweak of phrasing, a structural change, hook type and hook placement etc.

    Writers often think that "rules" are there to be broken. That somehow they don't need to think about them. The fact is they are guidelines. Something to be aware of when writing, understanding that structures, hooks, rhyme schemes etc all effect appeal, understandability, and digestability.

    The fact that commercial music also desires these qualities does not devalue them as useful perspective son the part of the writer
  3. john

    Always On My Mind

    By john,

    I've recently added the first (very preliminary) mix to the songwriting critique board.

    Always On My Mind

    This is a slower mix, also pitched down a little. I have also started a slightly higher pitched and faster version for comparison, but that is not posted yet.

    I know there's lots wrong with the actual mix, but I'm trying to get the feel going. This is the first track I've recorded in a while, and I didn't use my usual recording set up. It's nice to be back recording.
  4. john

    Writing A Song

    By john,

    it's weird how creativity flows.

    I have absolutely no problem coming up with musical ideas at all. Prick me with a pin and a new tune will come out, complete with chord structure. Music just seems to happen. I have no problem rewriting (except melody once I have words), changing direction, coming up with alternatives etc.

    Lyrics are different. I don't know if it is the quality of original ideas, and enhanced sensitivity to perfectionism? Somehow the words convey something definate, so they need to be absolutely right?

    Whatever it is, it's a pain. I've been trying more lyric writing without qualifying them as I go. It does help, but I don't do it easily! I have to reminding myself "edit later". Just having that thought interrupts my creative flow.

    I will persevere.
  5. john

    Writing Lyrics

    By john,

    I've been doing lots of writing and I'm really enjoying it. I think it's because I've got lots of ideas flowing, both melodically and lyrically, and that is helping to keep my creative juices flowing.

    I'm almost ready to start using my collaboration space. First time I'll have used it in anger, so to speak. It's been a while since I've recorded with other musicians and I'm really looking forward to hearing the little unexpected twists and ideas you get when working with others.

    Onwards and upwards, as they say!


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  7. john

    Newsletter

    By john,

    I've finally got around to adding a newsletter to my own personal site! Yay!

    Go on, drop over to http://www.johnmoxey.com and sign up!
  8. john

    Clearing The Decks

    By john,

    I'm busy getting my studio cleared of all the crap that's built up over years. It's amazing how much you can accumulate. Add to that after having some work done in the house (including improving the access to the studio) there's a thisk layer of dust on top of everything!

    It's important for me to clear it out. I find too much clutter, and too many distractions can often break my creative flow. Instead of giving me ideas, clutter just takes up threads of thought. So, as i can't do it myself (for various reasons. Well one really) I've had to draft in help to go through everything.

    Old music magazines like Home and Studio Recording, The Mix, Sound on Sound etc and internet magazines like .Net were piled up everywhere. A cupboard full of old boxes for music gear, sound cards and computer components, a myriad of notes, scribbled lyrics, technical notes, mix set ups, manuals and the odd coffee cup scream at me from every corner. Something had to be done.

    At the moment it's about halfway through the clean up (hopefully sorted out tomorrow) largely due to the help of a couple of friends.

    Onwards and upwards!
  9. john

    Back To The Music

    By john,

    Been a while since I've posted here. I've been busy with things other than music. Hopefully that's all dealt with now and I can get back into my songs.

    I've built up a stack of semi complete lyrics and songs. I now need to sepnd a bit of time devoted to finish them off. I'll probably do that during the recording process. Now I've cleared my feet a bit I can't wait to get back into it!
  10. john
    It's been a while since I worked on a recording, well at least a serious recording anyway. At the moment I've started by laying down a guide guitar track, bass drums and some strings. I sometimes block in a track to act as frame for working up the parts, and other times I already have a clear view of the full arrangement. I find varying how I approach the recording, arrangement or writing helps keep me in a creative mood.

    Anyway, on this track I started with bass, strings, drums then guitar. The first 3 were really to serve as a canvas for the guitar. I find it a lot easier to get into a specific feel than playing to a simple click track. After recording the guitar I'll record a guide vocal and then go back and work up the rhythm section, work on the melody aspects of the bass guitar, then re-record the guitar with rhythm section promoting more of the feel that I want for the song.

    After all that I'll fill out the other main instrumentation, and probably take out the existing strings. Once a fuller arrangement is there I'll go back and lay down a finished vocal.

    As I say, I like to vary my approach, and different songs suggest different approaches. Some I have a set idea, others I want to explore during the recording phase or bring the recording right into the songwriting phase, sometimes having absolutely nothing until I start recording and write a song from there.

    I'm enjoying this and looking forward to finishing a new track.
  11. john

    My Own Site

    By john,

    For those interested, you can find my own site at:

    johnmoxey.com

    Let me know what you think of it!

    I also run blogs here:

    http://blog.myspace.com/johnmoxey
  14. john

    My Lyrics Articles

    By john,

    Thought I'd bring the links for my song and lyric writing articles together:

    Commercial Songwriting
    Commerciality, Familiarity and Originality
    Songwriting Tips
    Lyrics - Function and Form
    Improve Your Lyric Writing
    Lyrics Critiquefor Songwriters
  16. john

    Getting In The Flow

    By john,

    Hey

    For ages I neglected my guitar. It's a sad story. Well not really.

    I only picked up my guitar for working through chords for a song I was writing, but very little just to play the guitar. Lately I've been doing a lot more playing the guitar for the guitar's sake. If you know what I mean.

    I was amazed at just how much the fluidity of my playing had been affected. I played "little Wing" a few weeks ago on my acoustic and was really pleased that I managed to remember it, but on later reflection, and further playing my playing was rusty and lacked that fluidity that lends to a piece like "Little Wing".

    What a difference a little playing can make! You don't know what you've got until you lose it they say, but in my case I didn't know what I'd lost until I rediscovered it.

    Cheers

    John
  17. john

    Ray Lamontagne

    By john,

    Hey

    Just chillin' and listening to the Ray LaMontagne album "Trouble". A great album with some well written songs. Not the happiest of albums, but it does resonate with me in some way. It also reminds me of what can be done with essentially an acoustic and an emotional vocal. It's one of those albums that, for me, evokes a feeling of "you could do this with your own music". If you know what I mean. Not write and record Ray's album, more that if Ray can get an album of this quality out there, then I can too. We all need these moment to help keep up motivation.

    Oh well, thought I'd share that with you.

    Cheers
  18. john

    Writing More Lyrics

    By john,

    Hey

    I've been getting back to writing some lyrics. At the moment I have about twenty songs with incomplete or no lyrics yet. I'm really happy with the musical direction of the songs but getting the lyrics written takes a deliberate effort for me. Music always comes naturally.

    So now I have melodies and chords and rhythm, and a few ideas and concepts, occasional lines and one or two verse/chorus combos. I know what to do, and how I will do it. Now I just need to get to it

    My pet hate is weher lyrically I come up with a verse I think is good, but haven't thought through what the song is about. It makes writing the chorus harder and selecting a title. I prefer now to work the other way, starting with a message, then thinking of the vehicle for that message i.e. the concept/theme/story that I will use to convey the message. Selecting a title flows out of the combination of the message and the theme, and that helps give me the chorus and so on.

    Unfortunately that conflicts with the way I use sounds and meaningless words to help express a melody during the early stages of a song. The meainingless words have a habit of taking on meaning as the melody evolves and words tend to be chosen as suggested by the melody, so the verse or chorus lyric may evolve.

    Anyway, back to writing some lyrics...

    Cheers

    John
  19. john

    Jimi Hendrix

    By john,

    Hey

    It was a beautiful day, so I took my guitar outside to annoy my neighbours . I strummed through a few tunes and found myself playing Voodoo Chile (slight return). I haven't played it in years. For that matter I rarely play any Hendrix these days.

    Exploring, as you do, I then remembered "Little Wing". It's an excellent track, and the intro itself illustrates the fluid style that typified Jimi Hendrix style. Jimi used an interesting mix of open voicings, chords and melody all mixed up in a big melting point, with one chord flowing into another, and the melody an integral part of the may he moved.

    I don't know if you've tried any Hendrix on an acoustic guitar, but I'd recommend trying Little wIng if you do. You should be able to get the guitar tab somewhere if you don't work it out with your ear!

    Hope you try it, and hope you enjoy it!
  20. john

    Work Up Enthusiasm

    By john,

    I need to get off my ass and start recording. Somehow I just can't get the enthusiasm to get started.

    I'm usually fine once I start a project, but getting started is another matter. I've got various songs ready for recording, a couple of which aren't much more than acoustic and voice. It should be straight forward, so why can't I get started?

    Motivation isn't so simple though. What I need is discipline. A schedule to work to. A schedule can be annoying in some ways, but for me the benfits outway the draw backs. Time to start planning!
  21. john

    Writing An Instrumental

    By john,

    It's been ages since I've written an instrumental. I've only written 2 before, and they were for a whole band.

    With that in mind I've decided to write an instrumental for the guitar. At the moment I'm thinking of using an alternate tuning. I've experimented from time to time with different guitar tunings, but so far I've not written any pieces using anything other than standard tuning. My guitar style does often use a lot of open chords, so I think it should lend to an alternate tuning, but I'll have to wait and see.
  22. john

    Pro Sound Cards

    By john,

    I'm a little out of touch with latest soundcards. My Carillon is now 6 years old. It's got two Creamware sound cards fitted. They've been pretty excellent soundcards, but they are old style pci. Contemplating upgrading my Carillon has of course prompted the question about the latest sound cards.

    So, I checked out the Creamware range again, but being honest the whole uncertainty over Creamware's future after yet another bankrupcy and take over puts me off. Sure the new companies taking over the Creamware name say they will continue to support products (not sure if that means all legacy products, but I doubt it), but this is getting to be a regular event.

    That leaves me with focusing on non-Creamware product. I started by looking at RME IO cards and Digidesign products, specifically the 003R Rack Factory. The 003R is closer to my needs, but it's early days in my research, and now my Carillon is back up and ruinning (after a CMOS battery fail) there's not a huge rush.

    Meanwhile, if anyone has any recommendations for cards/systems I should consider, please PM me or post in my soundcards topic in the Computer Room Board.
  23. john

    Writing Some New Songs

    By john,

    Hey

    I've been writing quite a lot lately. I've got about 7 songs with partial lyrics and about 5 new tunes that I think are ready to get some lyrics.

    It's put me in mind of the problem of selecting suitable topics for a lyric, a subject I've been meaning to write an article about for a while. It's a problem that seems to affect a lot of writers after they get passed the vibrancy of youth and grind to a crawl in their late 20s. I mean once you've notched up some experiience you kind of realise the futility of a lot of trains of thought. You've explored a lot of concepts and ideas.

    Anyways, there are lots of things you can do to help you work ideas into songs. Personally I have some criteria I use to work up an idea, and to help spot dead end ideas early. Anyways, I'll write it all up in an article.

    Cheers

    John
  24. john
    Hey

    Lyric writing comes from the heart, but not the heart alone. Writing lyrics uses several aspects of our mind, not just our feelings.

    Improve Your Lyric Writing

    Drop by and have a read. Feel free to post any comment in the Music Forum
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