Best, most favorite and useful songwriting resource

[Pahchisme Plaid]

What have you found to be your best or favorite or most useful songwriting resources.  For me its:

* downtime in nature

* thesaurus

* significant emotion

* The Complete Rhyming Dictionary by Clement Wood

* a review of Pat Pattison's "Writing Better Lyrics"

*Time to capture an entire song without interruption

*Inspiring music (often from a collaborator)

 

Also, if you want to volunteer any tips on organizing your music, that would be much appreciated.  I have a system, but I go months sometimes without doing the necessary organizing to keep it orderly.  I have multiple legal pads with hen scratchings, incomplete lyrics, lyrics in need of changes and songs that are in need of a melody or need music or need to be recorded.  I tend to write in chunks while on the go (not preferred, but necessary lately if I want to keep writing) and so my papers get piled until I can organize them.  The "groove" gets lost this way sometimes  

 

 

[john]

What? No Songstuff? 

 

lol

[Pahchisme Plaid]

😳 I can’t believe I left that out!  It’s as obvious as the glasses on my face. ABSOLUTELY, Songstuff is one of my favorite, most helpful resources.

[Peggy]

On 11/17/2017 at 9:56 AM, Pahchisme Plaid said:

I have multiple legal pads with hen scratchings, incomplete lyrics, lyrics in need of changes and songs that are in need of a melody or need music or need to be recorded. 

I surely have an imperfect system myself and have been bitten by it a couple of times.  I write ideas anywhere and everywhere.  Best example is, onetime i was showering, lyric parts came to me and i was afraid i'd forget it so wrote it on the shower glass. Needed fog to read it. But it worked.  I make a physical folder of each lyric idea and when cleaning up put all related bits and pieces in the folder. From the start or  at some point goes on device or computer, when idea is finished i print it off computer and file in folder. I also keep the finished lyric in a computer file system that gets backed up.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

1 hour ago, Peggy said:

I surely have an imperfect system myself and have been bitten by it a couple of times.  I write ideas anywhere and everywhere.  Best example is, onetime i was showering, lyric parts came to me and i was afraid i'd forget it so wrote it on the shower glass. Needed fog to read it. But it worked.  I make a physical folder of each lyric idea and when cleaning up put all related bits and pieces in the folder. From the start or  at some point goes on device or computer, when idea is finished i print it off computer and file in folder. I also keep the finished lyric in a computer file system that gets backed up.

Too funny!  Clever writing your idea on the shower glass.  I get lots of ideas in the shower as well.  Seems to be the only “chill” time I have in the mornings lately.  Mornings always were my best time for song ideas, but now they're always so rushed!  No more hanging out in the pj’s drinking decaf until I get my ideas written to completion. Ah!  Those were the days...I still have some days like that potentially to look forward to—we’ll see.  Grant funded work.  I have some breaks.   I, like you, have probably kept all my ideas in a folder, also the handwritten originals or rewrites if they got too messy in a folder.  I also print them off and put them in a clear sleeve in a three ring binder and write comments in dry erase marker on the sleeve as to what changes/improvements are needed, but sometimes I go awhile, then print a slew of them at once. Will finish post later.  Have to run... again....

[Pahchisme Plaid]

I’m back.  Sorry for the break-up in posts.  I have a 3 drawer file thingy, about the size that would hold a ream of paper in each drawer.  My plan is to have one drawer for songs in progress, one for songs needing melody/music and one for songs that need to be recorded.  I have chalkboard labels on each drawer that I’ll label that way.  Of course my completed lyrics will get typed, printed and go into clear sleeves, then into the 3 ring binder.

[Pahchisme Plaid]

1 hour ago, Skin said:

I have so many pots on the stove it is unbelievable! 

Single lines that beg to be pursed, verses, choruses and almost but not quite finished lyrics!

I use a digital recorder which goes almost everywhere i do but mostly in the car.

I drive alot out in the sticks and thats my best time to think, no distractions apart from driving lol! 

I then listen to them at home and write them down almost but not aways word for word and then reading them makes more sense and i adjust them! 

My last post Dancing On The Table got rewritten about half a dozen times on one journey and the recoding is basically the final version all done on the road! 

 

PP i dont use stuff much just my imagination and usually a lot of my lyrics comes from hearing someone say something or a random phrase! Or a line in a movie or whatever!

You can read all you want but I think ultamitely it is what is in you that matters so go with your instincts!

Not knocking education on the subject but feel more that lyric writing is a personal experience!  

 

I am an unorganised guy so my recorder is my saviour! I get up from bed if it is not next to me to record ideas! Yikes! But i get my best ideas when relaxed driving or trying and I emphasise trying lol! To go to sleep! 

 

 

Peg in the steam lol! 

 

Great post👍

I use a handheld recorder that I use to record my melody ideas for songs on.  It’s the same recorder I use to upload songs to my desktop and SoundCloud and/or share with collaborators.  Trouble is, it’s full. I need to purchase a mini chip to save them to so I can make room on my recorder.  I usually save to my desktop then after accumulating a number of songs, I save to a stick drive.  My music player on my computer is having technical difficulties right now, so I have to save from the recorder directly to a mini chip.  I’ve yet to purchase one though. For the time being, I’ve been recording my melody ideas on my iPod recorder.  

 

I have spurts where I use my rhyming dictionary and review the chapter in PPattison’s book to do that 10 minute object writing.  For me, it’s a good way to transition from stress to creative thinking.  I didn’t used to need it, but for me it’s difficult (being one who is affected by vibes given off by people—particularly negative and grumpy vibes) and has had little quiet processing time, to then get in creative mode.  I need a warm up.  Usually, like you, I’m quite in tune to others, but not lately.  I chalk it up to this busy, busy that I am not accustomed to and I’m frankly not designed for. 😳. Gaahhhh.....