What direction do I go in?

[Andy C]

I am a songwriter who is influenced by many genres. Indie rock in general, but also post-punk, garage rock, dream pop, folk, psych rock, noise rock, grunge, surf punk etc. etc. A lot of these subgenres do show up in the indie world together, but they have different energies and it's hard to make a cohesive piece of music. Some songs will have a slower dream pop vibe but then other will be fast, very simple, punchy garage punk. What I end up doing is trying to make a piece of music that focuses on a certain sound or set of instruments. This may be limiting, but I feel I am getting the most out of the sound and style. However, I really want to break this habit and just make whatever comes into my head, but I still want to be able to produce an EP or album with tracks that work with each other. I'm young and trying to find my sound, but I feel as though I am lost. Any advice??

[Michan]

Hi Andy C!

 

Welcome to Songstuff!

 

I really think that a good tip is, focusing in something that honestly sounds great to you. Just because who you are, and the type of music you've been exposed to, you will tend to make music with a particular style, whose cohesion will be your unique blend of influences.

Anyways, as in most of the creative things, I think that one finds his own way after a lot of listening to different styles + practice + trial and error. At the end you learn what do you like the most, and, by focusing on that you start finding and developing your own voice.

 

Here in Songstuff there are a lot of users, each one with different ideas of concepts about what their music might be. If you go around and check different boards, and read other's comments, you'll certainly find a lot of useful info and perspective, and you'll get exposed to different styles. I've found myself a lot more since I joined Songstuff and started listening, interacting and collaborating with other people, and I've changed my mind quite a lot regarding to my musical aims and expectations, in the good manner.

 

I hope Songstuff can help help you as much as it helped me! Just enjoy the site and the community, and new cool stuff will come!
In the meantime, if you have any question don't hesitate in asking!

See you around!

 

[john]

Hi Andy

 

Welcome to the Songstuff family!

 

Firstly, I would say to split your activities into distinct things. Yes, write and record songs, arranging and producing them for different genres. Exploring is good, all through your music career. As part of that, try combining interests to see what you come up with. Punk/Reggae, folk/garage etc. For speed, you don’t always need to write a complete song to get an idea, plus you can arrange and produce songs in different ways.

 

For example, you can write a verse and chorus to get a rough idea of where a song is going. Likewise, you can then arrange and produce a single song as pop, garage, folk. Yes sometimes the adjustments are pretty big... but that is the nature of experiments.

 

As a second type of activity, start thinking about what you want a specific artist name to be known for. Sometimes when your interests are so diverse, you can create more than one artist to champion specific music. Yes that might mean two or more EPs.

 

No matter if you have one or many artists, you still have to filter your tracks down to combine into a pleasing whole. That is even true when you are putting together a compilation of other people’s songs!

 

You still have to start with one artist, one EP, even if your plans are for more. So, whatever factors you consider most important, can then help you decide what experiments become whole songs, and what whole songs are earmarked for what personal projects you have going, and what songs you intend pitching to other artists/publishers.

 

You might at that point decide that you have a song that really captures something you want to expand on stylistically. That is a great seed for an EP. You can then write and record specific tracks, or adapt other tracks, to pull together a full EP.

 

You might get that idea during the experiment phase, when reviewing experiments, maybe after you have a couple of tracks in the same vein... or simply as an idea. By thinking of your EP project as a separate thing you are freeing up your experiments and at the same time providing mental space to focus on your EP goals.

 

Just some food for thought

[Peggy]

Hi Andy,

 

Welcome to Songstuff!  Good intro. and nice to meet you.

 

I, too, like to work in different genres.  Sometimes it brings out a blend in a piece of work that I really dig.  Looking forward to hearing some of yours!  See you around the boards. 

Peggy 

[Odanada]

Hi Andy C.

 Finding your own voice is more or less finding a way to harness the energy you feel when you create something. You may have a style in mind, a band in mind - it doesn't really matter  as long as you don't plagiarize.

Allow your muse to travel where it wants and learn to keep out of the way so that it can flow. Let riffs and ideas sit for a bit and see if they stick in your head - if they do, then you have something to work with. 

It kills momentum when you start worrying what genre/style/influence it is before you even give birth to it.

Listen to stuff outside of your normal taste zone and appreciate that like good people, good music comes in every colour shape and size; it's all good.

IMHO, songwriting is a craft, but it should also be a lot of fun. 

 

[john]

Good stuff @Odanada.

 

I think this is all especially true in the most creative stage of writing a song, the draft/initial idea phase. A little bit less so during edit. Much the same as recording. Some stages are very creative, some levels of working are very creative, but then it pays off to give attention to the nuts and bolts to help all that creative work shine.

 

Worth pointing out is that some writing is today technology lead. Once upon a time writers took time to write before recording. Some genres now the writing happens in the studio, and tasks and ways of thinking overlay each other instead of being distinct. In that scenario, genre is very much a creative decision at the time of writing, right from the get go. Production, recording, performance and writing all happen in a cyclic mix. That can be good fun, but it is a step away from more traditional writing steps.

 

If you nurture your muse, it tends to be there when you need it. That means exercising and indulging your creativity pretty well every day. You don’t always need to be creative with writing. Or production. Or even the music itself. Just using your creativity makes a huge difference. Trusting instincts is important, but so is learning to improve what we do.

 

There is no wrong or right here. Different writers and artists have different ideas and perspectives, each with pros and cons. Just like different approaches for a song, try stuff and use what works for you and drop what doesn’t.

 

Like many things in life, so much is just opinion and at some point, you have to make your mind up. At least until another suggestion or a variation comes along and prompts you to reassess. Fun, fun, fun!