The musical millennial Part 1

I always found myself to be musically inclined. The type of person that can sit down with an instrument and pump out a nice tune without trying. So when I did try, I got solid results. Too bad I have lost my motivation...or inspiration...mojo? Whatever you want to call it, I lost it. I know, kind of ridiculous considering songwriting is a craft just like anything else. So what I mean is...I lost my motivation to practice my craft. It started with life hitting me all at once. Once I graduated college, it became harder to find the time or motivation to practice. I found myself buried in debt, lost for time, exhausted and slightly depressed at the end of everyday.
(don’t worry; this is not a political post)
I started to feel like a failure (still do some days). My family hounded me about landing a job in a studio. My credit dropped daily! I was in no place to write!

The problem with writing, successful writing, is that most songwriters reflect upon their own lives or the world around them for inspiration. So what if you give up on those things? Reflecting on your own life only depresses you more and blocks your writing more. The world, for a lot of us empaths, is a sordid place full of whackos and sickos!

For other songwriters this works for them. In fact plenty of my acquaintances base their music off of, what in my mind, are horrendous fears (but maybe I am just a cry baby???)! I could sit down and write about how I am feeling, my beliefs, my passions, my fears...but for the past couple of years reflecting caused major anxiety. Then I became timid about the writing process. And soon I found myself in the deepest of holes. There was no air in this hole, no light, no space. Nothing. I was forced into a world of deafness (a little melodramatic? Maybe. But I am a musician...so…). Surprise, surprise being in this funk made me MORE depressed.

So one day, I’m commuting home. It’s late. Close to almost 11pm on a Monday night. I had just finished a 12 hour day, not including commute time. It was a typical weekday. Except for on this day, I had decided to bring a joint with me. On the way home, I pulled it out and smoked it while waiting for the bus. As I’m riding home, half asleep, I decided why not write some lyrics to keep myself awake…

Lungs Expand
Moments carry in the Breeze
Lingering on your Edges
Floating begins below the Feet
If you could focus
Expand and let It sink a
captive and thief
Fighting for a link in the chain
a relished mistake
a flourished mystique

I love tooting my horn: Those are some of the best lyrics I’ve written in two years. You’d agree if you saw the stuff I’d been writing for the past two years. Sometimes, I don’t understand where my inspiration comes from and that is just as dangerous as not knowing what to write. Unfortunately this is one of those situations.

So I came up with this crazy idea.

Why not document my writing process and expose it for all the world to see and judge?

I can only see myself getting better from this little experiment of mine. I know it’s not some new evolutionary theory but I’ve seen others have success with it in various different practices and damnit, I’m jealous.

If it’s not obvious, my goal is to re-analyze and restructure my songwriting process. I want you to be a witness. I want you to judge me. Call me out. Criticize every step as I will be doing the same. By the end of this, I will have a song I can be proud of. I will record it and the audio will be the last prompt of this experiment.

So all you music critiques, you funk fanatics, bring out your big guns. Make me a better writer. Help me get my mojo back and maybe learn a thing or two yourself! Become part of my song…

….ok that got a bit sappy, but you get the point!

First plan of action for me is to have a solid chorus written to match the verse above! I will post it up for you all to see next week.

And audience?

Here’s your first task: Comment your favorite keyboardist (if you don’t have one...SHAME...go find one) and go ahead and spill your guts about the lyrics above. Are they shitty? You like ‘em? Challenge Question: Can you break it down line by line? Maybe just go ahead and rewrite it if you’re feeling so ambitious! I don’t care what you do ( I do. But swag. )