Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Why It Takes Me 12 Weeks to Compose a Song

If you’re working on a song and feel that perhaps you’re taking way too much time to piece it all together, don’t fret. You’re making a piece of history, so it’s got to be perfect if you want your composition to live forever. I know you might be in a bit of a hurry, most artists eager to get a product out to market would be, but wouldn’t it be sad to feel further down the line, that you could’ve done better? This article will look at the importance of taking your time to compose a song.

It takes me on average, twelve two-hour once-a-week songwriting sessions with my acoustic guitarist to complete a song. And that’s just for setting my song to music on the acoustic guitar. And when I take into account the length of time it took to write the lyrics prior to engaging my guitarist, even more so. But why do I go to such great lengths to compose a song? Well, let’s just say I have to be completely satisfied and I really don’t care how long it takes.

Songwriting and composition accounts for your intellectual property, and so you’ll want to ultimately put your very best work onto the public domain. When you listen to music that has been well crafted, it speaks to the soul, and one never really tires of it.

Do you want to know when you’re onto something extraordinary? That’ll be when a few years down the line your composition still sounds fresh… like people will still enjoy listening to it.

How to settle down to give it your very best:

If you’re not composing to a beat, you’ll want to begin by first writing the song complete with melody and full arrangement. When you begin to set your song to music with musicians in session, you’ll find that new ideas will begin to flow into the piece you’re working on. And this is why when you’re song crafting, it is imperative that you allow this to happen. Nothing is ever set in stone—least of all songs. So when you sense an idea coming that will give the song another dimension, give it a try to see how it sounds. And be sure to continue refining your ideas. You’ll be amazed to find how taking your time with this—however long it takes—will help you create something you’re going to be truly proud of. So the next time you’re in a hurry to compose a song, take a step back for a moment. You’ll be glad you did.

Streaming on SoundCloud below is a song written by me "Got U On Mind"; recorded in Los Angeles and performed by American singer Ty Ward. Please enjoy and share!

You are the instrument, learn to sing like a pro!


JOETT

Vocal Coach & Author "Letters from a Vocal Coach"