Who here writes music?

[meathook]

lately i've been working on my goal of starting a new, smaller band [3-4 people preferably] and have been writing music and lyrics again after a long hiatus. problem is, most of what ends up coming out in lyric form is very personal and, for lack of a better word, rather emo. i'd love to write more of what i used to [metal as fuck lyrics about monsters and traveling and destruction] but it seems like right now my brain's priority is hashing out some of my various traumas. at this stage, i don't really feel comfortable sharing with anyone just yet, but am hoping to record a solo project soon. i was hoping some other musicians would be interested in bullshitting about their creative processes, and perhaps offer some tips about confronting stage fright [that don't involve getting drunk... been there, played a few terrible shows...].

 

[DesertRat]

I haven't put pen to paper in about a quarter of a century, as that is when I lost my muse.

I haven't found anyone like her since, and I have been quietly looking.

I do have lyrics to write (again) and stories to tell, but they just come out jumbled and slightly out of focus.

I'll keep trying, and hope that it won't always be this way.

 

[plagueship]

i haven't been too focused on playing or writing music with lyrics for the past year or so, but i used to be. and i agree it is tough as hell. i think part of the reason i stopped has to do with embarrassment about how emo and personal some of the things i put out there were, and i reflected on what i was trying to do and why. as you say, creative projects can be a very important way of dealing with trauma, i think in the sense where that's something that you do for yourself and not necessarily for performance. but then again when you get to the point where it's something you've actually mastered and incorporated into your life, it can be a very powerful force in making your creative works something really amazing and transcendent and where it could maybe even help someone else, maybe not directly, but it's a way of putting a lot of heart into your project i guess. which might be like a stage 2 after stage 1: art as therapy. knaamean?

as far as tactics of creative process. i used to be in a band with an ex who wrote most of our music and her songwriting technique was roughly to come up with a bit of music, and then just kind of improvisationally sing along to it and see how it goes. so i tried to do that (i keep, or kept, notebooks of lyrical ideas that i just kind of spewed out stream of consciousness style). i feel like she got sort of locked into a self-referential style of music, though, which while pretty 'punk' kind of stopped speaking to me after a while as much as it did at first (relationship dynamics too probably a factor - bla bla....), while for me it became more about exploring and tapping into different musical traditions and learning more about my instruments and techniques and styles of playing them. so uh, do that too.

stage fright is tough. i don't think a little booze is a bad thing, but a little can go a long way...! anyway of course the most important thing is to just practice and know your shit, so that you can sort of zone out and just flow with it without thinking too much about either what you're doing or who's around. practicing is like planing a piece of wood, even when its boring you really just gotta do it over and over til it's smooth, and i think nothing relaxes stage fright as much as the confidence that comes from mastery. maybe also remind yourself that in general people are watching because they WANT to like it...

 

[Deleted member 2626]

I write poetry I guess and some of what I write turns into tunes I use with me and my buddies band. Mostly subconscious I hardly ever write lyrical or poems by sitting down and thinking about it. Just doesn't work for me has to uncontrolled mind diarrhea I like changing my perspective too

 

[Charlie]

One can practice breathing. If one practices regularly, then they can even learn to control their heart beat and how they react to stress. Maybe this could bring a little clarity to traumas, and relieve stagefright. Also, it could be used to get past traumas and then you could think of an object or subject of a song that would really be cool.

 

[notOK]

There's a lotta solo miles strolling on down the road wherein I take to singing songs I got no intent on holding onto, just sorta figure it's saner and more fun than dwelling on internal thoughts. Ain't knocking meditating and marinating none, but they come more when I'm bedding down.

And whenever I'm hauling ass down some old US highway, after singing some favorite songs of other folk and howling outta my driver window, then I might take a notion to sing so of my own tunes. Work out and refine em when I get to hanging with them comrades of mine I jam with.

And jailhouse tunes happen, now and again. Really cannot write romantic tunes, lyrical like, but sometimes I'll pull of music that might fit that bill. But love and all ain't easy to express proper without sounding sappy/cheesy/cliche.

This done drug longer'n I meant it to, so ain't bout to get into lyrics structure title jive

 

[benjysirois]

On writing, I sorta have to take my time generating my material. Most of what I've been working on has been supplemental to dreaming habits which get documented and then I look back and see what I can cohesively make out of it. It works out well, as I'm looking for surreal dreamlike themes that are still personal. I guess it's about finding a method to supplement your muse.

If you're finding that your lyrics are a little to personal then maybe try depersonalizing them. Making them about objects, places or even the monsters and epics you've been dreaming up. Some of my favorite hardcore and metal records were very surreal depictions of inner troubles.

Freewriting is often very therapeutic and helps you generate lots of creative material and ideas. Though, like Joyce, it is hardly coherent.

On stage fright. Now that's a tough one. Maybe start with friends listening to you. Then put yourself on the street. Busking is great for a couple of reasons

#1 You get paid
#2 The audience is not obliged to listen to you and they can continue on with their days as if nothing ever happened. Nothing bad can come of it if you're well practiced.

I don't know about you but stage fright always came out of the feeling that someone paid to see me play. In that way you're held to contract. The person plays and the audience receives. Though, if you know your product (The music) is good, there is really nothing to worry about. Channel that fear and belt it out on stage. It's alright to be a little quiet with your audience the first few times, though I do feel like practicing audience communication is really beneficial if you're busking. Getting an audience is hard enough, keeping one is even harder. Be interactive, be wild and be rad. Make people remember you and goddamn have fun while doing it.

May that be your mantra.

Best of luck