The collective wisdom of successful songwriters and producers seems to be quantity. Make stuff. You’ve got to craft stuff to craft better. I also once read an exchange that went something like this:
“I have some ideas that would make really great poems, but I can’t bring them together.”
Replies successful poet, “Poems are made with words, not ideas.”
Likewise, songs are made of music, not ideas (or mere hooks). So winter break at Vandalia River has been spent turning song ideas written in pencil into WAV files stored in a Soundcloud folder. It’s been about hammering out as many song structures and arrangements as I can. The folder is not nearly as big as I hope it will be, but so far it includes lyrical pop-alternative, composed instrumental, and ambient tracks.
I’d love to share some with you, but, consider a fully produced song like this house:
And these song demos more like this house:
Unless you’re a creative who likes getting under the hood, you just won’t enjoy the songs yet the way you ought.
I appreciate more and more that to be worth the enormous effort of record-making, a song or album should be pretty compelling. So while I hope to share some recorded music this year, the near future will be focusing on putting away as many songs as possible and seeing what emerges as the best. The challenge will be pursuing excellent craft without letting fear hold good stuff back.
In the meantime, I don’t want to overlook opportunities to deliver music in person. That’s what it’s all about. It’s a weird world where more and more are going straight to the recording studio without sharing their music live first. If you’d be interested in hosting a free house event with music from Vandalia River, e-mail r@vandaliariver DOT com.
Photo of finished house by Jesse Roberts on Unsplash.