"Existential darkness" nice name for a brooding album :) I tend to write "songs" with guitar in hand since I think you can get a better idea of the potential harmony. With the mandolin I tend to write melodies or instrumentals or may come up with a melodic hook for a song. I've purchased a few books on the subject of songwriting and they have been helpful. I think like many things the more you do it the better you get at it.
Since I can't sing I guess I try to write songs with clever lyrics, an unusual chord or two and quirks. I admire someone who can strum a G chord and sing the phone book and make it sound good. Here's a great songwriting tool: http://www.chordwheel.com/ And here's a great little multi-track recorder I've been using to make little demos. Really useful for playing chords behind those mandolin melodies. I also like the fact that it's a stand alone unit with built in mics...you can sit at your kitchen table and compose away. No need to be near this dang computer! http://www.tascam.com/products/dp-004.html On Jul 14, 3:07 pm, Robin Gravina <[email protected]> wrote: > Ha, and the songs about existential darkness are relevant for even longer. I > admire people who can write about current events with any kind of result: I > get bogged down in songs which try to sum up timeless truths or situations > in a few words. But why not let's talk about songwriting? > > Any differences between figuring something out mandolin in hand or with a > guitar or keyboard? Do you prefer to look for other varieties of three chord > songs, or to use a bunch of fancy ones? Start with a concept, a melody, > words? Deliberately try to put in quirks, or just let it go how it feels? > > I find that the ones I write with a mandolin tend to be groovier, don't know > why! > > On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 8:38 PM, 14strings <[email protected]> wrote: > > Any of you folks dabble in songwriting and lyrics? My band has a new > > album coming out so I'm getting all my BMI and copyright stuff > > together...not that it really matters ;) Anyway all the news of the > > day made me think of these lyrics I wrote over 20 years ago! Sadly not > > much has changed. Our new album is just as dark; we were all the > > lyrics of base don tales of woe LOL > > > Way of the World > > > Smell the rain, feel the wind > > Black sky and it’s laced with sin > > Running out of empty space > > Spoiled waters filled with waste > > > Oil spill in the seas > > Starving children and their helpless pleas > > Politicians who vote on the hill > > They don’t give a damn they just do what they will > > > Can’t you see? Can’t you see? > > This is a vital proposition > > It’s our hope and our mission > > It’s the way of the world > > > Fur coats and ivory bone > > Tainted needles and styro-foam > > Wrong color, wrong neighborhood > > Rain forest being stripped of wood > > > (c) 1990 Perry Paletta > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "Taterbugmando" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > > . > > For more options, visit this group at > >http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.
