I'm not sure if this subject is relevant on this board(but hey, its GENERAL music discussion, so what the...)
Anywayz, I think I'm pretty much a beginner to writing music, but I think I try really hard, and I'm very serious about it all. But what really beats me is how all my friends at school say " hey, I wrote a song yesterday and it just took me 5 minutes..."
I mean, I take at leat a week to finish a song with lyrics and everything. How long do you people take to do a song? (minus recording time etc...)

Well, I've writtnes songs in 5 mins and 6 months

There is no correct answer on this one. I think it's harder to know when a song is finished or ready. Keep it up, Some will come faster then others and some won't come at all.

I have no problems writing songs in a short amount of time... My problem has always been that I can come up with 2 or 3 at a time in one day, and then won't have any more ideas for the next 3 to 4 months... I think I only have one song right now that took more than a day to write, and I don't really consider it one of my best...

I'm relativaly new to songwriting myself only a couple of years. I have written songs in a couple of hours and it has taken me as long as month to write one. How long it takes to write it not really imortant the content of the song is what really matters how good the song is how much of your heart you put into it. It most of the time is not how it is written but how it is rewritten.

Jeanett

Off the subject now I am going to follow in Kenna's footsteps and could really use a copy of n-trac

yeah, I think my bud Jeanette needs a copy of nTrack too, OLR...

She is one heckofa lyricist, would love to get to hear her in action. (singing and playing too!)

Well, I guess everybody's trying to get their hands on the last n-track, but I WANT IT TOOOOOOO!!!!!

"runs upstars crying"...

It’s my opinion that songs written in 5 minutes belong in 1 of 2 groups. They are either…

1) Spectacular, brilliant ideas that basically write themselves. They seem to have an internal engine that drives them into consciousness in one fell swoop…lyrics and coordinated music. They are gifts from above that require very few revisions.

Or…

2) Shallow, rhyme oriented little ditties that make use of very basic inspiration and technique. There is rarely anything unique or profound about them. They are the most rudimentary of songs. And crowing about them is akin to bragging that your were able to down a Big Mac in one bite. Quite an achievement in some circles I’m sure. But not mine.

And another observation….those of the second variety might end up being very good, but they usually need a lot more than 5 minutes to get them there. I’ve had basic ideas that were put down in 5 minutes, but then honed and agonized over for days, weeks and months after that.

And 5 minutes complete? Doubtful. Five minutes for one verse and a chorus maybe. If you’ve drained a coffee pot all by yourself.

And you n-Track mooches need to get some dignity! I hope you’re not all this shameless in your writing! ;-)

No Really I take my writing very seriously very seriously. Now that everyone knows that.

I am through BUGGING now I'm BEGGING.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I NEED N-TRAC

Jeanett

Posting a naked jpeg would probably do it. ;-)

Hey…it’s worth a try!

i guess everybody goes through the same expriences....i, myself have written songs in minutes,days,months...some not even finished, since forever

jlii www.mp3.com/split2nd

Hey man! I'm all for Tim!!! All you people out there, don't u ever get TIRED of all your rantings!!!! I think the guys gave those n-tracs to u just to shut you up!!!
Hahaha!!...yeah well, no hard feelings songstress and katnot!!

Maybe so, BUT IT WORKED!!!! So I guess that is what matters.

Thanks Jeanett

the contest was for "participating on the board" and I figured, begging and pleading was participating. I really needed the software, so I asked, over and over and over...and OLR listened. They may have given me the software to shut me up, but I'm in possession of some really dynamite recording software now cause I made my presence known. If it irritated you, I am very sorry. I accomplished what I set out to do!

And I didn't even have to post a naked .jpg. That would have surely ruined my chances...hehe

Message boards are about writing messages. Thats what katnot, myself and lastmanstanding did and it worked.

As for songwriting, I think my best songs are the ones that have been developed over time. But every once in a while, one comes out of the blue. Those are great.

:p

O.K. 2 cents from the Loon in the crowd...

Songwriting is an extension of what you are: storyteller, magician, fantasy writer, good deciever, (yes, Good), Intuit, empath, yada yada yada

The songs you write are you. Whether a seasoned vet (whatever that really is-There's always someone who died years ago that outdid someone today yada yada) or a novitiate; we are all a little bit of the above in some way or other. Songs that 'just pop out' are sometimes ideas in the back of our brains' horizon that have been cooking along for years...Or even based on something heard b4.

I have songs that have popped out, and others that need a surgical incision over a period of years to extract. There are a good 20 or so that I have Complete Vocals for, a screaming orchestra in my head, a piano ditty bouncing alongside, a lick or two on guit., and that's all.

I usually hear an entire arrangement like 'snap', man (;-)) but that doesn't always mean the birth process is immediate.

What you write today may horrify you tomorrow, like when I reread this post......

ok, I'm new to all this and a little confused. What's an n-track?

nTrack is digital recording software, nocturnal...check it out ther will be a banner at the top of the page at some time linking you to the site...