Prompt #6 (June 2012) Discussion & Song Sharing

[UncaScroogeMcD]

All details on Song Fu 2012 Prompt #6 can be found HERE: http://www.asitecalledfred.com/songfu2012

Have at it...

[HeyLightman]

so who wants to collaborate this month?

[JMaqVsSongFu]

Every time I try to write in 3/4, my brain wants to get fancy and push it to 6/8*. This one's going to be rough.

*I didn't really know the difference, so I looked it up. What I found was that 3/4 traditionally has stresses on the beats, and 6/8 tends to deal in pairs of triplets. Best example I saw was that in America from West Side Story, "I like to be in A-" is in 6/8 (ONE two three TWO two three), "-mer-i-ca" is in 3/4 (ONE - TWO - THREE - ). And this has been your "music theory as taught by someone who knows nothing about music theory" lesson for the day.

[grantimatter]

3/4's a waltz!

A waltz!

A debased and over-sexualized dance that will lead us ALL to perdition!

(It's true. Filthy, filthy dance.)

Oom-pah-pah!

[JMaqVsSongFu]

Song: http://soundcloud.com/jmaq2/get-me-down
MP3: http://soundcloud.com/jmaq2/get-me-down/download

Get Me Down started life as a song about running out of anti-anxiety medication and frantically harassing the company for being closed on the weekend. Once I started writing, it immediately became a "drugs as metaphor for love" song about a destructive and unbalanced relationship. By the time I was done, I decided it was about meds after all and it was a "drugs as metaphor for love as metaphor for drugs" song.

When I started I had written the chorus to end with the line "Get me down." Then I chose to omit it in the hopes that it would be more interesting if it was just implied, as if our poor shut-in didn't want to ask for the help he desperately needs. Then I started writing a love song and I'm pretty sure all that subtext went out the window.

I also wanted to throw some mostly inaudible bass into the chorus that, hopefully, would give an imbalanced feel to the song on the right sound system. When I actually got there, the song sounded utterly empty. I jacked the volume on it a little. Not sure if it works.

The TL;DR version: I made a song! It changed drastically from what I started with! It's worse now! Listen anyway!

[adamsounds]

Here's mine. Better late (at night) than never!

http://goo.gl/7cgdb

Man, this has got to be one of the weird songs I've written, lyrically. I found myself writing this, and was thinking, "Really? Am I going here? This is a weird place to go," especially for me. My only regret is that it's not funny. It's just interesting.

Musically, this might be my favorite melody yet. Then again, I have a thing for compound time, and have to purposely try to NOT write in compound time most of the time.... Did I use the word "time" enough.

[glenraphael]

Here's my effort, which is a true story. ("The High Line" is a park in Manhattan constructed on an abandoned elevated train line.)

"Ballad of the Self-Balancing Unicycle":
http://glenraphael.bandcamp.com/trac...ncing-unicycle

[adamsounds]

JMaq— Damn, dude, great writing. Your words paint a great picture of how you feel. Totally dig it. And what a dark feel, too! Crazy! My only suggestion— Buy a nice microphone. Your vocals will enjoy it.


glenraphael— That's a hilarious story. Your guitar playing is great. And now I want a unicycle.

[AlexBoydFilk]

Here's my first ever song fu song.
"A Song Complaining about Not Being Able to Write a Song"
http://thelonegunman.bandcamp.com/tr...o-write-a-song

[grantimatter]

"Tired (A Neanderthal Complains)" is about an old artist, who made the world's oldest painting, trying to get the damn kids out of his cave.

http://guildofscientifictroubadours....hal-complains/


They know not what they do, grampa.

[grantimatter]

Huh - JMaq went for a xylophone sound too. And Adam wrote a letter.... Wild.

[TraderJack]

hey duders, song's 'I Could Use a Vacation'
http://traderjack.bandcamp.com/track...use-a-vacation
3/4 is fun, also things got a bit screamo, so that was fun too.

[jameshorn0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8UKY...1&feature=plcp

This is my first post and song with vocals so please be gentle! :P

I'm not used to singing (as you will most likely be able to tell with a listen) but it serves (as well as I'm used to writing orchestral music have a look at my channel if you don't believe me!)

Cheers and hope you enjoy it,

jameshorn0

[HeyLightman]

I will unfortunately not make this months deadline. If I ever get my idea done I will post it. D.L

[UncaScroogeMcD]

Deadline's are flexible. Creation's the key.

[grantimatter]

Hey, Jameshorn0 - do you have lyrics up anywhere?

Hey, Lightman! Make something!

[MatildaZQ]

Finally doing this, and doing it in half-assed fashion, as is my wont.

I wrote this song in April 2011 as an assignment for my songwriting class. We were to pick a historical figure and write a song either about them or from their perspective.

How, you might ask, is this a response to the prompt, then?

WELL. I chose Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who kind of has the ultimate complaint, what with being disenfranchised and all that, and it happens to be one of the few songs I've written in 3/4 time.

O, Beautiful

Here's what I wrote about the song at the time. (After the first JoCo cruise I was inspired to be slightly less lackadaisical about my songwriting, so I did that blog thing for a while.)

[BluefromHTF]

SONG IN BEFORE DEADLINE
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

http://hello-the-future.bandcamp.com/track/burn

[AngelaDC]

Hey look! I figured out how to use the forums!
Our song is done (we even finished early this month!) - and yet it is not posted anywhere except our bandcamp, so it did not matter!
Well, here it is!
http://thedoubleclicks.bandcamp.com/...nows-me-better
It *started* as a complaint. I'll admit, we got a bit caught up on the 3/4 thing. That is HARD!

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by AngelaDC

Hey look! I figured out how to use the forums!
Our song is done (we even finished early this month!) - and yet it is not posted anywhere except our bandcamp, so it did not matter!
Well, here it is!
http://thedoubleclicks.bandcamp.com/...nows-me-better
It *started* as a complaint. I'll admit, we got a bit caught up on the 3/4 thing. That is HARD!

Welcome!