i thought you were a water glass

so i took you in, every sip

i didn’t know that it was poison

still as i’m soaring straight toward death

i wonder if there will be a ghost

inside your little head

in the land of the forgotten

will there be a tombstone with my name on it

will there be a tombstone with my name on

—-

it’s very short, but every time i try to add onto it, it feels forced! what do you think of the lyrics?

Im 33 looking to collaborate with any age really just to help bring projects to fruition and maybe get writing or sound engineering credit. Im from southern California I have an extensive knowledge on music and recording equipment. You can dm me for more info. Im not going to charge i. Just looking to collaborate so dont be shy

Lyrics

Verse Yeah you look so shy
But I know ya
and I know you will be fine

There’s another on the mic
He sees desperate he’s
Singing about old times

Pre
You’ve got to give your best tonight and shine
You can’t help it

Cause your voice is one of a kind
Let em know it

Chorus
had I gone to a thousand bars
I never would have heard a voice like yours
I never would have seen a face like yours
Shining bright

And had I looked as far as mars
I never would have seen a brighter star
I never would have seen that gray guitar

So tonight is your night
Sing under your
Favourite light

Yeah tonight is your night sing under your favourite
Light

So to make a long story short …I started rapping and writing in 2019 after I got dumped ( completely my fault by the way ) my friends introduced me in to it this was also the first time my friends and I have hung out in a while so this was different this was just something they did a phase one can say so I eventually went home and picked it up wrote my first rap and my buddies actually liked it as time went by they stopped rapping and went on to the next best thing for some reason it stood with me ..it made me feel different..I then announced that I wanted to go full time with writing music to my buddies and with full grace they supported the idea of it and so I’ve been on this journey since I haven’t actually gotten anything done I’ve written tons of material I take pauses and I mean weeks sometimes months but for what ever reason it never left my mind like some thing tells me I’ll regret not following it at first I thought it was just a phase but it lingers in my mind I don’t know what to do with it ..I’ll never be drake j Cole or Kendrick Lamar that’s what doesn’t make sense to me

I’ve talked a lot with my friends about where inspiration comes from, and it always interests me how different the responses are.

Some people seem to go off emotions, others write stories that are complete fiction, others are inspired by other people’s work.

So my question is where do YOU find your inspiration? Is it your own story, others, a mix of both?

Is it easier to write when you’re super emotional, or when your head is pretty clear?

When I started smoking again last year I started writing songs again for the first time in about 15 years - also tried editing some but the ones I'm writing are better now.

My theory is Paul Simon said there's no such thing as writer's block but it's that you think what you have to write isn't good enough - I think it helps me a bit push past that into the "well this could be cool, let's explore"

I'm not going to post a link but if you go to russbrownmusic on youtube you'll here two of the songs I wrote (but one is a rework)

I hate to say it but as a nearly autistic non-verbal kind of dude, it's been a wave of stuff flowing forth and I always time it with the mornings so I have time to explore a bit on vocal and guitar before work - sort of dedicated morning times to writing like Jason Molina

anyways...maybe I'll do a new album -

Kinda finally actually finished a song instead of just starting one. What do you all think

My friend plays the alto sax and I play the electric bass, specifically a low B 5-string, and I was looking for any tips on how to write a duet for these two instruments.

At the moment, I have a key and scale chosen, Bb diminished, and I intend to have the sax play more harmonic while the bass plays more rhythmic, probably using a lot of walking lines.

Any and all tips are appreciated!

Not really happy with this one. All done in a single day. Since, I don't yet have the luxury (if ever) to spend days getting things "right." My studio has to be set up and torn down in the span of a couple hours - and so, I record and mix quick. Is there anything about this that works? What definitely doesn't?

As always, thanks again to anyone here for taking the time!

Hey everyone, I recently recorded my first album. It launches November 3rd. While that is super exciting, I figured I would come share some tips. Anyone reading this that has also recorded an album please feel free to go ahead and add to the list or edit it. Or if you have any questions post them below and I will try to address them.

1. My most important recommendation is to get one song completely ready a month before you record your album. Then book 2 hours at your studio and record it 5 or 6 times. If you have never professionally recorded something get comfortable with the equipment and process before you start recording the album. (If it is decent enough after a couple of weeks listening to it you can even get it mastered and see what it sounds like so you know what to expect).

2. Get to know the mixing technician to ensure that you like them. You will spend hours with this person and be in constant communication with them. Make sure that you guys can work together. I was very lucky and liked my recording experience but I hear others are not so lucky

3. Pricing! Make sure you map out exactly how much this is going to cost. A rough outline of your expected hourly cost and final cost with all of the production included. (Estimate the hourly rate with how many songs you need recorded. Talk to the mixing/mastering technicians and see how many hours it will take for your style of music. You can probably even ask for a discount if you're doing a bunch of songs).

4. Feedback: Make sure your mixing/mastering tech feels comfortable enough to give you feedback. Sometimes we all suck but sound great to ourselves. It is nice for an impartial voice of reason to give us different approaches. Remember this is also a two way street. If they are mixing it and it doesn't sound the way you want it to, speak up.

5. Timeline: Start sooner rather than later. There can be all sorts of delays in getting the project finished.

6. Bring coffee, water, or anything else you might need. (Simple tip but one of the more important ones).

7. If you are recording with a group or band make sure that they are on time. Every dollar counts and you do not want to burn half an hour waiting for someone who showed up late.

8. Allot for setup/F*ck around time. There will definitely be some mess ups and unexpected issues that arise you should plan for this in your budget and outlook of the sessions.

9. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AFTER RELEASE: If your studio is going to charge a royalty you need to know that. Make sure to ask who owns the masters. This also means knowing how to credit producers etc. (It cant hurt to have this in writing)

10. Understand going in that it will not be exactly how you hear it in your head. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes that is a bad thing. Compromise when needed and double down when you need to. It wont be flawless your first go around and nor should it be. You are collaborating with others which means there are different ideas and some of them may be better than yours and some may not be.

Bonus: Take pictures and videos: Especially those that are planning on promoting the album go ahead and get stuff on camera so you can post it for promotional stuff if you decide to. Worst case scenario you at least have the memory.

I apologize for the long winded post, I hope that this helps anyone interested in recording an album. Best of luck to you all!

Idk how out of place this could be but I just wanna talk about help stuff.

I really love making music and writing music but for pretty much this entire year and the last quarter of the last year, It's been hard to really get in "that mode"?, I come up with alot of fragments and ideas but I feel like I can never build off of em greatly and especially with recording, my mental is really just harmful to me, I overthink, compare and spiral alot. I Don't wanna be stuck like this when I know I can be so much more, I guess I wanna ask, how does one just write and feel good. I also really juat wanna show the vision I have but it just, I don't know why I just can't ever do it, I'm harsh on myself anndd yeh.

This is a song I wrote for my first album In The Meantime, which comes out Nov. 3rd. Let me know what you all think.

Experimenting with through composing, its ment to be an intro to an album I’ve been working on forever. Trying to get back into it and actually finish the album!

Friend teased me calling me “wannabe Leonard Cohen” and I improvised this as a response lol. I shared the transcript as a poem, and people seemed to like it. Could it work as a song? Of course I would sing it in my own voice whatever that means

Lyrics:

And a parrot
put it on your head
And tell me again
what’d they say that time?

Did they tell you to go
Did they tell you to stay
Did they tell you they know?

All your secrets

the ones you told.

How'd they know the ones you didn't?
I'll tell you, it was written on your face

It's written all over the place
It's written in every space you graced and every
time you lied.
And every time you do

every time you do they'll look at you different
and then they'll remember their own
But it won't matter
because those you don't know
But when you find out
you'll be right there where they were
when they learned yours

So take a break, relax
Don't take this all too hard now
It's just life after all
It's been the same
for a long time

And it ain't changing anytime soon, so
pick up a broom

Emphasis on the me. Wanted to do something along the lines of the Jim Carroll bands People Who Died, or 1800 suicide by Gravediggaz, but in a very different style. Or maybe it’s because of this one guy who wouldn’t shut up, and not everything is your own personal tragedy, and I might be an asshole. I guess we’ll never know.

I like the way the song lurches into being before getting (a little) tighter as it goes on. Might sound a little rough, as it was recorded in my cabin on a four track recording thingy, and then had to be transferred to garage band using a thousand cables and adapters.

Is this one worth pursuing and finishing (bridge, outro, solos, etc), or should it remain a personal exercise?

They wore

High heels

I heard them click

Against the hard cold floors

But it feels so sore

And its hard to ignore

I feel like I walk funny

Not like girls on the tv

I wish I knew

How to be like you

Youre like grown up skipped

A season or a few

But really,

When I was young

I thought when I was older

I wouldn’t be so lost

But now I’m still undone

I don’t know where to go

Don’t know where I should put her

Shes just a little girl

Whos youth is on the run

My age

On stage

Saving the world well im a girl

With just an empty page

When did I sign up for a race?

I wish I knew

How to be like you

I feel the same

But im supposed to be all brand new

So I've written a song - which I can't post here yet as I apparently still have insufficient comment karma in the sub xD - and am thinking about hiring an independent vocalist to produce a demo for me?

Reason being I can't really sing as well I'd like (or as well as I thought I could xD) and I can't play at all.

Are there any songwriters in here in the same boat as me, who go down the route of hiring a singer to turn your work into something you can listen to?

hey guys, i’ve been apart of this community a while and have been songwriting since highschool. going through a lot right now and struggling. trying to stop using weed/alcohol every night to have a point in the day where i can escape but it’s keeping me depressed. i want to escape with songwriting but i don’t know how to make the change.

depression has been really rough, especially with a breakup ive been going through on top of it. been struggling for about a decade and im 22 years old. knowing my favorite artists like elliott smith and david berman were able to channel their mental health issues is something that inspires me but also scares me and i think that it’s something that might be crucial for me to stay alive with this treatment resistant depression. any tips or experiences with this?

best regards

There's no space for me

On that hill that you live on

And i get tired on the way up

There's no space for me

When im an ear to be chewed on

And when i speak i get crickets

I know i give but its just taken

There's no space for me

These shoulders you cry on

Are the same that you stand

And when i cant stand it

You take flight

You only love me when you're gone

You only love me when you're gone

Woohoo

You only love me when you

Fall from up above

Hit every branch on the way down

Down

On the way down

There's no space for me

On that hill that you live on

Probs needs an ending or bridge