Song writers... ???

Question

what.. who.. inspired you to write a song?

Answer 1

I write few lyrics, but am a prolific composer.

Inspiration comes from many places. I've written dozens of songs just messing around before or after practices. I will noodle with a riff and the drummer or bass player will join in and before you know it we have the basics of a whole song.

Some are inspired by events. The first half of Maria I wrote while I was getting to know her. The 2nd half I wrote after she dumped me. Under a Lonely Moon was written while I was sitting there waiting for a phone call to determine if a future fiance was going to come over from Australia or allow issues in Australia to keep us seperated. Sinister I wrote after a soon to be ex gf stormed out of the house following a bitter arguement. So women are at times an inspiration for some of my writing.

I wrote For the People one day while I was reading tabs for Classical gas. The very first chord inspired me. It sounds nothing like Classical Gas, in fact the only song it even slightly resembles is a fient influence from Stairway to heaven. I never did learn Classical Gas LOL. The new chords I learned spawned 3 songs and the formation of other chords using the same principles which spawned dozens of other songs. I've written a couple from cover tunes. I rarely play in cover bands so when we do do a cover we usually add parts and heavily modify the song. When the band broke up, if the origional part sounded really good I'd yank it out and use it as the foundation of a new song.

I wrote one tune inspired by listening to a really sad song. Forget which one, but I wanted to write a really sad song. Wound up more upbeat but a good song in general.

Battlements I wrote when I was taking a break on a novel I was working on. I was thinking about one of the main female charactors on a lonely battlement, fog blowing in accross a crisp autumn morning. I picked up the guitar without thought and was strumming the main verse almost subcounciously.

9-11 inspired a tune that same day. Other news events have done so as well. Blood in the Sand is an example of one such song.

I've written music to lyrics and poems as well. Too far, Reign in silence (Which I actually named from an unamed poem written by a singer we were auditioning) and

Wings one of my few lyrical accomplisments I wrote based off a chant my 3 yr old daughter was working on. She also interjected a few sentences that later worked thier way into the lyrics like "your doing it all wrong" LOL. She's a might headstrong and was mad that Daddy was working on a song during her weekend to be with me.

Origional intentions is one of the few tunes I've written off of a vocal line. So I don't really deserve a great deal of credit on writing that one.

Said today I wrote specifically for a singer in a band I was playing in. We were a purely accoustic outfit and did alot of covers initially. I was a little too frustrated about how mellow the songs were were doing was so I wrote one that was still mellow enough to play in a coffee shop but had a bit more life to it than the avg Folk song.

Some songs just leap into me. Return of the Grasshopper I woke up from a dead sleep, wandered over to my guitar, used an effect I rarely use and recorded the song. No idea how to play it as I was half asleep. Rather exotic song, hence the name the bass player hung on it. Very different from anything I normally play.

Other songs are started by a riff somebody else brings in. Waves started from a bass line the drummer was tinkering with. I wrote a harmony to it also on bass then wrote the second section from that first harmonized peice. The same drummer and I collaborated on 4 other songs as well. On one it's really hard to tell which of us contributed which parts as they blend in so perfectly. We wrote that song sitting around during a recording session while the sound engineer tinkered with something or another. Half the band and enterage was sound asleep as we'd been at it for 24 hours strait already. Even with all the cussing coming from the sound engineer I think he was mostly asleep as well :) Bloodwell was purely off the Rythem players effect. He accidentally hit a wicked sounding effect and I told him stay there on that effect. I worked out a quick riff for him to play and then wrote leads over that as well as an intro. A week or two later after about 10 tries I wrote a chorus that the whole band agreed upon for the tune.

Others I've written just sitting around tinkering with a guitar. For me music is an expression. If I'm tense I can often play it out with a guitar and calm down very quickly. I'll sit down and play an angry song if I'm angry or write one if I dont' feel like playing one. Depression, happyness, anxiety, boredom all are great inspirations for song writing. The guitar being a great outlet for excess emotions.

Kitty I wrote when wooing my ex-wife. It was specifically written for her and about her. So again woman inspired, but this one was directed unlike most women inspired songs. Maria for example never heard the song written about her.

I love writing music. Love challenges in genres I like to work in. Give me an idea or an inspiration and I'm on it. Remember one guitarist we auditioned when I was playing for Last Man. He said basically "just him (meaning me) a riff and watch a song develop"
or something to that effect. Was an interesting jam session. The other guitarist was the husband of the reality who sold me my house. First time she'd been in the house since she sold it too me.

I'm sure I'm forgetting dozens of other inspirations for songs. I have a box of tapes I've been going through of stuff I've recorded over the years. Moving it to CD so I don't lose those song ideas and some of them have me wondering how the hell I came up with this or that and what WAS I playing LOL. Some sound so horrible I wonder what was I on when I recorded that. Others I love, now I just have to figure out how to play them. No idea what tuning I used, what chords (I tend to make up chords to suite the song rather than try to force my chord knowledge limit on the sound I'm hearing in my head.)

If your looking for ways to write new tunes. Challenge yourself. Get in a place where your muse can reach you. Love of music is best way to do that. If you approach it like a job your muse will spit on you before she'll talk to you. Approach it with love in your heart even if your angry as hell and trying to write about anger. You love the music, the music is the medium to express your anger not the cause of it nor the whipping boy for it. Then spy a path you've not taken before and let your muse lead you down it. I've always found that first let my muse go where she wants. Whether it be writing or music. Then come back and refine it, mold it or whatever else needs to be done for it to be palatable for the masses. Muses do not like to be manipulated, at least mine doesn't. She'll desert me in a heart beat if I try to force a song or book in the midst of the birth.

Answer 2

Im a christian n ive gone 4 song writtin seminars, dat didnt help much, I only got some tips
then I wrote a song called beautiful, I had composed it on d guitar, at first I liked it, later it got booring. now I changed my mind n planned 2 write raps. n now im plannin 2 make a remix of d song "beautiful"

if u r a writter u can contact, coz ive heard dat if 2 writters meet they'll get better in skills of writting

Answer 3

Lots of things, i write songs freely when i am depressed. Like i could sit down and write say 5 songs. Mostly over girls who have made me sad. But that girl came back to me on 5 occasions so i have a whole lot of songs about her. I'm in Loveeeeeeee. hehe. But i have written when i'm happy and writing when you are bored is good to, it gives off a funny attitude in my lyrics

Answer 4

My X wife. I wrote a bunch of broken heart Country songs. I have since quit writing songs, and I am looking for insperation for love songs. What are you doing for the rest of your life?

Answer 5

Ex-Girlfriends

Answer 6

hmmm, good question

I recently wrote a song called "Keep your hands where I can see em" inspired by the pikey bast*rds that robbed my mobile phone last time I was out clubbing in Brixton..

The rotters!

Answer 7

Past experiences

Answer 8

Boredom.

Answer 9

every thing in my life that i can remember i rember different things at differnt times all so all so a expression in words or music also mood substates to help stay focus
from the heart where wisdom comes from also
you?

Answer 10

Your profile Pic

Answer 11

your picture inspires me to do many things.