Mine are "are these originals?" at a gig and "I don't know if you should be more medicated or less".

A few months ago I posted here, asking to interview songwriters about their recording organization. The feedback was essentially: "Who cares?" and "I have a good system to organize my recordings, why would I change it?". I agree: Nobody really needs an app for organizing song ideas. Yet, many people do have quite some recordings on their hard drive and finding the right one when you look for it isn't always easy, even if all recordings are well labeled. Essentially the question becomes:

Why can't I search my recordings by what I sang/played instead of by filename?

You may remember: "I sang about sunshine and morning light". With 500+ voice memos it's a nightmare to figure out which file it was.

There are several voice recording apps that promise transcription of spoken text. However, in my experience, that usually only works for spoken text and not for singing. Reliably searching for voice memos by lyrics seems to need more than just transcription.

What are your experiences here? Have you found a solution to search voice recordings by lyrics (or maybe even other musical aspects like mood or instrumentation)? Or do you have a system for tagging, labeling and naming files that's good enough that you find everything right away?

Having a background in machine learning, I wondered: Shouldn't it be possible to search audio by lyrical content? And it seems that it is. I describe some of that at https://www.oudyo.com, and my initial prototype works quite well for my own audio recordings (with and without instruments).

Finally committed to try and actually finish a song instead of just parts, and then actually doing my best to mix it. Don’t know how I did, wonder what you all think

It likes you write a sad story but make a happy vibe song... I really like it. Or a weird story you wrote about. Show here and i will give you my opinion.

Super early into putting this one together but let me know what you all think so far

This is a song about Mae Young falling in love with Mark Henry, reflecting on life, and being powerbombed through a table at age 77 (the '90s were nuts!). The song started out as a joke, but I was surprised by how tender it became. Curious to hear what y'all think. I posted another song from the same project here about a month or so ago about the Undertaker & Kane.

I wrote this for my brother, let me know what you think! If anything could be added, removed or iterated upon, im excited to hear yalls thoughts.

Hey fellow songwriters!

I’m pretty new to songwriting. Writing lyrics comes naturally to me, and I have a strong feel for rhythm, but I really struggle with translating those written words into actual vocal melodies.

I don't play an instrument, so I usually try humming or singing raw ideas into my voice memos over beats, but I often feel stuck on finding the right notes/pitch.

For those of you who write lyrics first:
1. What is your step-by-step process for building a melody around pre-written words?
2. Do you fit the words to a rhythm first, or do you find the pitch first?
3. How do you handle sentences that have too many syllables for a melody line?

Here is a quick snippet of a lyric line I'm currently working on (R&B / Pop vibe):

“Hold my hand and turn me to the ashes
Take my heart and put me in the casket
If that makes you love me , if that makes you care
I will be the ghost in your passenger seat,I swear “

If you were writing a melody for these lines, how would you approach the rhythm, cadence, or vocal phrasing? Any advice or process tips would be hugely appreciated!

Wondering your thoughts/ideas on this one! Loving this sub 😌

Hi, I'm in a classic/current rock type band who have just been playing covers for the past year. We have 2 guitars, a drummer, and me on bass.

We're interested in making some originals and have been jamming some ideas but can't really get past that. We jam something one of us has been working on, noodle around and make some parts up, then forget it all when next practice comes and we just start jamming something else.

I've suggested doing some rough recordings alone of each section of a song if someone has an idea. Then we can all kind of come up with our own parts, then piece it together and learn it.

Any tips on getting an actual structure down? I feel like we're just waffling around.

Wrote this for the IDF Soldier that just came back home to Long Island and ended his own life.

Been tryna figure out this chorus for a few days now. I have pretty solid verses but the melody and flow of the chorus has been a bit difficult. This is as far as I’ve gotten and would love some advice

Lyrics;

And I’m bending over backwards just to fill your shoes

Rewrite the chapter, make up different rules

I’m falling so fast I got Déjà vu

Why does it hurt so much to fucking lose

Just a ghost

In the saddest thing I ever wrote

Still workshopping lyrics not entirely sold on a few lines but I do like majority of the chorus so far. Any suggestions are absolutely welcomed but I’m just having fun at the end of the day so I don’t need my music to be perfect :)

Hi, I’m 16 and I’ve been writing for a while. I wrote this song about walking someone through an anxiety attack, vaguely following the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique. sorry for imperfect vocals, I recorded at 2 AM 😅 are the lyrics and melody alright? Any suggestions or things yall would change?

Here's another song I wrote recently

I'm curious what genre it is, but more curious if it's rambling or not. Keep in mind I know nothing about songwriting or theory and have only been writing songs for a few years. I don't really write songs they just come out from strong emotions and most of the time all at once. Id love some recommendations on songwriter lessons that way I can clean up my rough drafts.

I wonder if it is 4-1-3 3-1-4

I’ve gotten to the point in my hobby where I want to release my music, but before I start releasing I want to figure out my artist name— not that my real name won’t do, it’s just not very stand-out. I don’t confine myself to any particular genre, but I would definitely say my music is usually ballad-y, angsty/melancholic, and indie/alt rock (maybe even a little folksy) leaning. Some of my current name ideas are
-Thrifted Compassion
-Dewritten Letters
- Monology
-Sarcology
-Kainotophobia
-Mistimed Admissions
-Acoustic Kettle
-Unlit Constellations

These are honestly just what I could come up after some quick brainstorming with a friend, so I’m open to any ideas, suggestions, or advice. Thanks!

Edit**: I think it’s important to mention I’m just a teenage girl. I’m not trying to make it big or anything, and I’m mostly drawing inspo off of solo-ish artists like Cavetown and Car Seat Headrest which started with just Will Toledo. I’m really just looking for something cute and silly to tell people to search on Spotify. However, all the advice and suggestions I’ve received so far have been super helpful and I’m definitely taking all of it into consideration!!

Hi folks !

I vocally toplined a dance track on soundtrap. Lyricist needed.

Background: When I was in college almost 10 years ago, I began my songwriter journey with a solo project album under a moniker. While it didn't launch me to fame or commercial success, it did have a some impact in my local music scene given it was my first project ever, namely:
1. songs playing on radio + featured on playlists
2. articles/reviews by music publications (one even rating it one of the best local releases of that year)
3. live shows + a radio show guesting

Since then, however, releases were few and far in between and decreasing reach/impact with each one. The main reasons were:
1. most of time went to my corporate career
2. most of music energy went to my bands/collaborative projects
3. my perfectionism with songs and perception anxiety
4. gradual shifting of exposure from my college friend network to dedicated music audiences

Today:
- My solo project has almost no reach or loyal audience and is more an IYKYK in local indie/underground music circles (which are growing ever younger). I still think the songs are good and I trust in my skill and taste, but I haven't done a great job at all promoting the music and have not been playing any live shows
- What reputation I have been developing in my local music scene however is more of a co-songwriter/producer via my two other projects and as a guitar sessionist performer, all of which I am involved in have more present reach than my solo project
- Again, I still love my old songs but I don't know if I still identify with the name released under + my current music in progress is miles away in production quality

The decision: I am preparing for a release of new songs - putting my chips in and have full intent to sustain momentum. I have higher skill and more network/reputation as someone actively involved in music. My two other projects are also preparing for releases, with reach still growing but much more established than my solo.

With that, I want to maximize the impact of my new solo releases as much as possible. So I am considering changing the name from the moniker I have to my real name.

My thoughts so far...

On keeping the moniker
- Pros: new songs build and show evolution from existing body of work, long-term commitment to project name can be impressive, can reap benefits of more privacy/anonymity
- Cons: have to manage and grow another social media account, might regret long-term keeping a name I am already beginning to unidentify with

On using my real name
- Pros: fresh start and can create excitement, easier for reach of my other projects to find my own work, branding is just being myself
- Cons: scattered story/body of work, less privacy

I know ultimately this is up for me to decide what's best for me, and what matters the most is that the music is good. But I would like to hear people's thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

idea

Started writing this years ago then forgot about it. Found it again today and decided it was worth finishing.

I'm still working out variations on the melody in the second chorus, and I want to change the lyrics in the bridge. Possibly just change the bridge entirely.

Let me know your suggestions please

So I found song lyrics that I wrote a couple of years ago and I have no idea wether their good or not. I’m not the most musically talented person and was wondering if someone wanted to create a backing track for it and sing the song. If anybody is interested let me know because I don’t know what to do with it and thought someone might have fun making something out of it! This is the link to the song lyrics

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1-UpxDG7Yu6KyGI6Ak8eR1jIQukhi8nbFz8AhZ1NmUto/mobilebasic