{"id":18578,"date":"2019-05-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/?p=18578"},"modified":"2021-05-07T12:52:19","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T10:52:19","slug":"advice_unfinished_songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/en\/blog\/advice-unfinished-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Deal with Unfinished Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>One of the hardest and most frustrating battles for songwriters is not being able to finish a song. We asked a few Soundreef songwriters to give us some reasons as to why this may be happening to you, along with some handy tips on how to overcome them.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Here&#8217;s what they had to say:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Jamie Sparks &#8211; Nova Scotia, CANADA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI have this problem&#8230;all the time!! As creative types, we don&#8217;t always create in a linear fashion. Society says things must go in order, in a straight line, a-b-c-d-e, 1-2-3-4-5, etc.<\/p>\n<p>However, we like to create whenever\/wherever inspiration strikes, for as long &#8211; or as little &#8211; as it lasts. Our songs are emotional experiences. If the mood is not right, the inspiration will fade. If it fades quickly, the result can be a lot of unfinished songs. But that&#8217;s ok because there&#8217;s a fix!<\/p>\n<p>First, do whatever you can to get yourself in a good mood, with minimal distractions. Then, if you go back to one of those unfinished songs, and listen to it for a while, not always, but sometimes, the inspiration will come back. And often you will pick up almost exactly where you left off. This has happened to me too many times to count.<\/p>\n<p>One song I have called &#8220;Real&#8221; from my last album, I hadn&#8217;t worked on in maybe 10 years. In 2017, I gave it a listen again. Not only did I pick up where I left off, but I also came up with new ideas I never imagined for the song.<\/p>\n<p>So, my advice? Don&#8217;t give up on those old tracks. Sometimes you may have to hit the delete button. Sometimes, but not always. Just have another listen. You never know what magic can happen!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/artist\/21bzOgsUJPUYcb6apXA770\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_end\">\ufeff<\/span>\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Neon NiteClub \u2013 Florida, USA <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cAll artists go through times of half-finished songs where songwriting feels less like \u2018dynamic inspiration\u2019 and feels more like \u2018tedious work\u2019. \u00a0It\u2019s important to see your ideas through. Artists are always their own harshest critic, so we shut down these half idea songs before they are realized.<\/p>\n<p>I would encourage artists to embrace the \u2018work\u2019 phase of songwriting, whether or not they think what they are writing is any good. See your songs through, and let your listeners be the ones to decide.<\/p>\n<p>Many songs I have written where I felt the second half feel more tedious, have been well received by fans. It\u2019s important to shift that mindset and trust your talent to see your songs through. You will usually be pleasantly surprised at the reception of your songs, and that will, in turn, give you more confidence as you write more tunes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/artist\/6ePlLg4RKe98JhraD3r0J6\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stefano Bif \u2013 Campania, ITALY <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Like all songwriters, I have a binder full of incomplete songs. It used to be something that really terrified and upset me; I was scared of my own elusive thoughts and of not being able to express the way I was feeling.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not like that anymore. It\u2019s just a matter of being aware of your own creative process. Creativity is always there, and it feeds off different emotions and stimuli: they feel elusive, but in reality, they\u2019re fermenting inside of you all the time. Eventually, you will burst, and it will give you the strength to complete those half-written lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>I have a good relationship with writing. I have my own method which works best for me: I usually try and outline what I want to write about first and then I try to jot down some ideas (I call this \u2018preparation\u2019); then, except for those very rare occasions in which I\u2019m just overwhelmed with inspiration, I wait (I call this \u2018incubation\u2019); lastly, I leave the city and retire to my home town in Cilento so I can work in complete isolation for a few days. Dead silence helps me focus and shape songs the way I had pictured them in the previous weeks\/months. I usually test the songs and rehearse them at gigs. If something doesn\u2019t feel right, I go back and work at them until the lyrics, melodies, and harmonies are exactly the way I had pictured them. Hope this helps all the creative people out there! I\u2019ll be waiting for you in the beautiful Cilento: satisfaction guaranteed!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/artist\/4yDRfQlXaV4Pc5LVnhA29u\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Federico Leo \u2013 Apulia, ITALY<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019ve never really thought of myself as a songwriter. I\u2019m more of a \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d type of guy; this, however, has allowed me to see vast amounts of songs dying in the hands of talented authors.<\/p>\n<p>What even is a song? Lyrics, melodies, and chords all put together? If this were the case, it would be much easier to deal with them. I think songs are much more than that: they are intimacy and expectation. That\u2019s why I think that all you need to finish a song is to look at yourself from the outside, as if the songs weren\u2019t yours, and try to assess their market potential. Easier said than done, I know, but it really is possible. Or, you could find someone like me! Someone who doesn\u2019t write but can act as your mirror. I\u2019ve had the possibility to experience this with 2 artists.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastiano, lead singer of TU, is both a songwriter and composer, but I doubt he\u2019s ever had any problems finishing a song. He usually starts from a random word and then builds a castle around it\u2026 and I demolish it (on most occasions). On other ones, I suggest changes looking at the song from the outside so we can work together and perfect it, but this technique is not for the faint of heart.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Leila, one of the most talented artists I\u2019ve ever worked with, has written like 100 songs in the past 2 years. Her songs are usually words that have a sound but don\u2019t have notes. They have the potential of becoming anything, and they do because the song is usually rearranged in like 4 different styles. The lyrics change, but the \u201csong\u201d stays the same. We have a whole cemetery of songs, both finished and unfinished. But we\u2019re 100% confident of the songs we actually have, and this wouldn\u2019t have been possible without sacrificing a few.<\/p>\n<p>Usually, I think that if you\u2019re not able to finish a song it\u2019s either because you\u2019re not fully confident, or because you\u2019re scared of finishing it because it would mean you\u2019re abandoning a piece of yourself and you\u2019re scared it will just end up in a pile. So maybe, the problem isn\u2019t that you can\u2019t finish the song. Rather, its because you\u2019ve taken a wrong turn and you need to go back, or you\u2019re too scared to go forward. But you must go on, with strength and courage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7vdxJHnPH7gQjsW6RHIdIj\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"0\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13810\" src=\"http:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sign_UP.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"871\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sign_UP.png 871w, https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sign_UP-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sign_UP-768x220.png 768w, https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Sign_UP-280x80.png 280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.soundreef.com\/it\/login\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13819\" src=\"http:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/LOG_IN.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"871\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/LOG_IN.png 871w, https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/LOG_IN-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/LOG_IN-768x220.png 768w, https:\/\/www.soundreef.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/LOG_IN-280x80.png 280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px\" \/>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the hardest and most frustrating battles for songwriters is not being able to finish a song. We asked a few Soundreef songwriters to give us some reasons as to why this may be happening to you, along with some handy tips on how to overcome them. Here&#8217;s what they had to say:\u00a0 Jamie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[193],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Deal with Unfinished Songs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We asked a few Soundreef songwriters a few reasons as to why you may not be finishing your songs, along with some handy tips on how to...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Deal with Unfinished Songs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We asked a few Soundreef songwriters a few reasons as to why you may not be finishing your songs, along with some 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