Some chords:

x3x210 (I think that's Csus6?)
x5x53x (Dmin7)

for the second half of the progression, I'm not really sure where to go. The thing I like about the first two chords is that they have a prominent note in them other than the root (the 6th and the 7th respectively) that establishes a feeling of motion outside of what the chords might otherwise suggest. I'd ideally like to continue that into the second half of the progression. I like the sound of maybe B to G (both simple octaves) or similarly, B to D (octaves). Maybe alternate.

I liked this with a 12312312 type of 4/4 rhythm.

A good song that I'm still working on: Demo
A stupid song that I will never perform again in my entire life: Demo

I wrote a bit of a song last night. I demo'd it up, but I'm not ready to post anything yet. So far it's a single verse, but I think it has real growth potential. It follows the themes I've previously established for this record I hope to eventually make.

So February is over, and I definitely lost at FAWM. I only managed to post four songs, and of those, I dislike one. Still, I consider this a success in that I did manage to come up with three songs that I not only like, but like quite a bit. "Skull Mansion" now ranks amongst my favorite songs, and "Snowflakes" and "Visible Scars" both carry their own weight very well in my opinion.

I found this blog very helpful towards my songwriting process and I plan to maintain it throughout the year. I think one of my major problems when it comes to writing music is that my excitement to have it be heard leads me to rush things to completion. This blog allows me to show off things in progress, but without the pressure of calling it finished. As such, I've been able to tweak songs several times over to get them to a point where I like them. It's a good thing.

Due to a busy end of the month, involving many Rotundo Sealeg shows and even a Wood Burning Cat set, I've gotten out of the habit of working on music. I need to kick myself into gear and write some things. Even just something silly and stupid. I've been listening to a lot of twee lately, which might be good and might be bad for me. I'm not sure. I think the style is often a bit overdone, and is territory that should be tread carefully upon. Still, there is a lot to like about the sincerity that is often present. I could do well to pull some positive aspects from twee and apply them to what I've been doing already. Sucking some of the melo-drama out of my songwriting couldn't hurt.

A brief moment of retarded distraction. Here's a cover song I found on a cassette tape.

Yesterday I learned a few Elliott Smith songs on guitar, including "Last Call", which is one I've long wanted to cover. Elliott Smith is a guitarist and songwriter that I've long (and knowingly) underestimated. For some reason, I am constantly surprised by the quality of his work. You'd think I'd get the hint by now. In any case, I became very jealous of the mode mixing in "Last Call". The verses are in D, but with a borrowed G major, which is shifted to G minor right before the chorus, and the progression that follows is I guess G minor melodic? Regardless, it all sounds very smooth and very effective. The unconventional chords don't feel awkward, but instead give some emotional depth to the music.

I would like to give him a run for his money as best I am able, so I'm revisiting something I started the other day. This is in what I would consider to be A minor, but the first chord is instead A major. the progression for the verse is as follows: A F D E A F Bb E. Point of pride there, constructing a minor sounding riff out of all major chords. After that, I made a chorus out of the chords F G Am C Bb E A C#m F E A. In addition to that slightly fucked up Bb chord, the real weirdo in this progression is obviously the C#m. I like it. As usual though, and this never ceases to amaze or frustrate me, it's much easier to get into these weird notes than it is to get back out of them. As such, I'm not entirely happy with the F that immediately follows it. Maybe it's just a confidence issue? Maybe the right vocal melody will tie it together? We'll see.

There is no vocal melody on this demo, but the verse will be the same melody (roughly) as the earlier demo. CLICK IT.

SONG FOUR POSTED, MOTHERFUCKER

It's called "Visible Scars" and I wrote it while I should have been taking a nap.

HERE IS THE SONG.