Comments on: Song demos up on honeybowtie.com http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/ Honey Bowtie Music blog: where sticky songs meet (occasionally) overdressed ideas. Sweet. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:57:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: therealjae http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-143 therealjae Wed, 12 Nov 2003 04:43:35 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-143 I get what you're saying about the criticism. I go through that, too, with my beta team -- I know for sure that if I send out a story and multiple people comment on the same thing, it's a problem. But if only one person comments, and especially if it's a criticism that sounds intuitively wrong to me, then I need to be able to go back to one of my other betas (usually Christie or Luna) and say: "so-and-so says I should change x. What do you think?" Often it will be something that they also thought was wrong, but couldn't think of a way to phrase, and then I know. Sometimes there will be something wrong, but not the thing the beta pointed out, and we'll figure out through talking about it what the real problem is. And sometimes (rarely, but sometimes) the beta is just plain wrong about the thing they commented on, and it helps to hear someone else say that. I've thought for a while that if you could get something like that set up with songwriting, that it could be very helpful. Any chance of it? -J I get what you’re saying about the criticism. I go through that, too, with my beta team — I know for sure that if I send out a story and multiple people comment on the same thing, it’s a problem. But if only one person comments, and especially if it’s a criticism that sounds intuitively wrong to me, then I need to be able to go back to one of my other betas (usually Christie or Luna) and say: “so-and-so says I should change x. What do you think?” Often it will be something that they also thought was wrong, but couldn’t think of a way to phrase, and then I know. Sometimes there will be something wrong, but not the thing the beta pointed out, and we’ll figure out through talking about it what the real problem is. And sometimes (rarely, but sometimes) the beta is just plain wrong about the thing they commented on, and it helps to hear someone else say that.

I’ve thought for a while that if you could get something like that set up with songwriting, that it could be very helpful. Any chance of it?

-J

]]> By: kateo http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-142 kateo Tue, 11 Nov 2003 18:34:44 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-142 Thanks for your feedback! And yeah, I love Mango Sun. I wish something would happen for that one -- I'd be just delighted to get such a happy song placed somewhere, somehow. :-) Thanks for your feedback! And yeah, I love Mango Sun. I wish something would happen for that one — I’d be just delighted to get such a happy song placed somewhere, somehow. :-)

]]> By: kateo http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-141 kateo Tue, 11 Nov 2003 18:31:01 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-141 Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm delighted to hear your feedback. :-) We played Traces of You and Get It Wrong for a publisher critique last night, and he certainly did have some suggestions. I don't agree with all of them, but that's part of the process, you know? It's like we need a writers' version of the Serenity prayer: to learn how to be humble enough to accept criticism gracefully, smart enough to know which parts to ignore, and disciplined enough to work the good suggestions into the piece. Anyway, he pointed out the phrasing problems in the prechoruses of Get It Wrong, which were also bugging me (although I maintain that if the singer had handled them better, they wouldn't sound nearly as rushed); he clearly disliked the bridge in Traces of You (which is one of my personal favorites, actually, but maybe he's right about it not fitting the song or serving a purpose); he and several other participants commented that they would have liked more of a melodic lift during the chorus of Traces of You, and I can see there's good in that suggestion; and so on. But we also got really nice compliments on the melodies overall, the originality of some of the rhymes, the conversational nature of most of the lyrics, and some other things. So all in all, it was a very worthwhile session. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m delighted to hear your feedback. :-)
We played Traces of You and Get It Wrong for a publisher critique last night, and he certainly did have some suggestions. I don’t agree with all of them, but that’s part of the process, you know? It’s like we need a writers’ version of the Serenity prayer: to learn how to be humble enough to accept criticism gracefully, smart enough to know which parts to ignore, and disciplined enough to work the good suggestions into the piece.

Anyway, he pointed out the phrasing problems in the prechoruses of Get It Wrong, which were also bugging me (although I maintain that if the singer had handled them better, they wouldn’t sound nearly as rushed); he clearly disliked the bridge in Traces of You (which is one of my personal favorites, actually, but maybe he’s right about it not fitting the song or serving a purpose); he and several other participants commented that they would have liked more of a melodic lift during the chorus of Traces of You, and I can see there’s good in that suggestion; and so on.

But we also got really nice compliments on the melodies overall, the originality of some of the rhymes, the conversational nature of most of the lyrics, and some other things. So all in all, it was a very worthwhile session.

]]> By: kateo http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-140 kateo Tue, 11 Nov 2003 18:21:53 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-140 Cool! I'll play around with those this weekend. Thanks for the feedback, and hey, don't give up on those country-song-writing dreams. The traditional stuff is coming back, so your song may be marketable yet. ;-) Cool! I’ll play around with those this weekend. Thanks for the feedback, and hey, don’t give up on those country-song-writing dreams. The traditional stuff is coming back, so your song may be marketable yet. ;-)

]]> By: therealjae http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-139 therealjae Sun, 09 Nov 2003 06:50:49 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-139 I listened to them again this morning, and I can somehow really hear somebody like Vanessa Carlton singing "Traces of You." -J I listened to them again this morning, and I can somehow really hear somebody like Vanessa Carlton singing “Traces of You.”

-J

]]> By: klwalton http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-138 klwalton Sat, 08 Nov 2003 22:37:42 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-138 Wonderful!! Thank you for including me. I especially like "Traces of You". I love "Mango Sun". Wonderful!! Thank you for including me. I especially like “Traces of You”. I love “Mango Sun”.

]]> By: therealjae http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-137 therealjae Sat, 08 Nov 2003 17:42:02 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-137 Oh, wow. Oh, *wow*. Kate, this is some *good* stuff. High-quality songs, high-quality demos. The best song is "Get It Wrong." It's damn catchy. But "Traces of You" is beautiful, too, and I like the lyrics to that one the most. I'm so proud. So, so proud. :-) -J Oh, wow. Oh, *wow*. Kate, this is some *good* stuff. High-quality songs, high-quality demos.

The best song is “Get It Wrong.” It’s damn catchy. But “Traces of You” is beautiful, too, and I like the lyrics to that one the most.

I’m so proud. So, so proud. :-)
-J

]]> By: explodingcat http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-136 explodingcat Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:48:56 +0000 http://www.honeybowtie.com/blog/2003/11/08/songs/#comment-136 All sound good. I think I like Traces of You the best. You write much better country songs than I do. I wrote a short one once. It went a little something like this: Well, my truck left me And my dog's been cheatin' on me with another woman My wife, she's got a flat tire But I....I still got my cow MoOOOOOoooO MoOOOOooooO Sorry... :-) In case you forgot and are still interested, here is a link to the people that make the sheet music program I use (including the Virtual Singer thinger that sings your lyrics). http://www.myriad-online.com/enindex.htm All sound good. I think I like Traces of You the best. You write much better country songs than I do. I wrote a short one once. It went a little something like this:

Well, my truck left me
And my dog’s been cheatin’ on me
with another woman
My wife, she’s got a flat tire
But I….I still got my cow
MoOOOOOoooO
MoOOOOooooO

Sorry… :-)
In case you forgot and are still interested, here is a link to the people that make the sheet music program I use (including the Virtual Singer thinger that sings your lyrics). http://www.myriad-online.com/enindex.htm

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