I won’t reiterate a prior posts content for this topic title - however, in this go-round, end of “Rocktober” comment:
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An “agenda”, theme?, purpose, “goal” did present itself, if even late - “Acoustic Simplified”.
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Doing this purposefully as lo-fi, lo-tech, or otherwise as a cell phone recording - reinforced or revealed even more so that a “properly fit” melody, modulations (if singing, singer-songwriter), the tonal center (Key) can or does have a great effect on how I hear a track - as “i” like it, feel it as “good”. (I think it’s why it is so hard to “write” for someone and have them *want to do your song - they know this and have to “feel” it as well. Changing Key’s can really change a song concerning vocal texture, all else remaining the same.)
With that said - as we all may experience - occasionally folks “like” a song I am sure will be ignored, not liked, certainly not well commented on - *however, in “that” feedback of a highly self critical track that gets well commented (comment *content, not # of comments) - is where I’ve received great direction in terms of what was “liked”, how and why; while never hammering on any “feature” - becomes another production item kept in mind.)
Also reinforced - after years of just, free flow of thought “doing” a composition (writing) - it just gets easier, and faster. It is what it is, but it’s fairly comfortable, versus “sweating over…” a chord progression, lyric hook, “production” element, etc., if even in a re-write. I won’t, usually, put a “fishing” composition, free flow track for folks to “endure”, but these are 1st pass, 1 take, still composing while writing tracks. One was an absolute, never read the lyrics before, not know the song - “go for it…” - started with C-chord and allowed “muscle memory” intuition to take over.
I found even more so this time - if try to “learn” a song to much - those takes may be good if only to then go back to the, maybe 3rd try (as the “one” to develop) - and especially since it makes me tired to sing the same track 10? x’s ± etc. And, by the end, to me, sounds “flat” with no character or interesting sonic modulations - how to say that, “dynamics”.
This go-round - I’m not particularly delighted with how one aspect of my non-electric acoustic records - there’s a dynamic, a Hz that gets picked up as an “attack” feature, as it is labeled. There’s nothing I can do about it, we’ll see. And, after all these years, I play how I play : ) (I can take direction, however, in this free form context - we all have a “kitchen table, hand, drum beat” : ) It’s always the same and never changes, from when a 6 yo annoying Mom at the table, hand drumming it.)
So, in the spirit of some discussions content I’ve read here - context and other comments, and in “why” folks might “do” Rocktober - every year it may be different and something typically, evolves or reveals itself.