Trifecta of Songwriting

[ratman8]

In light of some very long post/replies on the subject of songwriting, I thought I'd start a new one.

3 ways of writing:

1. Hands
Composing from muscle memory (usually hand memory).

2. Mind
Transcribing tones that you hear exclusively in your head onto a listenable medium.

3. Heart
Expressing your personal feelings through sound, regardless of whether it can be defined as "music".

Which one do you use the most? Which one works the best? Are there other categories beyond these three?

[DT Chris]

I use them all. The result is what changes depending on which you use.

Hands
Since it relies on technical prowess, the product can be lackluster. However, the benefit is that it keeps my songs simple, and usually produces 'hooks' or basslines.

Mind
The hardest for me to do, since what I hear or create in my mind cannot be reproduced by my hands, or can be lost in translation due to hardware, equipment, etc.

However, I have found the songs from the mind to be the most orchestral, arranged, and in many cases the best songs written (since there is always some heart utilized).

These songs tend to come to me when I'm walking, showering, shitting, etc. Wherever I am alone in my thoughts without the myriad of distractions in the day.

Heart
This is where I am currently investing more time in. Before my lyrics would be quite cold, technological, but now I'm trying to tap into how I really feel about things, and expressing them in songs.

This portion is messy, ugly, evil, good, happy, sad, angry, beserk, etc. It has no technical prowess or refinement that I like to do in the rest of my life. It's embarrassing, and it's easy for me to shut it out and shut it up, and go back to the Mind and Hands for my songs.

Though songs from the Mind will wow the tech-heads, the snobs, and other musicians, it's the songs from the Heart that hit home with people the most, no matter how ragged or loose they can be.

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I'd probably be a Mind -> Hands -> Heart artist (in that order), though I am working on increasing the Heart portion in my songs.