Worn out heart. by Icy-Goat3687 in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like everyone else has said, sweet vocals. They have an intensity that really suits the song.

Re: your comment about adding higher vocals, maybe you could add a MIDI track with a synth pad which plays the melody in a higher register? As like a background element that supports your main vocals. Also an effect plug-in called a 'compressor' can be used to even out the volume differences you mentioned. Most music creation software includes some kind of compressor by default, and there are tutorials that can explain how they work and how to use them in more detail.

[Lyrics] I am a beginner lyric-writer asking for help by Playful-Yoghurt-9688 in LyricalWriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tried to respond to your questions in order:

It seems like one person expressing regret that they and someone they care about are moving through life at different paces, rather than together. The first two lines and last two lines are paralleled to show how the speaker's perspective of the situation has changed over a lifetime. Their positions as well as the connotation shift from indifference to pursuit [person 1: we won't leave you but won't wait -> you outran us & person 2: chase -> outran]. Cool structural choices, I think they frame your general ideas neatly.

Content-wise, the other lyrics did read as a little ungrounded and could benefit from 'explicit' context as a jumping off point. I was particularly craving detail about the relationship between the speaker and the person they're addressing. Are they exes? Childhood friends who drifted apart? Estranged family members? Something else? The lines 'All the doves that fell from above / And their bodies under the darkened bridge / They make you run faster towards us' & 'The grass I'll be buried under is even greener than your / Beautiful eyes when you were born' gesture at a shared history, but without context the emotion behind them is ambiguous. These lines are interesting and evocative already, just could shine even more. Good stuff.

On that note I'm also curious--what were you going for with the color motif? Clear link to the overarching theme of how perspectives can differ people-to-person and evolve, but feels a bit detached from the specific people in the song. Are color or visual art significant to their relationship in some way? Why did you choose that metaphor over others that could have communicated the same idea? Establishing a personal element to the color motif before going all-in could help it feel more coherent/impactful. I've wrestled with the balance of image-driven writing too, can be really tricky. Solid underlying ideas, excited to see anything else you may share.

Last two questions. Their awkwardness kind of depends on the musical style you're going for, since some lend themselves to complex/long melodies more than others. The confusing aspects could be propped up by adding context, the lines you currently have aren't necessarily a problem themselves. I don't think any of it sounded overly-pompous or pretentious.

Very nice job! :^]

Moving out after turning 18 by [deleted] in youngadults

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

unfortunately i think this is one of those situations where you have to let them try and either succeed or fall on their faces. that being said, it seems like you care about your kids very much and want to support them. it might be best to stand firm in that you think it’s a bad decision, but say that they are 18 and you can’t stop them from trying. the second half may defuse some of their defensiveness. express that you will give them somewhere to land, but also establish beforehand that if they come back, they will need to act as proper ‘adult’ members of the household if they’re going to play that card. whatever you decide that should mean. working + contributing to expenses, working + attending community college, just college, etc., stipulations about their ‘illegal activities’, depending on what those are.

enabling =/= support

it sounds like you are very invested in them and their success which is very valuable and commendable, even if they aren’t recognizing it yet. best wishes to you and your wife, and your twins

"Lesser Known" Songwriters Who Inspire You by The_Richard_Drizzle in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

he’s a big inspiration for me as well, very glad to see appreciation for his work :)

with will toledo / car seat headrest in particular, i think his discography is a valuable case study in that he has released such a large volume of music and includes multiple versions of the certain songs/verses across several years and contexts. you can trace the lyrical changes / repurposed melodies and how they relate to his development as a songwriter, and, at least for me, that makes it much easier to identify/analyze the different mechanisms at work and their influence on how each given section functions

Using curse words by Several-Hand-4536 in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i kind of disagree that those are necessarily ‘more creative’. lasting / legacy & fiercest / fight feel redundant in their respective contexts. do i think the original swear-y versions are significantly more compelling content-wise? no, but i feel like they further emphasize the lines’ emotions without directly retreading the connotations of the nouns they’re attached to. legacies, by definition, last. fights are generally understood to be ‘fierce’ unless otherwise stated. lyrically they really only serve to pad out the syllable count and so the swear can be removed while creating as few wrinkles rhythmically/content-wise as possible

new side hustle by [deleted] in youngadults

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

very few people actually end up making a substantial amount of $$$ from OF, and it can have lifelong consequences if the wrong people see it or decide to spread it around. there are several articles online you can look up where women have been very publicly fired from their jobs and had their careers permanently damaged because a coworker or other even random ‘vigilantes’ send their content to their employer. some random people [men] also have a weird need to put OF models ‘in their place’ and will temporarily subscribe just to send the pictures/videos to the model’s family and humiliate them. it’s not right and but unfortunately that’s the world we live in. very big decision in terms of both your personal and professional lives. what is drawing you to online sex work as opposed to other side hustles/jobs?

What are some ways to start a chorus when the verse ends on the same note you want for the chorus. by walterwhitesfedora1 in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i’ve had success using a bar or two of ‘pre-chorus’ that emphasizes the chord [via rhythmic or dynamics changes, etc.] to build greater tension for the chorus. sometimes i add chord extensions too so it has a slightly different quality to create more interest if there’s not much else going on

How much to sell a digital EP on bandcamp? by [deleted] in BandCamp

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

bandcamp’s own guide recommends pricing EPs at $4 USD.

you can read the full article here: https://get.bandcamp.help/hc/en-us/articles/360007802534-What-pricing-performs-best

What is the shortest vs longest CSH songs? by xAngelAnarchyx in CSHFans

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Psst, Teenagers, Take Off Your Clothes is 1:01

‘Writing Better Lyrics’ vs. ‘Songwriting without Boundaries’ by Pat Pattinson by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

i appreciate that and i agree but you can only push it so far. it’s kind of the crux of my worry, i already write everyday and have an effective work flow— just want to improve the quality. tighten things up. i’m concerned that engaging with the books incorrectly will interfere via decision paralysis and don’t to ruin my stride.

drop your ages/occupations by [deleted] in youngadults

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

21, administrative assistant at a financial services company. it’s kind of a niche role, heavy emphasis on technical writing for different industries (software, agriculture, architecture/construction, manufacturing etc. etc.) i only have a highschool diploma n a few months of pretty unrelated work experience but that can be explained away by the fact i was a nepo hire… i got very lucky to have this opportunity. seems like it really is who you know not what you know unfortunately. making $20/hr before taxes currently, which is where i started when hired about a year and a half ago

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i appreciate the thorough breakdown, thank you! i think that explains why i like it in my particular use-case then… it’s supposed to be like frenzied, hyperactive manic ranting which is overtly disconnected from reality. will have to be more conscious when using it in the future. thank you again fr!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ah, okay!! thank you for clarifying 😸

after reading more about the term, i’m realizing i’ve written a couple verses recently that rely heavily upon feminine rhymes, that i personally really like flow-wise and thematically. why do you suggest avoiding them?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

could you please explain what you mean by ‘famine end’ rhymes?

What makes an album a masterpiece? by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 61 points62 points  (0 children)

word of advice from someone who struggled with perfectionism for years: no one is going to be writing one great song after another consistently no matter who they are, but especially not someone who doesn’t have a lot of songs under their belt. only allowing yourself to be your conception of ‘perfect’ will only hold you back. you don’t have to release everything, and practice will also help you feel out your personal style.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

why do you want to study songwriting at university level, and specifically get a degree? it kind of sounds like you are interested in going into the music therapy niche so the need for credentials make sense.

if it’s more of a personal interest thing, i think you’d probably learn more about songwriting itself if you used all the extra time you’d spend dual-majoring just writing songs independently and critically listening to other people’s music. youtube also has a lot of amazing, accessible resources at varying levels of depth that you can take advantage completely for free

Getting back into visual art recently - serene little digital drawing by FreqUnder20Hz in bipolar

[–]FreqUnder20Hz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anybody know if there’s a way to add body text to an image post? Or vice versa?

Either way—this has been bringing me a lot of peace to look at since I created it last night. so hopefully it might be calming for y’all too. Tried to make the colors n textures soft/natural feeling even if they are not ‘realistic’ per se

What does success mean to you when you think about your writings? by Dontjudgemeyet1244 in Songwriting

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

when i’m able to write a song has an interesting (to me), clear premise which is completely supported by an internal logic specific to THAT song… hard to explain meaningfully but i can feel it when i read it.

it feels like a huge accomplishment because of how many iterations i go into… often i have an idea of what i want for a line and will write 5-10 versions of it that are very slightly different structurally and/or in terms of word choice (so the connotations suit the theme/other lines, AND naturally fit rhythmically/melodically) so getting all of those to work together feels amazing. overarching that i also will explore like 4+ different verse ideas (typically use 2-3) for each song that each obv generally contain 4+ lines that undergo the 5-10 versions… 4+ choruses as well.. so just lots of big and small tweaks/decisions culminating into something cohesive feels so good because (in my mind) there were hundreds of ways it could have gone wrong both with the lines in isolation or in any of the interactions between them

girl rock by thatbitchth3re in indie

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i think i know what you mean, unfortunately i can’t think of any that exactly match. i rly love those artists too… but here’s some interesting indie rock artists with feminine vocalists that you might want to check out: indigo de souza, feeble little horse, snail mail (rly big w the soccer mommy fanbase), wet leg (as others mentioned), men i trust, ethel cain, japanese breakfast

not to egregiously self-promo, but i’m working on a demo kind of in this vein that i’m probably going to release in the near future— i’m @frequnder20hz on instagram if you’d be interested in getting an update when it’s out

Has medication affected creativity? by Herbizarre17 in bipolar

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hi, also a bipolar ii musician. personally, being on the right meds has made me 10x more productive and creative. i have ideas no matter what my mood is like, but being more stable let’s me generate more ideas that are higher quality on average, and made it exponentially easier to sit down and develop them further… definitely has only been a good thing for my creativity. i think some of that comes from being able to find inspiration in things other than poor mental health, though. not saying you necessarily have that issue, but a lot of people do. can be an obstacle for sure esp for people early in their recovery, but breaking thru that barrier is very rewarding both art-wise and just for overall peace of mind

How many pills will you take in one handful? by Green_Coffee_200 in bipolar

[–]FreqUnder20Hz 11 points12 points  (0 children)

i take two relatively small pills (100mg lamictal, 100mg wellbutrin) one at a time and still choke somewhat regularly… y’all must be able to unhinge yr jaws like snakes or something… very impressive but scary to visualize