What are you biggest challenges to completing songs?

[oblique strategies]

general life stresses, arguments and the like. if i'm angry or a bit down i find i can't really do much creatively.

Stress can play havoc with creativity.

Environment is another huge factor.

[chef of def]

Life is the vessel, creativity requires freedom, balance...is the struggle... I became a father a few years ago, I returned to music because I had to say goodbye to the night life, now that my kid is older I include him in the process of creation, hey! Play me a bass line, or say something into the microphone. Creativity is a journey there is no destination, there is no right or wrong, only criticism and deadlines. Criticism and deadlines are not bad things they only drive us to explore and improve... I have ideas that I nurture, and one off flashes aka exercises in new styles, or putting my hands on new techniques. I guess what I am trying to say is that you should let others listen to what you are doing, I have been surprised more than once when a friend liked something of mine that I thought was crap.

[re:dream]

Wise words.

[eyeknow]

Talent

[eyeknow]

Here's something. I love the repetition of certain passages. So ends up happening is my toughts (even when not playing that looped part are a repetition of the main passage and nothing ever evolves

[Machinesworking]

Not really having any reason to spend the time on the mixdown and mastering.

I love music, I like writing songs, but it's hard to keep a band together, and I don't think I make a good frontman.
I like instrumental music, but I think my music works best with vocals.

I have no real problem with the situation, it's just that pricing it all together to make it work is always the most difficult part for me.
The songwriting process thankfully isn't.

[ohigetbywithalittlehelpfrommyfriends]

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[JoshG567]

Two new arrangements have coalesced in the past week, need to wrap up writing lyrics and track vocals again!

My advice to anyone is to become possessed by demons.

[jimmynitcher]

happy 10000 post

There's a reason right there!

[Machinesworking]

happy 10000 post

There's a reason right there!

Thanks, sort of. If it was a reason though I wouldn't post.
I've posted while writing songs even, talking about music with other musicians is inspiring to me rather than a creativity sapping experience.
In everyday life things that slow me down more than anything are girls that drain all my time from music because it's a 'hobby' to them, and my work, it's pretty physical labor and I don't get much writing done in the Summer for instance when I'm working long hours.

[Angstrom]

I read a "thing" by noted grouch Steve Albini where explains how he used to obsess over the minutiae of the production process, and obsessing over the details was to music's detriment, so he found a way to occupy himself with a simple unrelated side task during the producing stage and this made it possible to assess the music without being over-attentive to it. He used to read copies of The Economist, but now he plays online scrabble.

Personally I post on the forum while a track plays in the background, so while I'm not paying attention something terrible will stand out and I'll go fix it. I bet I'm not alone in that.

[Airyck]

My biggest road block is messing around with new ways to use my equipment. I'm always hooking things up or building some way to work faster and eventually I realize that I haven't finished anything in a long time. After that I usually really simplify everything and just get something done. I'm coming to the end of a long session of mess with my equipment and new ways of working and getting back into writing songs.

The only way to finish something is to finish it. You have to sort of just force yourself to do it.

[jimmynitcher]

Apologies, I wasn't being facetious, I should have said it is a problem for me. Look - I am here again!

The very instrument that makes my music enables social networking and browsing the web, if a guitar did that I really would be stuck!

[Airyck]

Apologies, I wasn't being facetious, I should have said it is a problem for me. Look - I am here again!

The very instrument that makes my music enables social networking and browsing the web, if a guitar did that I really would be stuck!

Self discipline! I'm on here while I'm at work, when I'm writing music not so much. So at least I get paid to be on here. The only time I'll get on here at home is if I'm stuck or I have an idea and I want to mull it over with the folks on here.

[chef of def]

My biggest road block is messing around with new ways to use my equipment. I'm always hooking things up or building some way to work faster and eventually I realize that I haven't finished anything in a long time. After that I usually really simplify everything and just get something done. I'm coming to the end of a long session of mess with my equipment and new ways of working and getting back into writing songs.

The only way to finish something is to finish it. You have to sort of just force yourself to do it.

I understand that. It is a good thing tho, like a chef keeping their knives sharp.