The Creative Process

Inevitably, the question comes up, how do you come up with this stuff, and not just the tunes but the production which is the song as completed for your listening pleasure.

Good Question,

And I don't actually know.

Well, in any premeditative kind of way.

I do know how I begin, which has been my M.O. from day one when I was 15; start playing whatever and at some point something will happen. And that's the truth. It is also a tad glib. The process is, much as it has been these many years, for me, to start with a chord, either on the guitar, synth, or piano, and see where that goes, or I might create a drum rhythm on any number of devices or apps. From there I go over it again and again to both set the parameters and structure of the song as well as decide if I like the riff at all. I then put it away for a day or so to see if I still like it or not; I don't try to make anything 'meh' better, it doesn't happen.

But if it does, I then move on to what else the song needs, verse, chorus, bridge; is it a 'traditional' style pop song, or does it lend itself more to a Jazz feel or a groove that doesn't need say a consistent pop structure. It's also at this point where I figure out if the song needs lyrics, not all do. I like instrumentals and often include them on albums as bridges between songs or to set the mood of the album.

In the early days, the lyrics came not long after the basic song was finished, but as I got more and more into recording, the lyrics were the last things to be finished to the point where I was writing the lyrics to the nearly completed recording. The recording process starts in my head. As I write the song, I begin to hear it orchestrally in my head and I think of how, or in what style I might try, meaning does it lend itself more towards rock, country, jazz, pop, or none of the above.

That's where the fun is; finding what turns out from that sound in my head. Often, while trying one sound, I find another I like better, or I'll know I want a keyboard sound and goof through whatever I have until something goes pop. That doesn't mean everything falls in place right away, as I record I listen and listen, over and over, and if I have doubts it means I need to find something I like better. That's also why I have my own studio, apart from not being independently wealthy which is what you'd have to be to do recording this way in a standard professional studio.

This week's song, Traces of You, from the new album, Whispers (From a Forgotten Memory) is emblematic of this approach. It started with the groove. From there I built the main guitar part then added the bass and the electric piano. Next was the lyrics and the background vocals. Last were the lead guitar and piano. Mix and master and listen and redo till you consider it done.

You can hear it here: www.mrprimitivemusic.com