The Journal

by Doc Haley
(Red River, NM)

The journal is a great idea, but i write like a doctor so I always use my computer. The journal also works well on the computer.

What i have found out that works for me during a writing session is to turn on a digital recorder. It has unlimited space for whatever you say, sing or do.

I don't listen to them for days, maybe weeks. When I do i hear new ideas, my mistakes, sounds that I didn't know i was producing that may or may not be what i wanted.

Most of all it gives me feedback on what is not good that I did.

If you spend 4 hours talking to yourself or with a co-writer, writing, humming the tune, singing the lyrics, playing a melody and then putting it together, in the end you will hear a song. Imagine that!

Now what you have to do is put yourself in the seat of the listener and see if you would sit through it.

Makes a big difference to me.

I don't share a rough cut or home demo of a tune with anyone, including family and others that will like what you do no matter how bad it is, until I personally believe it is good enough to sit with them and listen to it together. I always furnish a set of lyrics so they can follow the song along and get the gist of the storyline and not just hear the melody.

It used to cause a big level of stress to me since you have no idea if it's good to anyone except yourself.

Try it. Let someone really hear your song, not read it, hear it. You'll learn wonders from doing this.

And don't forget to record your sessions as well as create a journal, even if it is just those pieces of paper that you have kept in a box. I still have songs i wrote in the 70's on the original paper. I go back to them from time to time and find a jewel I need to polish or find something that made me say "what were you thinking!".

Cya
Doc