I struggle to handle harsh criticism of my work due to me putting all my heart and soul into it I don’t show that it upsets me and respond to it well but how do I stop being sensitive to it?

As a vocalist, I've always been fascinated by how a melody can change the emotional impact of a song.

Sometimes, a simple melody with the right phrasing can communicate more emotion than a complicated one. Other times, a change in rhythm or a higher note can make a particular lyric stand out.

I'm curious about how other songwriters approach this.

What do you think makes a vocal melody truly memorable? Is it the rhythm, the notes, the lyrics, or the emotion behind the performance?

Neighbourhood cat-- the world is not your oyster

Your tail is up but youre down on your luck

Oh i can see where youve gone where youve been

The pavements worn from your daily routine

Dont you feel like its all slipping away?

/

Neighbourhood cat-- im a fan of your culture

No one greets you but you couldnt give a fuck

Its a hard time just getting by, youre a fluffy desperado my little guy

I guess we could all, learn alot from you

/

We are living in the land of men

But one day, itll be your time again

The worlds gonna end

Or so they say

And maybe its true

"Nothing good gets away"

Not another hour in exile my friend

Dont you dream about it every now and then?

/

My alarm rings at stupid o'clock in the morning

One of these days Ill learn to turn it off

Oh you can see where Ive gone where ive been

The pavements worn from my daily routine

I just wish I had something important to say

/

We are living in the land of men

But one day itll be our time again

Ill pitch in

If i have to

Preach about it

Up and down the avenue

Smith, engels, marx, what do they know?

Heres to, the neighbourhood cat manifesto

/

neighbourhood cat-- I wish I could get to know you

But you dont say much so i have to make it up

Were you once a king with a queen? Did you trade blows in the colloseum

Did you know that every day

When you run up to see me

You make me feel

Yes you make me feel

Less alone

Yesterday I posted requesting submissions for the r/songwriting Spotify playlist (which was mod approved when I made it a year or so ago!). Usually when I do this 10-20 people submit a new song, and I cap the list at 100 songs and update every few months...

But yesterday there were over 200 songs submitted, which is going to take me hours I'm not sure I have, and of course the 100 song limit will need to go away.

So my question is... would anyone like to help me share the work to keep it updated?

You'd need to PM me your email so I can add you as a collaborator, and please follow the couple rules I have which are:

1. No AI music, at all, at any stage. Currently this doesn't include artwork, but I think maybe it should (thoughts?).
2. Only "Produced" music (this is pretty loosely enforced given anyone can make a good sounding song on garage band these days... basically just no phone demos, extremely out of tune, poorly played music, or incredibly low volume/bad sound quality)
3. Must fit the genre of "songwriting". No instrumentals, rap/hip hop, spoken word, beats etc. (Exceptions may exist! This is also subjective perhaps.

Worth noting I used to not allow explicit content... because I sometimes listen to this list with my kids and I'm sure others do too. But I get that's part of expression I guess, so long as it's not incredibly offensive, sexual, or profane I'll let it on the list.

Note that it's not an audition... if you post a song that fits the rules I will post it! I want everyone to get their music heard.

Here's the playlist, which is up to almost 300 followers now!

r/Songwriting Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3zAZFNOfqjeKVobrC4fSEp?si=588331c784834417

hi guys! im pretty new to songwriting and it’s difficult for me to tell if an idea is worth pursing. obviously, this isn’t my best vocal performance! just a quick video. i often struggle with repetitive melodies, and it seems even if i try to call and answer they still sound boring. i tried to focus on avoiding that while writing this part of a song, although i did pretty much stick with the same three chords throughout so that does create the same phenomenon unless the melody distracts from that. this would be probably part of the verse, and the whole prechorus and chorus. i would likely add a small verse type section before what you see in this video with definitely different chords or maybe a little riff. please be brutally honest and DO NOT be afraid to hurt my feelings, im posting this because i want to get better. what would you think of this song?

I hope I don’t become infamous in this subreddit for asking elementary questions but it’s how I’m gonna grow. 😅

I’m a tad afraid to write lyrics that make my writing skills seem weak, especially since the project I’m working on focuses on personal writing. But, it kinda kills the whole point of getting personal when you treat it like a template. What I mean is that I give myself a restricted idea of what makes lyrics good versus what just makes them just words for a song. I think it’s not interesting enough to start without a scene where I mention an object and tie in an emotion to it since I worry that I’ll drift into dragged out meandering. I’m fine with doing this, it adds myself as a distinct protagonist into the story but it definitely cuts out how often I can actually put a metaphor or even just something to say how it felt since then I have to count on relying on the symbolism to land. Some songs that are still confessional don’t need to put all their focus in specificity about the scene and instead only use it as a tool to move the emotional journey.

^ Where I think another glaring problem with this is that I think I need to explain everything in a way that really wastes syllables. Eg. I turn “I always wondered if you cared.” to “I paced around last night, analysing the tones of when you said…’ You get the jist. At first, you might think I’m digging into show-don’t-tell language but I honestly think i’m just doing it to cover up the fact I don’t know how to keep the song interesting. I think that I need to show every little every element of my personality that played a role in the plot.

I think looking from afar, it definitely highlights the core problem with how I think versus what I want to be making. I wanna make something that is confessional and human, yet you can’t get that affect if it’s basically been calculated. It’s also just a clear weakness to only be capable of writing songs that follow a specific flow instead of just writing what comes naturally, keeping it fresh. Cause, isn’t that what it should be about?

It takes me back to when I was 12 and I was just starting out. Even if I think, “Yeah, those songs were terrible” atleast you could tell I wasn’t checking off boxes or trying to pretend to be deeper than I was. Even if they were horribly attached to the analogies of a twelve year old, there wasn’t a moment of chasing approval; they were personal and that was enough.

I think the main thing I wanna know is to how to be an interesting writer by myself, attached from the moments. Show I have a perspective, have core traits, or something else that can keep a scene-less song still interesting. That way it can be less about trying to please an arbitrary metric that still might not please someone out there and make it more about feeling connected with the spark.

How do you decide what’s actually just a flaming pile of dogshit and what’s just not your preference? I don’t think art is 100% subjective like some people may say, but sometimes it also bothers me when people act as if they are the arbiter of truth when it comes to what’s good and what’s bad. Like their tastes are just the gold standard or something. Where’s that line for you?

I personally haven’t found it. When I’m giving feedback, I’m really just giving my personal opinion. Sometimes I wonder how valuable my opinion is.. like you know how this sub requires you to give feedback before you can post a song? I was a little annoyed by this rule at first, because I’m not sure if I’m qualified to give good feedback. I don’t really have the language or technical skills to pull from a more objective place. All I can tell anyone is what would make the song better for *me*. But what if our tastes are just different? Idk.

Sorry if this was unnecessarily wordy. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.

Let's write in the comments.

I’ve been on a long hiatus and will have some time off soon, so thought it would be fun to ask for ideas. I’ll pick one that I like the most and potentially share it if I get somewhere with it. I’m thinking country or folk, and feel free to suggest a prompt or something more like a challenge. Anything works!

It's time to update the list again! Special shout out to Seaplane for the song "For a Second" I have listened to this song on repeat since discovering it. Love it!

Please submit your songs below. No AI music please (at all), and songs must be sung vocals (no rap/hip hop/instrumentals/beats).

Check out the list here.

I just had a 6 hour shift at the restaurant I work at and thought of most of it after.

Here it is
The whole world is still spinning
We all thought what if it stops
When we say we’re all alone
We truly mean we’re left alone
We’re on the beach enjoying the sunset
Why did I give you a chance
The only one I ever had
Why did I waste my time with you
The good times we have had
The time I gave you is worth a lot
And you spent it all
The last week I spent my time at the bar
Got up didn’t get far
Wasted on another night
One more shot to kill the pain
one more chance to go away
One more till insane

Any edits or collaborations comment them or dm me.

If you happen to sing and want the song all I ask is you give me credit and no charge from me or you

BTW am I the only one that can write songs on the toilet is there any study done about brain activity

i make music only with hardware synths i dont mess with computer,daw,plugins,ready sounds.etc.Have much more fun and it is much more inspiring to perfoming live the tracks

take alisten to the tracks if you are at the same vibe and want to collaborate we can discuss feder

https://zegmusic.bandcamp.com/music

This is my first attempt at something this orchestral so if anyone who understands this kind of thing has got advice or stuff they would change please let me know. I just kind of threw shit together I thought would sound cool but idrk what I'm doing

Hey everyone, I’m a female vocalist and songwriter who loves exploring new musical ideas and collaborating with other creatives. Lately, I’ve been enjoying the process of taking a simple idea and seeing where it can go. Sometimes it starts with a melody, a few lyrics, a vocal hook, or an instrumental that sparks something interesting. I enjoy working across Pop, R&B, Indie, Country, and other styles, experimenting with melodies and vocal ideas until everything starts to come together. If you’re a songwriter with lyrics that need a melody, a producer with a track that needs vocals, or an artist looking for a fresh perspective, I’d love to hear what you’re working on. Feel free to reach out and tell me a little about your idea. Let’s see what we can create together

It's doing my head in a bit and maybe I need to leave it a lone for a bit.

I kind of like where it's going, but a few things bugging me:

- It's quite long - 4 mins 30 secs

- Need a way to shake things up / add variety, but already quite long

- Verse melody feels a boring?

Any ideas for improving it?

Lyrics:

She feeds the horses in the rain

She's got a white land trove

Loaded with hay

The stables are cold and dark

But I still run around here

Cause I feel safe

I feel safe

In this moment she's glowing

Her golden hair is blowing

In the storm she hides from me

In the storm she hides from me

She cuts the eggs up on my plate

I got a lego fire truck

Skip school and play all day

A bird on her shoulder

That she's saved from the garden

She keeps them safe

In this moment she's glowing

Her golden hair is blowing

In the storm she fights for me

In the storm she fights for me

She hides my toys

In the hay

Bayliffs are gone now

She sent them away

A door on two boxes

Is my desk now gor a little while

But I still feel safe

I feel safe

In this moment she's glowing

Her golden hair is blowing

In the storm she fights from me

In this moment she's glowing

Her golden hair is blowing

In the storm she hides from me

In the storm she hides from me

In the storm

I feel safe

I feel safe

I feel safe

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a short video of me singing and put my voice out there a little. I’m a singer and songwriter, and I really enjoy finding the right melodies and emotions to bring a song to life. I mostly lean toward Pop, R&B, Indie, and EDM, but I love exploring different sounds. I’d genuinely love to hear what you think of my voice. Does it sound like it would fit a particular genre or type of song? I’m always interested in hearing how other songwriters approach music.

I’m also open to discussing creative project with people who think my voice might suit their music.

Thanks for taking a moment to listen. I appreciate it!

The lyrics are nonsensical since I don’t know if i will continue this song I want. advice on the melody and chords to improve for later songs

I've always struggled with perfectionism, and it's prevented me from ever finishing anything. But a few weeks ago, I had the thought to just embrace writing short songs instead, and it's really re-invigorated my process.

This is a recording of one of those songs.

I'm mostly just wondering if it feels like a fully realized song, or if it feels like it is lacking something.

Let me know what you think!

Here are the lyrics:

Don't you treat me like I'm stupid
I know what I'm doing when I do this
When I stand around in silence
When I keep on not trying

I don't need you to tell me that I'm shy
I've been living with it my whole life
When I played alone at recess
When girls would get me all embarrassed

So don't you tell me I'm not here tonight
And that you can see it in my eyes
Because I'm not stupid
Yeah I'm not stupid

I know what I'm doing when I do this
I know what I'm doing when I do this

I fixed this up last night and didn’t really know what I was doing. I’m decent at writing but not so much at counting time signatures.

I just wonder how it is that people think singwriting, of all musical skills, happens without practice. It certainly feels spiritual to work on songwriting, like there is an element to it that feels like a compulsion, a calling, rather than a preplanned systematic approach. However the receipts don't lie. It is so much work and practice until you reach a place of being able to write songs you love for years and decades to come, not even getting started about the many ways to get a final recording down and the many ways this can fail and be a skill building exercise on its own. This is kind of venty, but why is it that of all hobbies that require skill it's connotated with arrogance to pursue sharing your hobby with others?

Are you usually inspired by something to write, or do you just write for writing? For example, you see something or remember someone or a situation, a color, an emotion, anything to write about, or you only write when you feel inspired?

I need to know how to find more inspiration for writing my songs.

All my songs are only starts to songs. Unfortunately, as soon as I stop my initial write, I struggle to add anything later, even if a fair amount of time has passed, like on this song I wrote. So Im trying this out. Any ideas for making the song more complete, some kind of direction, would be appreciated.

Lyrics
I stand in your doorway.
And think of the way
Your face will meet mine.
Your eyes.
Your smile.
Your hand stretched out to reach mine.
Your mouth whispering hi.

Would you pull me in all the way this time?
Would you too quickly say goodbye?

Getting ready to release a song next month so here’s one I started on today!

I’ve been working on my music production skills, mainly programming drums and recording guitar and bass. I’m not the strongest vocalist, but I still give it a shot. Sometimes I listen back to my vocals and cringe a little, but I’m trying to improve.
Hopefully I can find some people who are into the same kind of music. Lately, I’ve been really inspired by The Mars Volta and At the Drive-In, and I’d love to make music with a similar sound.