about making mistakes and having fun

Did you ever observe that you tend to make the same error again and again after you somehow got through the first time? Over years I always took the wrong turn on a particular hiking trail in my vicinity. I would get doubts at the turn, remembering that I had chosen the wrong path before. Next, I would choose the wrong path again. Stupid, ey?

I know that to write a good song its tune and the words should be developed together, so they blend perfectly. If you produce the whole musical structure first and squeeze in the words later you more likely than not will have to compromise (I actually have to work in this manner when I write to match someone else's music - to my own astonishment I'm quite good at it!). A colleague keeps reminding me: to achieve a good flow - or prosody - words and tune should influence each other.

I'm a lousy guitarist, there's no denying. My fingers are too short, I've never rehearsed properly, and I've begun playing regularly too late - when it was time to think of retiring, not starting anything new. I love playing the guitar, nonetheless. So time and again I play and record a whole song before I even have the faintest idea what it may be about. I don't even care much for structure. Often, I simply forget the bridge (meanwhile I've learned to write bridges, at least lyrical-wise, maybe not perfect ones, but good enough).

In brief: yet again I've recorded the guitar accompaniment for a new song, I've even edited the drum parts (MIDI - I love the drums in the chorus, they really make some noise), and over the next days I'll add the bass (also MIDI). BUT: the song has neither tune nor words. Eventually I will squeeze both in. That's not exactly professional songwriting, is it? It's more about having fun!