Tom Robinson BBC6 talk for the BBC Introducing 2019

worth a watch - specifically from 20 minutes onwards on songwriting

Ahhhhhhh...., 1, 2, 3, 4, Motorway.
Thanks for posting @oorlab .

I'll listen to this later. A gentle soul, at least at the time. Don't expect that that was changed overnight.
Thanks! A marvelous 2020 for you and yours.
Kind regards, Gus

Yes, this is Tom Robinson, mixing knowledge, humor, self reflection, self mocking his love life. 100% human. I really admire him.

I know that to some Kitcheners it’s clear that I do coach some very very young people on different subjects or different professions. Among themselves my talks are called Gus’ lectures.

When my songwriting grinds to a halt, I’ll have the time to do the lectures in English and I’ll have the time to post them here. This kitchen will exist longer than I. Which is a reassuring thought.

Tom talks about things I have touched on here in the Kitchen. And I like that a lot.
And I like a lot that there are differences too. I think that not the amount of time matters, but the amount of output. I agree with his rule of  9 (out of each set of 10 song is a good one), but he overlooks the most important side effect: writing everyday and writing crap songs too, liberates you from the fear of writing crap songs. At one point in time you will be starting to celebrate writing crap songs. It’s like Johan Cruyff (the footballer) said really. If you don’t shoot the ball, you are never going to score. Or words in that vein. This goes for songs too. If you don’t write, you’ll never write your good songs...

To be continued.........

So, if you don't mind if I add a few things:

Please remember that creativity doesn't stop with writing a song. You'll get better results if you will try to be creative with money and ways to attack living and funding that life.
- living room gigs
- connect with painters and play at vernissages
- gigs in the IKEA parking - ask for a couch and permission and you'll get both
- ask friends to re-post
- or re-post yourself (I did that with Monty's Blather - something like 3.500 views)
- organize a neighborhood kitchen, make it zero waste, gain sympathy from all over the place and have it subsidized
- make use of people's habits/needs
- very few people drop in for a drink or a meal 7 days a week; they only do Tuesdays and Thursdays for instance
- so with 8 meals per week you're safe
- Dish Monday in week 1 is dish Tuesday week 2, dish Wednesday week 3 etc etc etc
- think of a €2,00 subscription fee/per month and you'll be able to float your month on a steady 500,00 which can be augmented easily
- a price for once per week; quantum price for twice per week
- organize an 8 persons roster  for 7 days a week gigs
- in the neighborhood kitchen or elsewhere
- alternative funding in the broadest sense (no fund raising because that'll have to be repaid in one form or another)
- make use of Speach to Text programs to talk to your computer and have it typed out

This is all so very not your goal when you aim to be songwriting. Yes, I know, and Tom is also right about that. But if you'd stick to writing only, where would your inspiration coming from?
For when I return from my next travelling; I already have 2 lectures scheduled. A very very talented very very young woman (with her mum) and a young guy too. I like that. That way I stay in touch with what young people think. And as a volunteer I am able to pass the torch. So there. A good reason to return eventually.

Go go go you Kitcheners. Your turn.
Thank you @oorlab for posting Tom.
Kind regards, Gus

Good morning, i watched that link also, thank you for sharing @oorlab .
Maybe i just got 60% of the content because i dont know that words , shorts and industry internas but of course thats all make sense IFsomeones main goal is living from doing music.

I just want mention that i don't agree with the point doing so many songs a week just because doing a lot of stuff. Of course its good to have a large pool where is to choos from  and get practise but my intuition says thats not the way for 'art'. If so then those scetches should be stay scetches and never published.
I the short time I'm here in kitchen and soundcloud I noticed some of you have hundreds of songs uploaded....  sure i get the point why it happens but viewed from the audience side and to  gain a  'unique position' in their awareness the ammount of presented songs is very contra productive!  It would be have a much much stronger effect if there would be happen a hard selection to what is the very best. from 300 down to 30 - to the very essence....and then start over to wotk at those again.

In fact i was glad to hear the last sentences of him and i fully agree! Me just can  enjoy songwriting 100% because i don't MUST, i worked decades at other topics to get  me in position to have a basic income tzo finally can do this. . Otherwise the stress and pressure would destroy my enthusiasm in middle run. It will blown away, if i wont or don't want. So it is and don't will change. Once you want start earn money it changes our attittudes.

But ok, everybody should do as he like.... althought there are a lot of good advices and in Gus statement also to start those journey. For me its interesting to read that because i miss out my whole llive any opportunities to get practise through live performance. Thats a aspect i really would like to change also my age was grown high ( compared to others  ) . So  i'm  maybe longterm interested in building up  some opportunities in longer run.
I would have some roughly ideas about but it means  also i wouldn't do that alone or just for me. I would llike to act in a group.

Anybody of the kitchen here  ever thought to manage an meeting were the memebers get some minutes to perform a song  live to the others? Buikd up a periodic 'event' in europe and or America for example? Not for earning money reason .... as i mentioned, more to cultivate it more and present  to public and involve public in the process. The open mic events seemes a good direction but thats not what i consider... i think to much more kitchen  wise special stuff...


Edit:  @LePlongeur  still wanted ask you what your description rather means 'In Tartiflette we trust' please enlight me... I have no idea!

Good day to you @Mo
A tartiflette is a very simple dinner from the Eastern (mountains) part of France.
Potatoes, spring onions, very little garlic, very little sour cream*. And a Tartiflon. A Tartiflon is a 500 or 250 grams reblouchon cheese, specially made for baking.

The fun is that you slice the Tartiflon so you'll have two round slices of half the original weight. If you put them upside down on your potatoes (rattes are best) the heat of your oven (200 degrees C) will melt the cheese and it will drip on and through your rattes.

The crust is eatable, so after 20 minutes you'll get the dish out of the oven and get the empty crusts out. These are the best cheese chips you have ever tasted.
You lay those to cool on an plate and eat them together with your love maybe with a glass of cider or red wine, while the rest of the dish is put back in the oven to get a nice brown color.

When that job is done you put the tartiflette on the table and eat it. Do it no more than three times per year if you value your weight and your heart. Only looking at it will cost you a kilo.
And I weigh exactly what I weighed thirty years ago and I want to keep it that way.

In France there are cars with a sticker 'In tartiflette we trust' on the bumper. I thought it was nicely in line with my French nickname. So, no musical or philosophical thing.
But yes, a hats off to my roots. I am Dutch with a quarter French blood.
Kind regards, Gus


*officially there is environ 100 grams of meat involved. Not for me though.
Eat it with plenty of fresh salade.
If Tartiflon is not aavailable, two very cheap Camemberts will do nicely.

Awww, that was a bit mean to describe it that detailed, Gus!!
Now I want taste it!!! Without a change to get!!

Lol I will need hours to went over this...

Hi @Mo  - indeed there have been and I think will be Kitchen gatherings. Stay tuned for more news on that.
@LePlongeur - you and Mo commented on the amount of songs to write -  the point doing so many songs a week - . I was thinking that in the Beatles McCartney was probably writing more songs, also mediocre / bad ones. While Lennon may have had the tendency to pick on the good ideas and kept developing them. Those two tactics are equally valid I guess.

@Mo - if you could belp me with 'a hard selection to what is the very best. from 300 down to 30' - I'd be most grateful! Most of my older uploads are there for sentimental reasons but have no creative of 'commercial' goals whatsoever.

Of course @oorlab  it would be a honor for me to help you with reducing. Although it would be just one single subjective selection that would be influenced of my backgrounds and personally taste probably.
 I think, basically you would need start by your own  asking others is just a side aspect for usage. I think  it should depends what the songs mean for yourself mostly.
But as said if you want I can share my thoughts about

Hi @Mo  - indeed there have been and I think will be Kitchen gatherings. Stay tuned for more news on that.

Thats cool  to know! I look forwardwhat you#ll plan.
I don't want appear respect less when mention that i rather thought to a bit other things  right now than a barbecque among same minded friends

@oorlab I still want add if someone seriously focus to do such a selction me personally would start as follow with concious about that this will take some time and several steps.
In first step i would select in two directions. Means a negativ selection and a positiv selection. So at the end of this steps those songs remains that you still not sure about and those you are sure. For those  I'm not really sure i would like to have an other view from other persons i choose.
Its a obstacle sometimes a producer got blind for own productions as it is with any other 'work' too.
Not sure if that makes any sense.

@Mo - yes, sure, that makes sense. I think Tom Robinson advices to write daily, but only put out what is really a stand-out tune or idea.  Personally, I think I have too much songs on Suondcloud now, and I should take something from my public stream. Sometimes a reason to keep a track is because of the kind comments of special people the song received. If I'd find old songs of mine, which don't have meaningful comments, and the piece itself doesn't mean anything to me anymore, than I put it on 'private'.

Indeed: " a producer got blind for own productions" - peer review is a good method to obtain some reduction.