OK, this might be a bit weird, but you gotta consider the source.
Lately I’ve been noodling around on my banjo, basically just practicing making chord shapes and moving them up & down the neck. Since I’m not really focusing on anything, I let my fingers find the notes they want while I make the shapes.
As John Hartford said, “I’m doing the best I can with what little I got.”
I’m also trying to get into the habit of recording my practice sessions & noodling.
Today I listened to something I recorded in October 2022. I haven’t heard it since then and certainly haven’t played it. But when I listened, I thought “That sounds pretty.” And I was able to play it again. I discovered I really enjoy playing it, but it’s not a “song.” It has an A part, but I keep goofing around, trying to find the right B part.
How can you tell when noodling becomes a song? It would be great if I had lyrics, but I don’t. I wouldn’t know where to begin writing lyrics, except for nonsense, parody doggerel rhymes.
However, I really like the sound of this mellow little piece. Perhaps I’ll put it on the video swap tomorrow. I know Paul McCartney carried around a little melody for quite some time he simply called “Scrambled Eggs.” Later, it became a song called “Yesterday.” I don’t expect to write a hit song, and I’m not trying to write a hit. But I would like to be able to say “Here’s a song I wrote. This is my song.”
The question remains - When does noodling become a song?
Maybe I should take the advice of John Prine, from a much earlier post by hdmccluskey - Song Writing
“I could never teach a class on songwriting. I’d tell them to goof off and find a good hideout.”
