The case for Slow Music Making

The industrial revolution has turned music making and the craft of writing songs into music production. Like factory workers tied to the high pace of a conveyor belt, modern day songwriters in the music industry are encouraged to spit out as many songs as possible in the shortest amount of time. Music faces the increased risk to be viewed as both short-lived and disposable commodity.

Despite the fact that some of the most successful pop songs of all time has been written in a short amount of time, I still want to make the case that there is a place for Slow Music Making and re-establish the songwriter as a craftsman. A embryo of a new musical idea should not be abandoned to quickly. If a song shows potential bit is ready to be released yet it can be rewritten and tweaked. It is possible to try different song keys, song tempos, arrangements and add memorable song licks. Why not experiment until the song works?

Some examples:

- It took Queen six years to develop Bohemian Rhapsody from idea to a musical masterpiece - It took Leonard Cohen about five years to finish the song Hallelujah

- Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting Mona Lisa took 16 years to finish according to The Louvre

- It took Michelangelo four years to complete the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. He completed the statue of David in three years.

So why are songwriters generally in such a hurry? Instead of running faster I suggest that they should slow down and go deeper with their craft. The world needs it.