Realistic Songwriting - Ben Levin

[@icyurchins]

wow getting major ben levin vibes from this

[@liam_flag]

Bro that is Ben Levin lol!!

[@liam_flag]

Double r/whoosh

[@jones1749]

Eh, reminds me more of the guitarist from bent knee

[@1515MDobertC]

@lovesongsm.3757dude is even more ben levin in 2023

[@Dessyboii]

My girlfriend and I watched this and both commented on how easy you made this look. I picked up my guitar and we wrote our first song together. You are the best Ben!

[@flatterswhite]

that's beautiful

[@1515MDobertC]

That’s so awesome dam

[@crocodilerock9892]

i wish more people made videos like this, i think it helps a lot to watch someone else’s creative process. makes me feel better about my own ideas.

[@MisterDoctorBaconman]

crocodile rock that’s definitely always been one of the things I appreciate most about Ben’s videos, he does a great job of conveying his creative process in a way that accurately captures the trajectory of it and how he feels during it without relying on overly dry or academic literal descriptions too heavily. I love academic descriptions of music but I think it’s also very important to remember the emotional side of things since it’s such a huge driving factor in the process.

[@bobbyforce1957]

Yeah 👍

[@aidanosaurusrex2365]

Same bro

[@maxwellslavich5938]

This is one of the most relatable and human videos I’ve seen on KZbin

[@goody0857]

I rarely comment on videos but I felt I like I should on this video because it felt like something clicked when I watched this. I've been playing guitar for years but never had the confidence to continue with ideas and fully finish anything because I felt like it wasn't good enough or that it had to be the perfect magnum opus. This video is rare and you're the perfect guy to create it. It almost feels like I'm watching myself alone in a room instead of watching a KZbinr. I, with many others see snippets of myself during the writing process in this video. it was very helpful for my confidence as a songwriter to watch this video. Thanks :)

[@emngaiden]

I love 3:06 that you can't find the right chord! So relatable! Some people watch very talented people on youtube and some get discouraged because "OMG they are so creative" or "they never make a mistake" or "this music is too god, I cant write something like this" and most of them forget that those "super-composers" are humans too. They can have a very good idea, or have nothing. This video is very cool, I would like to see more of this from other musicians, or maybe a "My first composition ever" series, where you show us the very first thing you wrote, and maybe your firends too!.

[@orphiccoma]

Just like anything else, those people have practiced composition a lot. The first time you compose something, it'll be awful. The second time, a little better. As long as you spend your time critically thinking about your compositions, and stay open to new ideas, you WILL become like those people in the videos.

[@Bhuyakasha]

Plus what's wrong with writing a shit song? At least it will be your shit song!

[@wanderingrandomer]

I need that mentality more. I hate being shit at things, so I never try anything new. Like, I don't wanna make a shit song, I'd rather make no song, in a way

[@dopaminecloud]

@@wanderingrandomer Which is sad isn't it? It pushes all the fun of creation to the end result rather than the puzzle without rules that is the process. A friend of mine hates making bad stuff too, he always complains about what he ends up with, but he still manages to draw nearly every day and is miles ahead of where he started a few years ago. I'm not as passionate about being good at what I do, so I don't feel that same fire of perfectionism.

[@wanderingrandomer]

@@dopaminecloud Very true. I'm sort of in a similar boat with drawing, as well. I'm trying do a lot of quick drawings every day, consciously aware that they'll be shit due to the short time frame, and forcing myself to come to terms with that.

[@esbenthomas9430]

Nothing comes from nothing Nothing ever could So somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good

[@naturligfunktion4232]

Esben Thomas very nice

[@esbenthomas9430]

@@naturligfunktion4232 It's from The Sound of Music

[@naturligfunktion4232]

@@esbenthomas9430 Hahaha I had no idea xD

[@Ebrinck]

I woke up this morning and knew today would be rough. I watched this, cried a lot, and I feel a bit better. Thank you, Ben

[@HikaruTenryuZX]

This has to be one of my favorite videos now, it shows the realistic process of songwriting and self-doubting, saving and tossing ideas, I love it! Media is full of "I wrote this masterpiece in under 30 minutes on a Saturday night" which makes songwriting feel like a superpower only prodigies can achieve

[@blubberdust]

This is very inspiring to watch for musicians who don't have lots of fancy tech- Your noodling sounds a bit like mine, and it's nice to think that I would be able to flesh out some of the stronger ideas I come up with and make full compositions.

[@BenLevin]

That's good to know Sean, I'll have to do more low-tech writing videos. It's a good point that not everyone is ready to invest in expensive gear, and you really don't need it to write music in most cases.

[@NanoMan737400]

Man, I just can't help but feel you're so authentic while doing this. Love how you start being so dubious and push your way through to end with a beautiful, simple song. Amazing work, as always!

[@AimeeNolte]

What a nice thing to watch and listen to, Ben. Thank you for being courageous and open! I have one idea and it’s that maybe “boom” could be replaced by “bloom.” But its your beautiful song and not mine! ❤️

[@williamreiner1629]

Aimee Nolte Music Nice to see you here, Aimee. Glad your a fan of Levin, too.

[@karlakurtoic8766]

I'd actually say that "boom" is better because, as Ben says, it emphasises that time flies, not just passes, and it's also a charming pun. that's my interpretation.

[@dougthemoleman]

Sounds like intentional wordplay to me - "baby boom".

[@phant0mdummy]

9:14 a John Frusciante song is born. This video is awesome. Oddly, I write a lot of my songs this way. Fumbling around, picking out sound I like, tracking down things I hear in my head, etc. Mumbling lyrical placeholders that wind up permanent. I don't know nearly as much about music theory as you, nor can I solo like you, but it's comforting to know that even with all the tools you have, you still can sit down and just exist with the guitar and let it guide you.

[@Juaniguno]

that moment at 9:20 remembered me a lot of the way john frusciante composses. great video, love you ♡

[@connorbonstein4048]

Well here it is, the best video on KZbin.

[@potatothistle]

thanks. Your videos are helping me feel license to experiment and make things I wouldn't otherwise. I am repeatedly charmed and in great admiration towards your courage in endevouring to share the deeper aspects of what you see as special in music, art and creativity. Sometimes I get scared by the most consuming elements of music and creativity. Because they can be hard to convey and feel related to. But you have helped re-ignite this as a worthwhile way to exist.

[@oliverthewickham]

you have an incredible amount of confidence to show this side of the songwriting process, and i really respect that. awesome stuff

[@Seth-hc2bj]

Its so reassuring to see such a wonderful song form in front of us like this. It reminds me that we all have a process and it doesn't just come out of nowhere. Or at least for most of us it doesn't

[@Pinko_Band]

Well dammit Ben, you’ve done it again and made my heart do that thing that I think it’s supposed to do. Instant mood improver for anyone who might feel stifled in their creative endeavors. Also, I get that it seems to be a natural thing to make comparisons, but every time I hear a new artist (and I see this a lot on Bens vids) you get the “someone’s been listening to so and so” or “im getting a definite such and such vibe here” or more plainly “this sounds like so and such”. I gotta say I find it kind of annoying or even reductive, even if it’s meant as a compliment. How bout trying to experience new music without that need to put it in a particular box? Influences will be apparent to some and maybe not so much to others, but to call them out seems superfluous. Like I said, it seems to be a natural thing to do, but I think we might enjoy it more as a subjective experience if we aren’t constantly trying work out how to classify it. Call it a thought experiment I reckon

[@devon-crain]

I agree that compartmentalising music isn't always in the best interest of art. However, there is a cultural and historical aspect too--something of a musical genealogy. As long as the intention is pure, I don't think it's reductive in the slightest. For everything we try to make a conclusion about, there is always the variable of our own perception filtering things in a certain way.

[@Pinko_Band]

Devon Crain Agreed, but like I said, I acknowledge that it’s perfectly natural to do such things-I’m guilty of it myself, albeit to myself or to others when trying to relay the sonic aesthetics, yet never to the producing artist. It’s a knee-jerk response, not one that’s been reflected upon deeply. Therefore it takes an active attempt to resist such a thing so that the purity is retained in the experience, rather than the intent of appreciation. Describing the experience to someone else, however, is a different beast altogether as it’s almost necessary in providing a sort of context. But for someone to tell the actual artist who they think the artist sounds like doesn’t seem constructive to me, even if complimentary-as in “I like it because it sounds like this other artist I like”, but it can come across as “you are ripping off the sound of someone I like”-especially if the perceived influence didn’t exist in the first place (which may or may not be the case). I just think we should focus on expressing how it makes us feel, rather than expressing who else it reminds us of, when that expression is directed towards the artist themselves.

[@Brian-sh5ne]

Love this video. Your videos of writing in a DAW are awesome, but it’s nice to see you writing with just an acoustic and your voice as well

[@Gnurklesquimp]

I'm actually impressed how many different ways the phrase ''nothing leads to nothing'' is making me think

[@vsicurella]

This video was incredible. While you were playing the song at the end, I thought about how you said in the beginning that you hoped the video was worth watching in the beginning. The video was such a beautiful view of the growth of the song/the songwriting process with really entertaining parts, inspiring, and emotional. It was absolutely worth watching! . . . . also, you had me absolutely cracking up at "shake a baby...shake a baby..s...shake a baby's..."

[@timhaase3297]

Really cool video! It's actually a unique insight into songwriting. I wish all artists would do that

[@LimewaterMusic]

This song is so beautiful. It gets stuck in my head constantly and I have to come back to watch it get re-written over and over. This video has become a standalone EP to me lol

[@peterjuff]

I knew if I clicked on this it wouldn’t be for nothing, but for something. Definitely nice to witness the creative process happening!

[@4Pssf2w]

I love seeing myself in your process here. It was as cathartic to hear the final form of the song as it is when I finally make it there! When I get that feeling, I know I'm pretty much done.

[@MaroufAlhassan]

Love you Ben. Thank you for inviting people into your world.

[@snowsurfer2512]

your singing has come a long way Ben, good for you my man! My wallet is ready for this song

[@smellycoolbelly5015]

I love this song so much! And I really appreciate the look into the songwriting process.

[@tecschooldropout]

i used to have that same guitar, loved how it sounded.

[@corey3427]

Ben! This truly warmed my heart. Wonderful to see you open up your process... the finished song was a real gift.

[@itsjuno4467]

Getting beautiful Animal Collective Campfire Songs/Sung Tongs/Prospect Hummer vibes at the beginning

[@mark-9978]

Thought the exact same thing

[@isa660]

I love this man he's so free with his creativity!! More songwriting please ❤ ❤ ❤

[@Jose-oq6kj]

Ben, I don't really know how to keep the intent of my message short but in the words of George Carlin "If I could express myself, I wouldn't be doing this" when talking of suicide. I've struggling massively since 2018 when I underwent psychosis and have since had 2 more breaks in 2020 and 2022. My songwriting has massively crumbled and this video has hit me as massively authentic and so freeing; there's a lack of pressure here that I miss. Maybe I read too much Camus recently as your statement of feeling disconnected hit me hard. Thank you as sincerely as a stranger can. Felt like sitting with a friend.

[@AmandaKaymusic]

I like your instrument compositions. To my ears they feel emotional and the lyrics and music flow like honey more than shards of shatteredness jumbled up and stuck together with digital glue. They touch my emotions in a deeper way than the DAW work you share. That is also useful yet I feel emotionally disconnected and slightly agitated from that work (which I guess is still an personal emotional response). Thanks for this clip.

[@andreassilva7845]

Wow, thank you thank you thank you! I always feel awkward and slow and kind of lost when writing songs … your clip helps me cherish the process I have, embrace it with love. And how being lost and fumbling for paths is the right way to go … ❤️❤️

[@Ojmanyeah]

This is great! Nice to see a musician that’s far more knowledgeable in theory that writes in a very similar way to me. Makes me want to get back into writing again!

[@jakeg64]

Thank you for this. Usually I'll spend a few hours working on something only to take a break and listen to someone else's stuff to not go back to working on what I was doing. I often forget that what I'm listening to is fully produced, mixed, and mastered. In the moment, I rarely stop to think about the shaking of heads and stratching out of lines that went into all of it. I'm sure it was rough putting this up, because occasionally the internet. But thank you again for grounding me and other like me that forget gardens start with seeds. New to the channel and I'm staying for a good while.

[@WingDingMcKing]

This video was not boring at all, I quite enjoyed the whole thing! Would love more videos in this style. Seeing all the thought and how those thoughts arrive at ideas through the process was really insightful.

[@enriquemartinez6509]

I’d say that you have to have a lot of balls to post this what I considered like the most intimate space a musician could have, but I realize that is likely you just simply already know that this is a natural process and this just reflects the experience in the music journey you already have. I haven’t seen anything like this before, it is so enlightening and so inspiring man, is like the most organic mater class I’ve ever been in!

[@59michaelash]

man this was fkkn gorgeous. I appreciate you including us in the songwriting process. Ive been following your stuff for a while and really appreciate your content. I have a Seagull myself and what beautiful guitars! at the end, when you deliver the whole track, I got goosebumps man. the crescendo when you belt it out is spot-on and incredibly evocative. your control of dynamics is great. please keep creating. thank you for being inspirational

[@jprnn]

First of all, thank you for showing your process. Secondly, what an absolute beauty of a song

[@pollution_]

You should do an album of these kinda songs itd be so good. Also please put this on streaming services, it deserves it!!

[@bakuhex786]

This is the most amazing and pure idea for a video ever

[@herbertherbert1939]

I love your voice, serves the song perfectly. Great job!

[@noelhutz]

Such a beautiful video and tune... I come back here regularly and it always inspires me to just start something :)

[@drawntothefire]

Absolutely beautiful song, performed with passion! Nice to see the creative process too. Ben, never stop, you bring great art to the world.

[@cfeliz70]

Man...Ben, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@itsjuno4467]

This video is so inspiring and motivational for a songwriter who often feels stuck or inadequate. Thank you!!

[@hackjermans563]

This is one of my favourite videos on youtube.

[@RobyMBeki]

Nothing comes from nothing Experience is important So never stop counting How much you can and can't.

[@n.e.campmore7337]

Thank you for sharing your creative process.

[@erictungoe7834]

Ben you are one of my favourite KZbinrs. Thanks for running this channel. Its a treasure trove of information for musicians.

[@slcrooks]

So open, opening your gifts so we can see them, very glad and wanting to give more, standing at the door, falling to the floor, is there any more, I’ll just go to the store to get more nothing nothing on the shelf, go there by myself, feeling like an elf just sitting on a shelf. I’m in orbit, thank you Ben...again.

[@twohornedpuppet85]

That's exactly the song I needed to hear right now. It's a masterpiece!

[@aggressivejazzhands2569]

This was super inspiring... I've been in a big rut for with my own writing for a little while. Watching you just, well, doin' you was apparently exactly what I needed. Thanks dude. I'm gonna go play guitar for a while.

[@TrickyJIuc]

Thank you for that vid) It's really so cool to see you in that genre humming melodies and writing lyrics on the fly, cause for me at the moment that's the only possible way I can try to songwrite)

[@CurtisThorpe]

Simply beautiful

[@Jonksy]

I loved this video Ben. Its great to see one of my musical inspirations tackle this method of song-writing, as it is the main method I personally use to write songs/ lyrics. I feel like my motivation tank got filled up with just this 20 minute video. Thanks Ben.

[@blackychouette]

Oh!! So that's what I look like when I'm composing... time just flies until I'm satisfied with the end result. And by the way, the only thing that can qualify as perfection is nothing.. nothing to be added and nothing to be removed, perfection. So nothing we do will ever be perfect.🤯

[@giuseppeschepis-castlebroo2318]

Thank you for showing your process. John Samson meets Dylan vibes....I like it.

[@SuperGroat]

It's fascinating how similar your songwriting process here is similar to mine (well you're much more experienced and efficient but still), very cool to watch you figuring this out

[@rjkmusicmedia]

Hey Ben, I lost my little sister Rachel recently and your lyrics brought me to tears sounding so close to my life at the minute, being an uncle to her son Dante and moving all their stuff it was so uncanny... I also love John Frusciante and this hit close to home! xx

[@BenLevin]

That is so difficult, I can't imagine. I wish you and your family strength and unity through the pain.

[@rjkmusicmedia]

@@BenLevin Thanks so much for that, Ben! Record a version with the band and I'll show my family

[@NecromancerSloth]

This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing! I want to save the finished song somehow, it nearly brings me to tears :') You're the best, Ben

[@michaelcarrasco7900]

Beautiful

[@Mr.Batsu12]

It's so great being able to watch your creative process, thank you. I really love what you came up with at the end in just a short 21 minute video, really lovely.

[@patbreacadh]

Great stuff. I like the finished song, but aslo the intermediary stages (1st third of the video), some cool tensions there appeared just under the surface. No doubt they they will re-emerge elsewhere in your work. Thanks for sharing these moments.

[@monowavy]

Song in 17:44 Lyrics: Now I've got a set of keys for each door you pull me through It weighs alot and keeps me lean, I'm disappearing too I'll shake a baby's hand and watch that little baby boom Cause nothing leads to nothing Nothing leads to nothing You brought me here For something I'm an uncle in a month, now what's the point of that? a family grows and crumples up like paper on a desk I just wanna be a friend and help you find your nest Cause someone leads to something And someone leads to something And no one leaves with anything, Now what's the point in that? ooo Now I've got a set of keys for each door you pull me through It really seems like such a waste to live here without you...

[@ericjam6346]

Very cool that you put this raw process out there.

[@augustmedbrod]

Made me cry

[@RoyFarrite]

I've been in major need of something like this video. I love seeing other people's creative processes; it's a bit of an inspiration for me.

[@jacobesker76]

This is everything I needed. I honestly been trying to think more clearly about the concept before i write but i keep losing track of my mind or i give up because i cant make up my mind. I used to write this way for years as a kid. Maybe I should go back to this. I’d love to see a video on concept writing. I would also love to see you experiment with ideas I’ve had for songwriting techniques. 1. Writing lyrics first, record yourself reading with emotion, try to notate the pitches for each syllable, then change some notes to add tension to your power words. 2. Record music first, take multiple recordings of yourself singing random jargon to the melody, then compile all of those recordings and try to pick out words you hear or sound close.

[@KyuuKun16]

Loved the song, hope you end up releasing it, amazing video!

[@patbreacadh]

Amazing voice, man! Also interesting rub in some of the chords. Always something interesting going in your music!

[@GUIM1797]

Currently watching, but I gotta pause and tell you how great it is to see at 3:05 that denial of far-reaching chromaticism in favor of something more closely related. It's very nice! And I love those dark chromaticisms so much, but sometimes you gotta let 'em go (this ain't Pokemon, can't catch 'em all)!

[@KateSharkun]

im literally in love

[@RaccoonEatingCacti]

Reminds me of something John Frusciante would've written for his Will to Death album. I really didn't expect something so profound to come out of that beginning idea, "Nothing leads to nothing." Thank you for the insight into your process.

[@Key.Fantasy]

beautiful

[@quixoticindiscipline9524]

Is there a part two to this? it would be nice to go through an actual song starting from scratch like this video all the way up to a finished, recorded song. See the process of choosing instruments, maybe happy accidents, and any type of changes along the way.

[@aidanosaurusrex2365]

You’re a beast man. Thanks for making this

[@LautloseLebwerwurst3000]

7:40 and onwards reminds me a lot of John Frusciante's older solo stuff (Niandra LaDes and Smile From the Streets You Hold era); the raw but beautiful guitar, the slightly nasal vocals, going from lamenting or even intimidated sounding to those climactic moments... I dig it!

[@captainawesome4622]

I'd love to see another stripped down songwriting video like this. Just you, your guitar and your imagination shaping a song

[@XtruhSpecialK]

awesome to see the process

[@BenLevin]

Thank you!

[@brianyule1289]

This feels dressing gown with frayed sleeves familiar. Thanks for daring to share.

[@thomasbailey6231]

Lovely video Ben! Really appreciate the honest way you present this songwriting experience. Your guitar style kind of reminds me in a really positive way of the album Sung Tongs by Animal Collective. If you haven't checked it out, I think you'd enjoy it.

[@ThomsenTower]

Fun to watch, Ben, thanks! And also a great example of why one would want to apply compression to vocals. ;-)

[@alejandrogomez4742]

Hace unos años cuando no tenía computadora y no sabía usar Ableton, me la pasaba horas tocando la guitarra y componiendo así, esto me hizo sentir mucha nostalgia Muchas gracias Ben por hacerme llorar tan temprano

[@patonle]

We love you Ben 💟

[@allofthemmilkingwithgreenf7493]

Loved this! Raw and beautiful.

[@GUMMYITALIAN]

Love it 🙌

[@StompL7]

Wow. Thank you ben for sharing this. I never wrote a song, i believe it's a milestone for selfgrowth to finish a. song

[@AndreCholmondeley]

love it. Who the f gives this a thumbs down?? Wow. It's a raw, honest look inside dude's creative process. what's not to love?? or scroll on if not for you. But "dislike"?? Ugh, humans. whatever ........ROCK ON BEN.....!!

[@willwillwill333]

I LOVE YOU BEN

[@thehambone1454]

Wow! Loved that you shared this!

[@Ibakecookiess]

beautiful video, thaank you so much

[@juicebox86]

the final result reminds me of As Tall As Lions. great to witness this process

[@jordan_private]

Full song: 17:45

[@sethsjostrom3546]

That was absolutely incredible. You are insane

[@kalkentros4584]

Hope this songs put on spotify

[@softedgesmusic]

This was super interesting! Thanks Ben that was rad!