Fellow Musicians! I'm just interested in chatting about songwriting tips. I'm not very experienced with writing lyrics. Sometimes I will be putting together some riffs and chord progressions, then one line will come about. I try to build off of it but I usually end up with a verse or two with nothing else. Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist but I find I have a hard time finishing a song. Sometimes I will say okay, going to write a song then nothing. I try to think of a subject and just have a block. Okay anyways, I was just wondering what your processes were for writing songs? How do you go about it?
Ah, man. I have so many unfinished songs in my electronic notepad haha. And my personal notebook. I usually put the songs I think are really good on pen and paper. Anyways, it's not easy most times trying to write lyrics for a song. There are various poetic systems you can use, though it's kind of difficult to describe the process of tranferring lyrics from your mind into the "physical" world. I don't really get writer's block though, per sey. It's more like just get stuck sometimes. I'll be cruising along telling a story, most of the time rhyming at the end of stanzas and all of a sudden bam. Where do I go from here?? I usually try to think in a circular motion, try to stay on topic... It might be easier if I could give some examples here, I feel like I'm not really helping since it's so hard to describe my lyric writing process. One thing is for sure though, it's almost always easier to put lyrics to music rather than music to lyrics. One thing that really helped me was taking a Creative Writing class in college. It's true what they say, practice, practice, practice. Start with simple repetitive chords and try something out of the ordinary once in a while and see how you do. I'm a huge fan of basic folk rock tunes. It's strange how I can't describe my process when it comes to writing lyrics, but I usually start with a catchy line, think of something Jimi or other mentionable artists would say that catches people's attention. Think of a main idea, try to stick with a story I'm trying to tell... usually fictitious and oddly humorous. Sticking to the plan is really hard sometimes though, since music tends to stray a lot (the kind I play does anyways) and it can be such an abstract form of art. Rhyming and wordplay is also a must for me, because the main idea is to catch and keep people's attention in order to keep your group of listeners, but I guess it all depends on the goal that you're aiming for. I usually use two or four line verses and in a 4 set verse, I usually end lines 1 and 2 with rhyming words and then 3 and 4 the same way OR if I want to get creative, I'll tie lines 1 and 3 then 2 and 4 with rhyming words and revert to normal wordplay for the chorus. It sounds so complicated when I explain it. I could give some examples of different songs I've written if it would help. Hope you don't mind I wrote you a novel here! haha, but writing poetry, lyrics and little rap songs is one of my favorite pasttimes. I'd like to see some of what you've written if you don't mind. Not entire songs, in case you're trying to copywrite them somewhere down the line, but I might be able to show what points you might be able to improve on if you're having trouble. Also, music genre might help. I might pop in later and type up some examples of my writing style. Until then, best of luck! Hope this helps and isn't too confusing of an explanation!
Terrapin, I appreciate your time and hard thought out comment! Most helpful. I am actually currently in University and will be looking at taking creative writing as an elective for sure! I hadn't even thought of that.. This morning I started playing around and came up with this verse. I didn't have much time so it's just a verse and no chorus etc. etc. but I decided on kind of a 'new beginnings' sort of theme or moving forward, carpe diem, progressing in life, something along those lines haha. Anyways: As I look into that mirror reflection of a man so clear No longer just a little boy But a man and a newfound ploy Smiling a grin now so severe Seize the day let's perservere Fill your heart with endless joy Don't let yourself become annoyed Here's a random verse I rambled off when I picked up the guitar one morning and started a simple chord progression: I woke up this morning I knew it was gonna be Another good day I've been having those lately The season's changing My mind stays the same Keep moving it forward Progressing day by day Here's some I came up with one day when I was thinking about annoying thoughts of a past relationship.. Have you ever Cut down a great big tree Only to have The roots remain so deeply Have you ever Wished there hadn’t been a seed To begin with Growing its roots so deeply freely And now you’re gone I cant move on So easily My mind plays tricks Painting dreams So vividly Have you ever Been a part of something beautiful Just to turn it around And face its unexpected demise Here's a full song I wrote at a well again, the annoying emotionally distraught state in my life... Well every minute of everyday I can’t stop thinking about you baby All the memories I have of all the good times we had haunt me lately I know I pushed you away but I wish I would have stayed with you baby Cause everyday is a heartache I miss you more than words can say I wish I could just hold you Tell you how much I love you You were the best thing in my life everything felt so right when I was with you I remember that night when I said I think that I love you My heart was racing I was so afraid because those words were new Cause everyday is a heartache I miss you more than words can say I wish I could just hold you Tell you how much I love you Now I really miss those nights when I would wrap my arms all around you You had all the words to say when I was feeling upset to take my pain away But then I got scared and I pushed you away I hope you don’t hate me Cause everyday is a heartache I miss you more than words can say I wish I could just hold you Tell you how much I love you I cared for you You might not believe it’s true I thought I had a future with you And now Everyday is a heartache Everyday is a heartache Yeah that's sappy and not entirely the kind of music I would like to focus on writing, but interestingly enough the latter I managed to rifle that off pretty fluidly. That was written in one sitting (I suppose I could practice with it and mold it into a finished piece, it is a full song that I did in fact create).. I guess a lot is just practice I imagine. Over time I know I will find some I like, some I hate, and know I must keep practicing irregardless if I have any hopes of getting better. Thanks for your suggestions guys!
I go about it different ways. Sometimes I write the lyrics first with no music (not my most successful way to do it), sometimes I come up with the music and a vocal melody just kind of pops in my head so I go from there on lyrics. I have more success with that method. But one thing I've learned over the years is to not over-think or over-do it to force something that isn't there. The most satisfying songs I've wrote have usually come fast...almost all at once. Like....I'm screwing around with something on guitar and 15-20 minutes later I have four verses and a few other parts. Then I just go with that because as the song evolves the changes will kind of almost make themselves. For instance....if a word doesn't seem to fit into a place and I'm having a tough time singing it with the band (in time) I seem to find a different word or a different way to sing the original word and that way becomes the new way to do it. Another thing that I have grown to absolutely love over the years....and this stemmed from not being as successful writing lyrics by themselves and then finding a satisfying way to put them to music.....if I think I have some decent lyrics with no music, I often give them to our bands lead singer/rhythm guitarist and let him run with them. Many times he comes back with a song that never would have occurred to me to play. We have a number of songs that are requested all the time and they're beautiful songs that make me very happy to play but I only wrote the lyrics and trusted him to give them life. It's cool because I never know what to expect. Another thing that I'm kind of notorious for is writing things that are very difficult to put words to later. Because I just get so into a piece and start using the music to convey the feeling. Those end up being longer pieces with lots of different part, key and timing changes, etc. I love those songs but never play them live because...well...we're a little lazy but also it would take a lot of time to really work them out and nail them down and be able to play them as tight as we would need to. That's probably a little closer to writing classical music or something of that nature. But I get a lot of satisfaction out of writing that kind of stuff and one day I hope to be able to record them on a "solo" cd. Anyway...sorry that was so long. Edited to say....I used the term notorious because plenty of times we're sitting in the studio bullshitting and I'll be picking away at one of those songs. One of my band mates will say "Dude...that's cool. What is that?" So I'll tell them but them go on to play the rest of the parts and they kind of just shake their heads.
Kind of doing something different tonight. I took a pretty jazzy progression of triads that I love to play and kind of slowed them down and then put a Neil Young type of vocal melody over them. It gave me a meaningful and interesting place to start. So then I had to think about what I wanted to say and it occurred to me that my deceased father was the first person who influenced me to become a musician. I wondered what he would write if he could write one more song. I decided that would be my focus. My step-mom was the love of his life and she died fairly shortly after he did so I'm going to write the song he may have wrote for her if he could have. I have a few lines done. It's actually not the stuff I normally write but I really want to do it. We have a local show fairly soon so maybe I can get it done by then and play it solo on a set break.
I decided to bail on that lyric idea. Ah...the song writing process....mountains and valleys. Seemed like a really good idea but now it seems like a not so good idea. How many times have you guys wrote things with excitement, only to get done and say "Eh...."?
Nowadays it seems like the writer and/or musician come up with maybe 2 lines which are repeated over and over and over... The chorus is usually one or 2 words, strung out in different ways...sometimes its hard to tell the chorus from the stanzas.
