New to songswriting; tips?

[RumpleCragstan]

Hey everyone!

 

I've been playing guitar for about a year now, and I figured that I'm at a point where I can maybe start writing a song or two.

 

Anyone have any tips, as I'm pretty much starting from zero?

[Joe Muscara]

That's where many songs start, don't they, from zero?

 

Don't be afraid to copy elements from songs you like. You obviously don't want to copy the song itself, but structure, tempo, feel, and many other elements can help you.

 

You should know the rules before you break them. Lots of people say they "want to do something new and different," and that is great, but it helps to know why things are done the way they are or have been before you venture out on your own. You might find that the established method works better than what you had in mind, or maybe it gives you something to build off of.

 

There are many other things, it's too early for me to think of any more now, but hopefully others will chime in. However, there is one more piece of advice I can give you. Have fun!

[RumpleCragstan]

Lots of people say they "want to do something new and different," and that is great, but it helps to know why things are done the way they are or have been before you venture out on your own.

 

Oh, absolutely... I'm not looking to really venture into new lyrical territory at the moment. I have a guitar for musical exploration.

 

As far as songwriting goes, my only real goal at this point is to write a good love song for a beautiful lady I know. She won't be here for another 6 months, so I figure I have lots of time to perfect it, but thats about the only thing I have on my plate at the moment.

[Joe Muscara]

Another tip: Don't be precious. In other words, don't get so attached to something that it inhibits further progress of the song. You can always go back to it later if the new path doesn't work after all, or use it in another song!

[Eric Iverson]

A couple things I have learned by experience:

 

1. You usually don't want to cram too many syllables in there, if it makes it hard for the singer to interpret the melody;

2. Harmonize the melody; don't melodize the harmony.

 

Nothing wrong with complex songs if you can pull them off, but many great songs (including jazz standards) are basically pretty simple, yet people (including the singers and musicians) love them and play them over and over.

 

Not that I don't admire what Paul Simon did harmonically with "Still Crazy After All These Years" - yes, I love the song, too - especially as performed by Ray Charles.

[DonaldM]

Hey everyone!

 

I've been playing guitar for about a year now, and I figured that I'm at a point where I can maybe start writing a song or two.

 

Anyone have any tips, as I'm pretty much starting from zero?

 

The only thing I recommend is that you go to a really good music store where they have piano lessons and the like and find a really good self-teaching book on basic music theory. The more theory you know, the more tools you'll have in your bag to write music with. The three rules of songwriting are:

 

1. Learn theory

2. Learn theory

3. Learn theory

 

Hope that helps!

[d halfnote]

...Don't be afraid to copy elements from songs you like. You obviously don't want to copy the song itself, but structure, tempo, feel, and many other elements can help you....

 

That's really the best advice but don't just copy.

Examine why the song appeals to you & experiment with how varying some parts affects it...& why those variations work or don't.

 

 

I suggest the same thing you may've read me post regarding theory.

It's not "the rules" you want to learn but what causes what effect.

 

[d halfnote]

...Harmonize the melody; don't melodize the harmony...

 

That's another great idea.

You can make 1001 great tunes to fit most standard progressions but they're not likely to be as uniquely memorable as something tailored to fit a tune that stands on its own.

[MiBandMan]

Rumple

 

You are writing for your special friend so I am not talking about 99% of the tripe that is on the radio. That stuff has to have a "hook" for the brain dead masses - "dumb masses" so to speak. I mean the stuff that pulls your heart strings or tickles your funny bone. You want her to listen to your song and find some depth there not just bling. It can still be simple as mentioned above. "You Are So Beautiful" written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and recorded by Joe Cocker and 200+ others. Simple and beautiful.

 

Below are just a few questions you might want to ask yourself if you want to be a songwriter. These are not totally essential but I feel they make the job easier.

 

Do you read a lot?

Do you enjoy words and how they are put together?

Do catchy or meaningful phrases jump out at you?

Do you listen to how people talk? (Hardly anybody listens any more and everybody's talking.)

Do you enjoy listening to the dialects from other cultures or countries?

Do you point out words or phrases in songs, TV shows, movies, news or even commercials that nobody else catches?

Do you get a thrill out of sitting down with a blank sheet of paper or computer and creating something from nothing?

 

I believe that these traits will make songwriting easier and more productive. It will make your work stand out from all the junk on the radio. However it may not get you a cut in Nashville or LA.

 

Words are your building blocks. It's all a matter of being able to use them in a unique way. Dive into em like a kid in a ball pond, roll em around and roll around in em. Grab your favorites and bring em out of there. Spread em out on the table like a 500 piece puzzle. Put it together and then see if you can make it a 250 piece without losing any of the meaning. Repeat.

 

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq126/mibandman/ballpond.jpg

 

Go to a few songwriter showcases and listen for an evening. You will hear roughly 90% average or below and a few real gems. You want to be in the gem case.

 

I hope she loves it.

 

Dave G

 

 

[franciscomeza11]

buy any type recorder, capture ideas on the spot, don't commit them to memory because most often than not you will forget them or change them, you can always revisit them later

 

sometimes people think it is all about the riff. What makes a song memorable is the melody, if you have a nice melody, hum it and find the chords later.

 

If you can, play different instruments, sometimes picking up a bass will inspire to write a cool bass line and they you follow it with a guitar and start developing it from there

 

listen to a lot of music and as the other guys said don't be afraid to get influenced from your heroes. If you are gonna learn from someone they are the best teachers

[Eric VB]

As far as songwriting goes, my only real goal at this point is to write a good love song for a beautiful lady I know. She won't be here for another 6 months, so I figure I have lots of time to perfect it, but thats about the only thing I have on my plate at the moment.

So that's July? It's end of May! Any updates?

[gbpv]

Just play everyday, learn new chords, and don't think or try too hard to write songs. The more you play, the more the songs will come.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Buy Pat Pattison's book on lyric writing. Not the big course book set, just the single book. Amazon usually has it. You might be able to get it from the Berklee website, as he teaches there.

[PRS MAN]

well you need inspiration, lets say you have a loved one in iraq, a good start may be somthing like

The tears that i have cried, the pain that has come to me, dwells something up in my soul, what would hapen if you left me tonight, what if you were killed in a bombing, than they pull out of war, your death would be in vain, but maybe vain isnt what we thnk it is,

idk something like that may be a start hit me with criticism i dont kare im 15 and have wrote several songs kause of someOne very special, One that is the King of the world, but you have tofell with what seems right, as a Christian i just follow what God seems to put in me to right but thats just my opionion

[DonaldM]

The three rules for writing songs are:

 

1. Learn music theory

2. Learn music theory

3. Learn music theory

 

The more theory you know, the more tools you have in your songwriting kitbag to create music. There are many self-study theory course books available in music stores.

 

Did I mention to learn music theory?

[gbpv]

The three rules for writing songs are:

 

1. Learn music theory

2. Learn music theory

3. Learn music theory

 

The more theory you know, the more tools you have in your songwriting kitbag to create music. There are many self-study theory course books available in music stores.

 

Did I mention to learn music theory?

 

While I'm sure it doesn't hurt, I must say that I don't know music theory and I don't read or write music. However, I've been writing songs for many, many years. I think everyone is different.

[PRS MAN]

i agre with the dude above the theory isnt important

 

[Tmidiman]

One thing that helps is being creative. Start playing a song you already know and then start changing it with whatever chords you want. Do the same with singing. The idea is not to copy something else, but to get your mind used to being creative. Lesson: Let you mind go anywhere it wants and be creative.

 

Now just write something and record it. No matter how good you think it is just do it. Try to write 10 - 15 songs as part of a project. When that is done, and there's no rush, start another. About four projects in go back to the first one and listen to it. You will find that you are getting better every time. Lesson: Just start writing and you will get better.

 

If you write rock, spend a month learning jazz or pop. If you like jazz spend a month learning rock or pop. What will happen is you will learn new approaches to your most loved style of music. Lesson: reach beyond your comfort zone to learn a new approach.

 

Theory. You may have heard "learn it and forget it". After 3-4 months of songwriting take a month to learn one thing about theory. Learn a new scale, understand modes, learn how chords are constructed. What will happen it that one day you'll be writing and you might hit a dead end. What you could then do is look at the song theoretically and write what should logically come next, then as a rock palyer you throw in a new jazz chord you just learned, and then go back to being creative. Yep you got it. Lesson: Theory is good too.

 

Last thing. Remember that songwriting is like a craft and YOU are the craft person. Shape your music. Mold it. Create and bring forth the sounds from your heart so that the world can hear them too. Lesson: Listen to your heart and the world around you.

[soundbeing]

i've been a songwriter for more than 20 years.

 

if you love it, you will get better and better at it.

 

a lesson, a book, a friend, inspiration and constant practice... all of these things will help you get better.

 

i agree a recording device is a great idea. also pick up a chord deck. its the shape of your upper fret board on a guitar and it has the chord shapes along with info on what other chords might go well with a particular chord.

 

good luck!

[QVM]

Theory is good for figuring out what you did after you've done it; it can actually get in the way of creativity. Most of the greats bent, broke, or extended the theory of their day - then the analysts re-developed the theory to account for what the creators did.

 

My experience - you have to get all the way through it and feel comfortable with the theoretical background before it starts to be useful; when you are beginning, experimenting until it sounds good to you is a better approach.

 

Above all be playful with your music. You can always change it and often should.

[Griffinator]

Theory is good for figuring out what you did after you've done it; it can actually get in the way of creativity. Most of the greats bent, broke, or extended the theory of their day - then the analysts re-developed the theory to account for what the creators did.

 

Great idea in theory (pardon the pun) - not so much in practice.

 

The more you know of the "rules", the more equipped you are to break them in an aesthetically pleasing fashion.

 

Sure, if your aim is to churn out pop "hits" for money, then it's probably best to ignore theory and plan to regurgitate the same crap with different lyrics for your entire career, chasing the "trends" in what lyric connects with whatever current group of teenagers is listening.

 

If your aims are more lofty, then learning theory will do nothing but help you in those goals - even if you intend to write for others instead of yourself.

[GabeCarter]

Ya I agree theory isn't important to get started but its good to know. Just write even if it sounds bad. Then move on to the next song. After a few songs you'll start seeing your getting better. Write 3 songs and then choose which is best for your girl. Then rework it til its awesome!

[Joe Muscara]

A rhyming dictionary. There are (or were) printed volumes, or now you can do that online.

[Gismo Recording]

I've been trying to write a song for a local charity and I cant seem to find words that rhymes with charity. Any ideas?

clarity, rarity, parity. That's all the perfect rhymes I can think of.

Lots of near rhymes: parody, therapy, Sarah Lee, guarantee, Laramie, pharisee.

[AnthonyCeseri]

Hey man - Check out a book called "Writing Better Lyrics" by Pat Pattison. Awesome!!... It'll change the way you write forever. Then come back to me for more references... : )